Things certainly heated up for the Northeast Ursamen as winter set in. On the heels of another sucessful Spookybear weekend, the Northeast Ursamen returned to New London for their second annual Big Bear Baskets food drive at Frank's Place. Members and locals were out in force and again helped us to raise $1000 for the Alliance For Living and bags & bags of non-perishable foods for their "Essentials for Living" food pantry program. The Ursamen staged another one of their "Biggest Basket" contests (it was a real hoot again) and International Mr. Daddy Bear 2009 put in his second appearance with the Northeast Ursamen, flying all the way from California to help us make a difference in our community. Joe gave us a lot of promotion for the event, did time on his knees selling raffle tickets, and donated a gift basket worth hundreds of dollars to help our cause!! Thank you JOE!! Joe's family over at Dev's on Bank Street also donated a gift certificate towards the raffle and also hosted us for dinner immediately prior to the event. Mr. CT Leather provided a very nice gift basket for our raffle as well, and Member Riki W. (owner of the Spongebob car) donated one of his own paintings as a raffle prize! It was a great night for us as a club and as a community.

Even with the holidays bearing down on us (pun intended), the Northeast Ursamen did not slow down. The Imperial Sovereign Court held their Holiday Extravaganza at Tommy's in Middletown, and the Northeast Ursamen joined forces to make for a very fun evening. In spite of bad weather, members from both communities came out to raise some funds for the Court's charities: The Mid-Fairfield AIDS Project and The Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, and to donate toys for the Northeast Ursamen's "Toys for Joy" toy drive (benefiting a local program called "Senior Santas"). Joe Mannetti flew out AGAIN, making this his third appearance in 2009 with the Northeast Ursamen! Joe was at it again with the tickets and is exuberant energy. Joe himself is also a member of the Imperial Court of Long Beach and is an ambassador to the Bear Communty - a perfect fit for a teamup with the Court and the Ursamen. Joe, we can't thank you enough for all the good you helped us do in 2009! And a special, anonymous "THANK YOU" the the gentlebear who donated a Wii (yes, a Wii) which we think really took our toy drive and threw it over the top. Photos by Santa was also a feature of the night :o) The bears in attendance were hot and shirtless by the end of the night... wonder who's responsible for that, Matt?

The Ursamen gathered again at the of Rick & Tom's in Ashford to say "Happy Holidays" for our Annual Holiday Party. Food as usualy was in abundance and Ursamen were as jovial and playful as ever. This is one event that we always encourage club members to attend. Nothing says "Happy Holidays" than packing in 50 of your biggest, furriest friends into a house full of warmth, cheer, tacky grab-bag presents, and even a little bit of Rudolph on the big screen (did we ever get to Rudolph??). The Annual Meeting program was rebroadcast on the big screen with outtakes - a moment not to have been missed... and we won't talk about what was going on behind the bar.... you naughty, naughty bears!

Last but not least, the bears rung in the New Year at Tommy's... wow wow WOW!! It's just amazing how many came out in spite of the weather... and again from multiple states including Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachussetts!! Tommy's spared no expense with the food - there was enough meat in their buffet to sink a ship! A few of the Mr. CT Leather guys came out too - it was really a fun fun night :o) You have to watch out for the First B*tch Matt who will make sure you loose your shirt!! Frank had a killer playlist on the sound system, and yes, Richard P. from Vermont was a terror behind the raffle tickets... what else are we going to make him do when he doesn't have a bonfire to float inflated condoms over?? It was a GREAT party and a fitting way to round out a wildly successful year with the Northeast Ursamen. And yes, the results are in.... we took Best Bear Club for a second year in a row.... THANK YOU to all who supported us in 2009 - we look forward to making bears, cubs, and admirers of all kinds smile a little more in 2010.

For a look back at the year in pictures, including events we missed like the Got Wood Potluck and Discover Scuba, please visit our Picasa photo albums. We know we were a little slow in uploading images this year (we were a little busy making things happen), but we sure do hope you enjoy them... and for those who missed us in 2009 - please come see what we're up to in 2010!

The Northeast Ursamen's flagship event, Spookybear Weekend, is featured in the Winter 2009 issue of A Bear's Life magazine! ABL Editor in Chief, Steve Harris, attended the event and had his camera in action. In the "ABL World Tour" photo section, an entire page was dedicated to Spookybear Weekend photos, and smack in the center of the magazine, is a much coveted 2-page centerfold spread, featuring some of the best costumes spotted at the Saturday night Spookybear Costume Party!! Several members of the club were featured in the various photos, including Ted H., Rich & Shawn, "Crisco", Scarriest Costume winner Barrett, President Skeeter, and Event Coordinator-Elect Daddy Mike. Best Group Costume, "The Spooky Bears", were featured in the centerfold among others.

