Drenched Fur 6 Makes a Splash

from Gary

This past March, Erie was host to the sixth installment of Erie's Exclusive Bear Weekend known as Drenched Fur. Lots of incredible fun was had by over 200 men from around the tri-state area and as far away as Georgia, Arkansas and Missouri. The bear community has been a part of the broader GLBTQA community since it began in the 1980s. Erie has been the annual host to Drenched Fur as an event weekend for the men of the bear community that appreciate themselves and each other in their natural masculinity.

One of the things that has helped make Erie—and Drenched Fur—a destination for the bear community is the highlight of having an exclusive night time private event at Splash Lagoon, our local indoor water park resort. In addition to enjoying the fun wet times there, the weekend this year also included several social events at the host hotel as well as a bar crawl to Craze and The Zone. Part of the bar crawl this year included the premier of Bearapalooza performing at Craze on Friday night.

Bearapalooza is a concert event that pulls together musicians and performers from the bear community and began in 2002. Founder Freddy Freeman says “Bearapalooza has something to offer everyone whether you are a bear or not, because we celebrate diversity, positive body image, and positive attitudes about gender. Plus, the music was top notch quality work by amazing artists, crossing all genre lines.” Drenched Fur 6 was proud to once again showcase talented artists this year which included Elijah Black, Kendall, RockCub, Freddy Freeman and William Brown.

On Saturday night, the guys enjoyed a banquet dinner after choosing to spend the afternoon on a winery tour, playing slots at Presque Isle Downs and Casino or seeing the sites around Erie. This year's banquet dinner included a performance by Comedian William Brown who entertained the crowd and serving staff with great wit and humor focusing on gay men, their activities and personalities.

The Drenched Fur 6 Committee worked hard to bring together one of the biggest events for Erie's GLBTQA community and thanks all the individuals and businesses that helped make this year a success. To find out more about Drenched Fur, you can visit our website to review photos from over the years as well as reading the history of what has happened thus far. And don't miss out on next years' installment of DF7 being held April 7th – 10th 2011. We'll see you there! www.drenchedfur.com

About the Author

Gary Snyder Gary Snyder (He/Him), has been involved with Erie Gay News submitting articles since 2005 and coordinating the Annual Pride Picnic kitchen in 2008. He currently serves as an Advisory Board member of the NWPA Pride Alliance [since 2012]. Gary is a graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in HRIM. From 1999 to 2012 he was an active member and then executive officer of the non-profit Burgh Bears social club in Pittsburgh, PA. Currently Gary is employed by the Erie County Department of Health as the HIV Disease Intervention Specialist, serving as a community member of the HIV Planning Group in coordination with the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Along with advising the NWPAPA Board, he chairs the Erie County HIV Task Force, serves on the Erie Gay News Editorial Board, and is the President of the AFSCME Union Local 2666.

Photos

Also view photos here.