Out of the Mouths of Babes… Um, Bears, That Is!
They say that if you really want to know how good something is, listen to what people are saying about it. The buzz on the street already is that this year’s Bear Weekend will be one for the record books!
September 21-24, 2017 marks the third annual Rehoboth Beach Bear Weekend. The festival is organized by the Rehoboth Beach Bears, a local nonprofit organization that nurtures a sense of community among Bears, a subset of the gay male culture typically made up of burly, often hairy men (and men who like them.) It is three-and-a-half days of serious fun that results in some seriously good things for the community. Proceeds from last year’s Bear Weekend was used to fund $3,000 in scholarships for graduating seniors at Cape Henlopen High School who were active in their school’s Gay Straight Alliance. Additional donations were made to CAMP Rehoboth, and to the Delaware AIDS Walk.
“This year we have put together a lineup of events and entertainers for which any big city or gay mecca would be proud,” says Bear Board member Joe Sterner. “Our little beach town has so much to offer, and this year’s Bear Weekend is our opportunity to showcase it.” The headliner for this year’s festival is comic (and cutie) Matteo Lane. People are still talking about Matteo’s hilarious appearances on Late Night with Seth Meyers and Comedy Central’s Adam Levine’s House Party, as well as MTV’s Girl Code, and MTV2’s Guys Code. Matteo will be doing two shows on the Saturday night of Bear Weekend. His opening act will be Joe Thomas, a flight attendant with a wicked tongue and a wicked pen. His debut novel Fasten Your Seat Belts and Eat Your F*cking Nuts has people rolling in the aisles. (Of course, if they had listened to Joe and fastened their seat belts, they wouldn’t be in that situation!)
The comedy shows are just one source of fun during the weekend. Friday evening of the weekend is the time for a “BEAR-able Prom” themed dance party, complete with snacks, spiked punch, prom photos, and the crowning of a Prom King and Queen. Drag Queen fave Anna Rexia will be on hand and, knowing her, she’ll probably try to snatch the Queen’s tiara for herself! Philadelphia’s premiere DJ Carl Michaels will be spinning the tunes that night. Other activities during the weekend include playing Bear Bingo at the Pond, checking out the art exhibit and reception at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, getting flexible at a yoga workshop, shopping at the Vendor Expo, and “seeing and being seen” at bar events at some of our favorite watering holes: Aqua Grill, Cooter Brown’s Twisted Southern Kitchen & Bourbon Bar, and the Purple Parrot Biergarten.
Back by popular demand from last year is “Bears at Gordon’s Pond” during the day on Saturday. The Rehoboth Beach Bears provide a shuttle bus to take guests to Cape Henlopen State Park for a day of fun in the sand and the surf. Of course, if one wants to have happy bears, one more thing is needed…FOOD! Lunch on the beach is included for persons who buy Bear Passes for the entire weekend. In an evaluation survey of last year’s Bear Weekend participants, the Bear Beach Day earned high raves. One guest wrote, “It was the best part of the whole weekend. The water was beautiful, the weather was fabulous, lunch was delicious, and everyone had a fun time!” That sentiment was echoed by many others, including one gentleman who said, “It was nice to see everyone hanging out and enjoying the day.” Another guest summed up the entire weekend in this way: “I thought all the events were low key and low pressure, allowing people to enjoy without feeling too over-planned or controlled. It was like you were doing fun things with friends, not being herded through events.”
Many guests mentioned that they had made new friends through the Bear Weekend, and that is one of the goals for the Rehoboth Beach Bears. “I love Rehoboth so much, that I wanted others to love it too. The weekend is a great way to have fun, enjoy friends and become part of the City,” explains Bear Board President John Lucas. It looks like a lot more friendships will be formed this year. Bear Board member Terry Kistler noted that the event is not just for locals but draws people from all over the country, with participants this year coming from California, Florida, and Texas, just to name a few. Board member David Brinton adds, “If this year’s registrations so far are any indication, we are going to have the biggest influx of the bear community Rehoboth Beach has ever seen. 2016’s Bear weekend grew from the first year, but this year? Just WOW!”
For more information about the events or to purchase a Bear Pass, visit the Rehoboth Bears website.