For the actual centerfold photo, you have to get a copy of A Bear's Life!

If you are not a subscriber, visit http://www.abearslifemag.com/ and order yourself a copy, or visit a retailer that carries A Bear's Life magazine.

The Northeast Ursamen wish to thank A Bear's Life for their coverage of Spookybear Weekend and for their sponsorship of the Meet & Greet portion of the event. The Northeast Ursamen in turn donated cash received from ABL to the Soup Kitchen in Provincetown.

For our photos from Spookybear Weekend, including a few "Behind the Scenes" photos, click here!

To help celebrate the 17th Anniversary of the founding of the Northeast Ursamen, the club produced a 30 minute video presentation featuring songs, skits, and a video montage of the past year's events. Following in the traditions of Annual Meeting live shows of the past, the video program showcased the talents of many members of the club. The video itself was wildly entertaining and a ton of fun to make. The program was filmed over many months and in many locations, including Provincetown, Hillside, Boston, member's homes, and a makeshift sound studio in Matt & Skeeter's garage. The general theme for the 2009 show was "What if the Bears Were Popular in the 80's?" Roughly a half dozen popular 80's music acts were spoofed, including Duran Duran (ala "Bearan Bearan"), Culture Club, Robert Palmer, Michael Jackson, and Cindy Lauper. A hillarious sendup to Star Trek was also given as "The Ursa Generation". And thrown in for good measure was an outrageous rendition of Julia Child ripping on Paula Deene!

The program was shown on October 10th at the Annual Meeting dinner at Partner's in New Haven, and was replayed at the club's annual Holiday Party at Rick & Tom's house... with outtakes! Unfortunately, the program will not be available for sale, but portions of the show may be seen on Youtube at a later date. Rumor has it, the video will also be replayed at the upcoming Tree Burning Potluck.

To see some behind the scenes photography from the making of the video program, visit our Picasa photo album for the 2009 Annual Meeting Weekend or click on the thumbnails below to access the web album.

Please visit thecompletebear.com and vote for the Northeast Ursamen! We were nominated for the Best Bear Club of 2009, and we sure would love your help by voting! Our club took the title last year - and we'd love to take it again! We need your votes in order to do it! Our club is currently enjoying a resurgence of energy and what a year it's been! If you came to one of our events this year and had some fun... THANK YOU for supporting us!! Please take a moment to support us one more time :o)

To vote, please visit http://completebear.com/index.php/best-of-the-bears-2009. There are multiple polls, just scroll down until you find the one for the "Best Bear Club/Organization". You can also vote using your mobile phone!

We'd also ask for your votes for Joe Mannetti, Mr. International Daddy Bear 2009, who was nominated for Bear of the Year! Joe helped our club by attending three of our fundraisers in 2009, and helped us to raise thousands for our various charities! Joe flew from Los Angeles each time at his own expense... his support for us this year was amazing! Won't you please help us show our appreciation for Joe's efforts!

Well the fur certainly flew this summer!! What a season to remember!!

Summer for the Northeast Ursamen officially begins every year on Memorial Day weekend. Our club treks to Hillside Campgrounds every year for a weekend long excursion into the woods, where bears eat like kings and twinks are scared. Don't let me kid you, I've seen some bears pretty scared too, but by the end of this weekend, there are, for a time, NO Hillside virgins. The Ursamen staged their own version of Baby Oil Bear Wrestling on the upper Site 60... lesson learned, bring a commercial sized botle of Dawn dishwashing liquid for the showerhouse! This was a trip to remember - we hope we made it fun, and hopefully more will come next year! Oh, and who could forget the Spongebob Squarepants car??

The last time we checked in with you on this news page, we were preparing for a whirlwind Hartford Pride weekend... and what a weekend it was!! The club made a handsome showing at the Hartford Pride Festival, with members receiving new edition club T-shirts as a "thank you" for attending. Joe Mannetti, Mr. International Daddy Bear 2009, flew out and helped us raise funds for the Alliance for Living AND the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective, first on Friday night at Franks, then on Saturday at Tommy's Restaurant! Those who survived the weekend had a satifying brunch at Dakota's in Rocky Hill! Thank you Joe for your help, support, and energy!

