LAZY BEAR WEEKEND 2004

Guerneville is located 75 miles northwest of San Francisco sheltered in the coast range mountains surrounded by tall redwoods and bounded by the meandering (and too oft flooding) Russian River.  This weekend, the summer days and evenings were perfect - not too nor too cool and always sunny. The atmosphere among the 5,500 or so Bears was again relaxed, friendly and festive.  I attribute the mellow atmosphere in part to  good organization by designating the daily 'hot' and 'mild' sites and the opening of new venues which helped spread out the crowds.  In addition to five resorts' pool areas, there were nightly dances, the nightly bonfire at Fife's, an entertaining cabaret, the riotous Sisters' Bingo, the Foam party, beer busts and barbecues and more.  Tent cities provided their own entertainment; canoeing was popular; wine tasting opportunities abounded; and even beachcombing attracted as the Pacific Ocean is just 12 miles away.

The brainchild of  Harry Lit and partner Allen Eggman, Lazy Bear Weekend was conceived as a warm and fuzzy entrepreneurial venture whose goal was to combine the casual fun of a resort weekend with a concerted charitable effort.  On this its 9th year, the Sacramento Valley Bears once again co-hosted the event with additional help from the Bears of San Francisco. The few thousand bears converged on every resort room and campground in the area and were again eagerly welcomed by local businesses -- the Bears had fun, business was very good (the strongest 5-days for the year in Guerneville) and more than $160,000 was raised for numerous charities.  It may not be the more intimate Lazy Bear of the past, but that didn't seem to matter as everyone I spoke to was having a great time.

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Poolside at Fife's:  It was my plan, but as it turned out, I spent most of my pool-time at Fife's so I didn't capture the full-spectrum of the crowd.  After spending quiet time with my house guests, this just where we ended up so this is what I saw.

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Lazy Bear Weekend 2004

© copyright 2004

Lynn S. Ludwig

* PUHLEAZE respect my copyrighted material.  Copying, posting, reselling or any other use of this material without my approval is prohibited by law, and just plain rude.  If you are interested in using my images, please write me!  Thank you!