International Bear Rendezvous: Bear Patrol. A preview of the biggest IBR ever

All of us on the IBR 2008 Committee staff are putting the finishing
touches on our 9-month preparation for what we hope is the best  IBR ever. Bears On Patrol- Bears in
Uniform celebrates just that- police, fireman, army, etc.

Before we get into a little tour of what to expect, we want to remind
everyone that IBR is a monumental event and it
takes about 300 shift volunteers to operate smoothly. Without
volunteers there would be no IBR. We have a large number of volunteer
shifts, including Hospitality Suite and Hospitality Den (Bear
Den)shifts that do need to be filled. These consist of manning duties like
checking badges, replenishing snacks, etc. It may sound “boring” but
these areas are IBR central for people gathering and you’ll meet tons
of nice people here!

You receive one volunteer token for each volunteer shift you do. One
Token is good for a IBR commerative dog-tag, 2 gets you a spanking
brand new IBR 2008 hat, and three, a T-shirt.  And you also get an
invitation to the IBR 2008 volunteer thank-you luncheon and check
distribution (what it’s all about when we give out the BIG checks!).

Please check out our volunteer shift page and browse the different
shift areas, times, and titles available.  If you sign up for a shift,
PLEASE remember to CHECK YOUR SPAM folder and CONFIRM the shift so we
know you are coming !!

THE LINK IS:  http://www.bosf.org/woof/volunteer 

And now for some updates:

IBR registration packages for this year includes non-showtime access to FOUR different draft beers in
our hospitality suite Friday to Sunday.  And a 40% bigger Bear Den (lounge
area) open to 4 AM Fri-Sun !

There are over 700 attendees signed up already,
and although some events have sold out, we still have room at:
- Beach Blanket Babylon (get tickets at HQ)
- Bears Bath and Beyond (walk-up at event)
- Golden Gate Experience(pay bus wrangler outside hotel)
- Blow Buddies (pay at event)
- Crusin’ the Castro Historic Tour: meet outside hotel at 9AM, pay on
tour

Here’s some highlights:

Thursday:

IBR’s Welcome Fuzz Ball, sponsored by A Bear’s Life: Enjoy
complimentary draft beer, snacks and h’orderves as you meet new and
established friends.  Stevo and the staff from A Bear’s Life will be
doing a one-night-only subscription special, which gets you a raffle
ticket to some GREAT prizes like mountain bikes and items from LOGO TV
network!!   At 5:45 IBR will do it’s first live-auction (of nine!): A
morning live on the air on Energy 92.7 FM!  At 6pm, the lights will go
down and the BEARatones will perform their wonderful songs for you.
Check out their new website: www.bearatones.com . Then there’s the
raffle drawings and more fun, and then time for the BOSF Annual
members meeting. At 7:30 we start pre-registration and will-call for
“An Evening With Kathy Griffin”, and then you can enjoy the Welcome
Fuzz Ball, or prepare for FOUR different IBR Partner welcome parties!:

Lone Star Welcome Party
Eagle Tavern Welcome Party with “BEHR”, the Whoa Nellies, and Future
Villain Band
Dirty Hearts and Broken Wings: Viva La Basket
Bearracuda’s Underbear Patrol Party

And our IBR shuttle buses can take you to them all safely and without
having to pay for taxis. When you’re done for the night, our Bear Den
will be waiting for you and open until 4AM !

Friday:

Bears’s Bath and Beyond- An even bigger response this year, DJ Jeb
Edwards and rolling bus service!
Golden Gate Park/ De Young Museum- Explore one of the best parks in the
US, with tons to see, and/or the De Young Museum
B’EROS- Enjoy our first year at this wonderful spa!
Jail House Rock Bingo- The biggest-planned Bingo ever, with porn model jock strap auctions, an Iphone
and an Itouch as some of the raffle prizes, and we will do IBR LIVE
AUCTION 2 and 3.
                     -SWEAT 1: Castrobear Presents’ first of three Partner dance events, at
the famous EndUp.
Kandy 3: SugarKRASH: KuMa SF’s hot party, presenting Tiffany !!! Buses
run till 4AM for this event!
The IBR Contestant Introduction- At the Eagle Tavern
Bearfilms.com’s screening room- Accessible through the Hospitality
Suite, and including your favorite stars!
Cyberbears.com’s screening room- Enjoy Cyberbear’s debut at IBR!

Saturday:

-Cruisin’ the Castro Tour- See the brand-new retro signage of the
Castro Theatre and businesses as “MILK” finishes filming in the Castro.
Get a wonderful historic tour you won’t forget.
-Squares for Bears: Enjoy this fun community group and get your dancing
feet on!
-Eagle Tavern Beer Bust- can you say FUN? Meet the contestants as they
get on their knees for a good cause !
-Dinner and Show- Featuring Mark Alan Smith ! And 2 more live auctions!
-Midnight Madness: “An Evening With Kathy Griffin”- BOSF presents Kathy
Griffin in a one-night sold-out show at the Castro Theatre, filmed for
her Emmy Award-winning “My Life on the D List”
-BEARRACUDA: DJ Rotten Robbie, and three floors of fun !
-SWEAT 2: The official Saturday night Bear/Muscle Bear dance !

Sunday:
Dim Sum gobble- Need I say more? Back at the spacious Canton
restaurant. Enjoy !!
Beach Blanket Babylon- 30+ years and a must-see show!
Play Party- The guys at Blow Buddies throw on another great afternooner

PLAY T-dance- Susan Morbito spins for a wonderful Partner dance event!
Eagle Tavern Beer Bust- The Sisters are hosting a terrific beer bust,
and come see Bearfilm.com’s America’s Next Top Bear Model !
SWEAT 3- A great way to end the weekend, dancing your butt off with the
official closing night dance party of IBR !
International Mr. Bear Competition- Who will win the titles- come and
find out, as we also recognize our service award winners, and are
entertained by the famous San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus’ Lollipop
Guild. And THREE more live auctions!!

Did we mention there are over $12,000 face-value in live auctions this
year? That’s right. Trips to Spain, Hawaii, Alaska, and packages for
the Four Seasons Hotel Spa, Lazy Bear, Kathy Griffin tickets,Russian
River B&B, and a chartered private boat cuise for 6 !!  You can see
more details on our website under “Auction”, and place a proxy bid
starting Friday at the IBR HQ/Store.

Our website for IBR is: www.bearrendezvous.com  Hours of fun just exploring, or better yet, come enjoy in-person and experience yourself!

All of the Committe, Sponsors, Partners, Holiday Inn Golden Gateway and
IBR optional event staff, are looking forward to welcoming you for a
weekend that we hope you’ll enjoy and remember for a long time. And our
IBR Beneficiaries thank you for your generosity by supporting IBR and
making their mission statement dreams come true. We hope to see you in just
a few days and if you’re coming from afar we hope your journey is a safe
one!

Sincerely,

Richard Tramontozzi
IBR 2008 Logistics Coordinator