After a month's worth of activities in one weekend, the Ursamen put it on "pause" for a couple weeks as many trekked up to Bear Week in Provincetown. The Ursamen hosted a "culture" event featuring a book reading by 2008 Bear of the Year, Ron Suresha. It was a nice little crowd, nestled in amonst the bustling goings-on of Bear Week and all it has to offer. July was capped out with a extravagant Luau party at Roger S.'s house in southern Connecticut. Just ask Kristen about doing his little dance in his rainbow grass skirt... and chasing firetrucks??

Meanwhile, production kicked in for the Northeast Ursamen Annual Meeting's video presentation... taking us to Industrial Bear & Magic Studios in Ashford, back to Hillside, and out to the stars in deep space... more on that later!!

The club got down & dirty and took their show back on the road in August with an "InfFURno" bar night at the Quarry in Springfield, MA. Following this, the Ursamen teamed up with the Hartford Eagle, the Imperial Court, and the Sweetheart Invitational, to co-sponsor a Beer Bash at the Chez in Hartford. Be watching for more of these kinds of events in 2010! Oh and Six Flags... who could forget Six Flags??

In the middle of all this, Skeeter took some time out to help the Mr. CT Leather guys raise some funds by taking his turn in a dunk tank at their "Sticky & Sweet" S4 event at York Street. Lucky member Hendric was the first up and was rather unsuccessful at hitting the target with his balls. Undeterred, Hendric sank the club prez anyway by running up and giving the target a whack with his hands... bad cub!! Luckily nobody drowned that day! First "B*tch" Matt also took his turn in the tank to show his support. In Mid-Spetember, Skeeter returned to Yok Street to sit on a distinguished panel of judges for the 2010 Mr. CT Leather Contest. Each year, a representative of the Bear community is asked to be a judge... Skeeter notes it was quite an honor to serve in this capacity. Club member and Editor-In Chief John S. competed in the contest and was a runner up... yaaay John!

The summer held on into deep September with a return trip to Boston and the Alley. We really brought the house down!! Bears & Cubs were out in full force, and with some help from CeleBEARties Marco & Jim, Northeast Leather Sir & Boy 2009, the Northeast Ursamen raised hundreds of dollars for the American Cancer Society! The crowd was great, the energy was vibrant, and heck, who would have though we would be THIS popular in Boston? Thank you Jim & Marco, Thank you to the Alley, and THANK YOU all you Boston guys who made it a night to remember!

Photos from most of these events have been uploaded to our Picasa web albums... please have a look!

Joe Mannetti - MR. INTERNATIONAL DADDY BEAR 2009 - is making a special trip from his current home in Los Angeles County, California to help out the Northeast Ursamen for PRIDE weekend in his family's home state of Connecticut!

First, dinner on Friday June 5th at 7:00PM at DEV'S ON BANK STREET This is the family owned and operated restaurant where Mr. International Daddy Bear 2009 (Joe Mannetti's) cousin, aunt, and father work! Enjoy a great meal, Spanish Tappas Style, and THEN...

Join the Northeast Ursamen and Joe Mannetti, "Mr. International Daddy Bear 2009," for a Pre-Pride BEAREOKE Friday June 5, 2009 10PM at Franks Place in New London, Connecticut! Wow us with your vocal talents or listen as hot bears and cubs wow us with theirs! Our famous 50/50 raffle will be for the Alliance for Living New London. Joe Mannetti, "Mr. International Daddy Bear 2009" will be on hand to do the measuring.

The Alliance for Living is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people affected by HIV/AIDS in New London County. Alliance accomplishes its mission through direct services that support the life needs of people affected by HIV/AIDS. Alliance is dedicated to education, prevention services and advocacy on behalf of those it serves.

On Saturday, Joe will be at the Northeast Ursamen booth at the rally/festival in Hartford! Come say hello, and meet the Bears that were named as Best Bear Club/Organization 2008 by the Best of the Bears poll at The Complete Bear! (psst! members get a free t-shirt!) Later that night starting at 9:00PM, join Joe, the Northeast Ursamen and the Hartford Eagle for an After-Pride Leather & Bear Party at Tommy's Restaurant & Bar to benefit the Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective!

It all ends on Sunday with a delicious brunch at Dakota's of Rocky Hill!

View the latest information on all Northeast Ursamen Pride weekend events - and let's ROCK the weekend at Connecticut Pride!

