FREEDOM Bears Celebrate First Year Anniversary!
, 29 @ 12:21:09 EST
ΑποστολÎας bearmaster
The Freedom Bears of Philadelphia celebrated their first anniversary October 7th, 2001 as the club has grown to over sixty members.
The club’s first Social and Introduction to the
community was held December 9th, 2000 at the Bike Stop in
Center City Philadelphia. It was a small turnout of a hand-full of men
with the same interest in mind—getting together with and getting to know
other local bears in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
The club was actually the brainchild of club President Mike Piro. “After spending many years participating in various bear events around the country, I decided that Philadelphia needed a bear club where guys could get together, hang out without being ‘on’ and have fun in a comfortable atmosphere,” said Piro. Mike went on to explain that Philadelphia was not represented in the Bear community at large and decided with his partner and five other friends that something must be done to fill the void. Mike started contacting other Bear clubs in the country the previous year, October of 1999, gathering information and putting into action what they thought other men in the area would want—“a club that not only promised the hope of socialization, but also an organization that would give back to the community,” said Piro.
That first Social one year ago in December 2000 brought out our first two members. The club began to take shape in January 2001 with the first “BEAR Meet” club meeting of the New Year and by February another ten new members and the first edition of the club’s newsletter—the Freedom Bears Sentinel.
The
club made visits to the Philadelphia International Auto Show and the
world-renowned Philadelphia Flower Show at Hershey Park in Hershey, PA and
a visit to Harrisburg that night for the “Burgh Bears Bar Night” at a
local bar in town as well as the successful turnout of over fifty fellow
bears for our first Summer “event” of the season, “Tubing Down the
Delaware—A BEAR EXPLORATION”—guys from other clubs in the
North East tubing down the Delaware River in Bucks County, PA on a hot
summer afternoon in August. The club has quickly gained a favorable
reputation as a great group of guys who enjoy each other and meeting
others as well.
As we round out 2001 we have held two very successful bar nights at the Bike Stop in Center City Philadelphia as well as the rollout of our own Freedom Bears merchandise at www.cafepress.com/freedombears
2001 was our “growing” year—2002 promises to be even more exciting as we see our first elections for officers in the New Year, ski the slopes of Montage Mountain in Northeastern Pennsylvania in January, and welcome our 70th member in early ’02 as well as the expansion of our second Summer tubing event for ’02 with the likelihood of the addition of a cookout afterwards at a local park! For the most up-to-date information on club news and events go to www.freedombears.org
Freedom Bears of Philadelphia celebrate their first
Christmas together, 2001. Only 26 of 69 members are shown here. ©2001 Courtesy of Freedom Bears of Philadelphia.