Time (and fur) certainly flies when you're having fun! It seems like just yesterday we returned from Provincetown and Out of Hibernation weekend, and between then and now we've also been right back up to Boston for "Spring Training" which was a helluva grrreat trip up to the Alley to see our friends up there!

So here's a few words about Out of Hibernation for those of you who missed it. As in previous years, OOH was a collaborative effort between the area bear clubs, however this year brought in the guys from Mr. CT Leather into the mix. Barry Walters, the current titleholder, hosted a Bear & Cub Auction to raise much-needed funds for the Soup Kitchen In Provincetown (SKIP). The auction was a huge success, bringing in over $1000 for the cause. As OOH events go, it was something fun and new, and it was the first charity event ever for OOH. Later that evening, the Ursamen threw another successful "Butch & Bruiser's Boots & Boxers Party", donating half the club's proceeds to the SKIP charity as well. Another notable event from the weekend was the Pajama Party thrown by the P-Town bears. Imagine a bunch of guys in their flannel comfy pants watching campy movies like "The Birdcage" and "Mommie Dearest". After a few rounds of cocktails, it was worth it to hear the cat-calls at the screen (thanks to David A. and those huge knitting needles!). Overall, the weekend was a great success, with over 200 bears & cubs in attendance. The Ursamen wish to thank one and all who attended or had a hand in pulling the weekend together. It sure was a great way to shake that winter feeling out of the system!

Then there was the trip to Boston for "Spring Training". The Alley was literally invaded with bears... the bar was PACKED! Yes, lots of guys (but not everyone) ore Sox tees & jerseys, and YES a lucky couple went home with a pair of Sox tickets which the Alley generously donated. Those of you who couldn't make it who have Skeeter & Daddy Mike as friends on Facebook were again able to see a live feed of pix as we partied our collective a$$es off in Beantown. Many club members from Boston and surrounding areas were out in force along with club diehards who came into town. Many friends of the club were spotted in the crowd... it was a great, great night and one we won't soon forget. We raised several hundred dollars for the Hope Lodge, run by the American Cancer Society. The following night, our own Barrett "Firecub" hosted a special edition Ursa-Bearaoke to round out the weekend. The Ursamen wish to thank the Alley and all those who came out to support us in a great cause - we look forward to being back in town soon!

By the time we make it to the web with these recaps, we will be back home, working on our plans to be back in Central Connecticut in a big BIG way! We've got a Bearaoke event coming soon at Tommy's in Middletown, and after that, we'll be celebrating Hartford Pride like none other... watch this space!

View pix from Out of Hibernation
View pix from Spring Training (more coming soon)

Yes you heard that right, guys.... there were Bears and Leathermen abound at the S4 on Sunday, February 22nd, and yes, cupcakes. "It's a bit of an S4 tradition," explained Barry Walters, Mr. CT Leather 2009, who actually had a hand in making an attractive and yummy set of cupcakes decorated with leather flag colors, and you guessed it... bear paw prints! Luckily the guys held off in demolishing the spread long enough for a photo to get taken of it. Down they went, and by the way,they were yummy!

So what turned into a great evening of meeting and greeting, fun & socializing, found it's beginnings back around the January timeframe, when the Ursamen and members of the CT Leather community began discussing plans on how to make Out of Hibernation an event worth attending. With the idea of adding a "Bear & Cub Auction" to OOH in motion, Barry Walters made the offer to invite our club out beforehand to mix it up and get to know each other at one of their S4 Sunday Socials. We put the word out to the general membership as soon as we could, and luckily, we had ourselves a nice crowd which was probably about 50% Ursamen, 50% Leathermen. Put it this way, amid all the vests, chaps and gloves, there were lots of blue nametags floating around the room... it was very nice to see. At one point in the evening, Barry and Skeeter took a seat together on the bar to give a few words of thanks to those who came out and to let everyone know about OOH. Barry also announced he'll be competing at International Mr. Leather in May (we'll be pulling for ya Barry!). Skeeter then presented Barry with an original Northeast Ursamen friendship pin, which evoked sudden cheers from the crowd!

The Northeast Ursamen wish to Barry for inviting us down, and the rest of the men of Mr. CT Leather for showing us a wonderful afternoon at York Street. We'd also like to send a special BEAR-SIZED thank you to everyone who came down to support the event and to help build up the bonds of friendship and brotherhood between our communities. We're looking forward to much more in the future, so stay tuned folks!

For photos of this event, please view our online album or check out the Mr. CT Leather website. If you liked this event, or missed out, the next Mr. CT Leather S4 with Wildfire MC on Sunday, March 29 from 4 to 8pm.

In the weeks leading up to the end of February, we knew the New Haven Pride Center was gearing up for a move from their former location at 50 Fitch Street in New Haven. Within days of signing their new lease, out went call for help in getting them moved out before the end of the month. While the Ursamen are not a service organization, we do know we have a place in the community and try to do our part when it matters the most. For the last two years, the Ursamen have called the New Haven Pride Center home, at least when we have our monthly meetings... so with only a couple days notice, we were able to scrounge up 6 able-bodied bears to help move a lot of heavy furniture, 16-foot tall bookcases, office supplies, a whole library of books, computers, you name it, we moved it, along with a bunch of Pride Center volunteers (no we didn't MOVE the Pride Center volunteers, English comp classes be damned!). The NHPC fed us well, with donuts and juice in the morning, and pizza & soda in the afternoon. Some of us made a couple return trips later in the month to help get everything else out. We're very proud of Matt, Randy, Richie, John & AJ (and the fearless Leader), who contributed over 60 bear-hours to help the Pride Center move to their new location at 14 Gilbert Street in West Haven.

For some cellphone snapshots of this move (and some other cute volunteers), visit our online album.

Well guys, we new the guys in Worcester were hungry for a good bear night, but you guys blew the ROOF off at the MB Lounge on February 7th! We had hoped to give every guy who came thru the door either a nut or a bolt so they could spend the night finding their match... well guess what, with 100 pieces of hardware, we darn well ran out. Now you know what 100 guys looks like in the MB Lounge? It was absolute mayhem, and we know we exceeded that number by a lot. Even after we ran out of nuts & bolts, the guys just kept coming in the door! The bar bought a whole slew of pizzas, and let's just say they were short lived. As one would expect, Boston was very well represented as were many other regions that the Ursamen represents. The guys were great, and as usual, the Ursamen's bucket brigade was in full swing for a good part of the night. Thanks to the generosity of everyone, we raised a nice healthy sum for AIDS Project Worcester. Special thanks to Matt, "Crisco", and new member Mick for running the buckets!

While combing the crowd, we suddenly realized we were having another Ursa-reunion, this time from the class of, well let's say 1998! Club diehards of Kevin B, Randy, and Skeeter of course were there, but also in attendance were Charlie & Bob "Pajamas", Steve W. "Cowboy Bob", and founding member Bill D. There were a lot of club shirts moving thru the bar as well, including Steve W.'s "Equality thru Difursity" circa 1998. It was great to see so many people showing their club spirit! All in all, this was a slam-dunk success - we're very glad everyone came out to support us with such strong force, and are looking forward to getting back to Massachusetts real soon!

For more pix from this event, please visit our online web album!

We've been hearing for a while about how much fun BearAlbany's events are, so the Northeast Ursamen blocked out the weekend of January 23 - 25 to encourage club members to make the trip up and experience it for themselves. What can we say, the men of BearAlbany, that's John, Alan, Jim & Mike, sure do know how to throw a party! The guys were totally welcoming with both paws extended and showed us a good time. Now normally when we do a road trip, it can be hard to tell just how many of our guys will be willing to do the long drive (we've done the Boston thing a couple times), but as luck would have it, there have been a good handful of U'men who have been going to BearAlbany all along, so between them and the guys who made it up there for the first time, we had ourselves a good-sized Ursa-contingent up there. We had nearly two dozen club members there along with more who are Ursa-alumni. But of course, there were many, many more handsome guys there from Albany and beyond... the weather was cold, but the bears were HOT!

We're learning of course, that we've entered a new phase to the digital age, as guys had fun snapping photos with their smartphones and uploading directly to Facebook. Friends who stayed behind and spent time online got to see us upload images real-time to Facebook from Saturday night's "Fetish & Fur" party. Of course, the weekend was best viewed without a viewfinder... Events also included other highlights like Bear-aoke, a pool party, and brunch on Sunday. There were actually TWO hospitality suites at the host hotel, and their hosts were, well, hospitable! Unless you were under a rock, it was really hard to have a bad time at any point in the weekend!

Matt, Daddy Mike, Skeeter, and hosts John, and Mike

Let the publicity tour begin! Following the news that the Northeast Ursamen were awarded the Best Bear Club/Organization for 2008, a request came in from the internet podcast "Cubs Out Loud" for an interview. Skeeter, the U'men President, and Daddy Mike, the club's Events Coordinator, were happy to oblige. Installment #49 of the Cubs Out Loud podcast features interviews and commentary on the poll winners for 2008, including interviews with Ron Suresha for Bear of the Year, and Skeeter and Daddy Mike representing the Northeast Ursamen. Ron's segment is early on in the podcast, and Skeeter & Mike's segment is about 45 minutes into the program.

"While I was convinced I had just given the worst interview of my life, I am buoyed by reassurances from Daddy Mike, and past Events leader Kristen, who said we sounded just fine, plus the fact that the Cubs Out Loud guys said I was cute," said Skeeter, milking his 15 minutes of fame for all that they're worth. "Really, it's about the club. We're very proud of the accomplishments of this club and are honored to have been nominated along with such legendary clubs like the Bears of San Francisco, the Bears of Central Florida, Liberty Bears, and the Front Range Bears, among others."

The Northeast Ursamen wish to thank Jeff and the rest of Cubs Out Loud for having us on their show!

To view the page featuring the podcast at the Cubs Out Loud website, click here.

The results of TheCompleteBear's annual poll are in: The Northeast Ursamen have been named the "Best Bear Club/Organization" for 2008! The Northeast Ursamen wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who voted for our club in this year's poll. We'd also like to give a tremendous "thank you" to all our members, volunteers and leaders, both, past and present. It is you who make our club a fun place to be and it is your boundless support that gives us a reason to celebrate!

Also placing in the poll this year is fellow Ursaman Ron Suresha, who has been named "Bear of the Year". Ron is perhaps best known as an author and editor of several bear-related books, including "Bears on Bears", "Bear Lust" and "Bearotica", among others. Ron has been an active member of the Northeast Ursamen for years along with his partner Rocco Russo. Ron was recently interviewed by TheCompleteBear - read it here in case you missed it. Our heartiest congratulations go out to Ron on this outstanding achievement!

Our friends at Hillside Campgrounds have also been awarded "Best Bear Campground" and "Best Bear Accommodations". Ursamen know this the best place for bears to camp in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania and now the world will know it too. Our club has been visiting Hillside every Memorial Day weekend since the club was founded in 1992, plus individual members make numerous return visits throughout the camping season. Our club wishes to congratulate Hillside on winning these well-deserved awards.

Click here for the full results of TheCompleteBear's 2008 poll.

The Northeast Ursamen and the Wednesday Night Supper Club joined forces for one of the best New Year's Eve parties we've ever thrown! Tommy's in Middletown was packed to the rafters with bears of all shapes and sizes to ring in the New Year! A sumptuous, satisfying buffet kept many bear bellies happy, and a pair of handsome, scantily-clad shot-bears kept the crowd delightfully entertained. And let's not forget those naughty 50/50 ticket wielders.... they were enough to cause plenty of trouble!

The best part of the evening was the crowd. Add one part Ursamen, one part Wednesday Night crowd, and throw in a few others who new to both groups, and you had yourself one simmering pot of fresh meat. Multiple states and cities were represented yet again... Hartford, New Haven, Norwich (and all points in between) plus Boston, Springfield Worcester and Belchertown... we brought 'em in! When you stop to consider that inclement weather may have scared some people away, a party of 100 bears in one place was simply amazing! Seriously, the last time we had a New Year's party this big was probably Bear2K (your web reporter was there; he ought to know!)

The Northeast Ursamen wish to thank everyone for coming out and attending the event and especially Chris & Frank of Tommy's for showing us a great time! To see photos from the event, visit our Picasa web album.

With the passage of Marriage Equality in Connecticut, we can expect that members of the Ursamen will be tying the knot! If you would like to announce your wedding with us, please email some information and a photo email us at webmaster@ne-ursamen.org.

Members Doug and John were married on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 in Oakville, CT, at the home of the officiating Justice of the Peace. The wedding was witnessed by members Dom and Steve. Doug and John were previously joined in a Civil Union in September 2008 in Westport at the Peppermill Inn. Doug and John reside in Waterbury, CT.

Tom and Rick were married on Friday, November 14, 2008, in South Woodstock, CT at the Mansion at Bald Hill. A few close friends were in attendance. Tom and Rick were previously joined in a Civil Union in Vermont and were married in the first wave of weddings to take place in California in 2004. Tom and Rick reside in Ashford, CT.

Please join us in congratulating Doug & John and Rick & Tom!