GET LEI'D (Jan 14-16, 2011)


We hope everyone is having a happy and enjoyable holiday season. We have a few exciting things to share so that everyone has something to look forward to in the New Year.

First, we'd like to ask our Bear Albany buddies to VOTE FOR US on The Complete Bear: Best Bear Organization. Secondly, we're celebrating the New Year with a nice and long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend with our GET LEI'D post-holiday celebration from January 14-16, 2011. Finally, we're bringing BEARS ROCK back by popular demand this coming March 25-27, 2011.

It's time to find yourself a Hawaiian shirt because we're turning the tables on Christmas in July with our very hot & steamy GET LEI'D party in the dead of winter. Imagine warm summer breezes, Tiki Bars on the beach, and all those CHEST HAIRS popping out of sexy HAWAIIAN shirts. Now imagine how freaking cold it's going to be outside and the delicious display of North Eastern BEARS and CUBS grasping each other indoors for warmth.

GET LEI'D weekend kicks off on Friday, Jan 14 at 9pm with our BEARAOKE Meat & Greet at the WaterWorks Pub (76 Central Ave). It's a great time to "meat" new friends and "greet" existing buddies that you haven't seen in a while. WaterWorks Pub always has a great atmosphere, awesome drink specials, free pizza & wings, and NO COVER for all of our BEAR ALBANY buds.

Join the gang, January 15th, 9:00pm at ROCKS Bar for the GET LEI'D main event, where you'll be greeted by a reef of rough and rowdy SEAMEN who'll be in need of BLOWING off a little steam after spending the holidays with family and friends. Come wearing a cute HAWAIIAN shirt or any kind of ocean-themed outfit and then BELLY up to the bar with a new buddy like a couple of sexy SAILORS and exchange your holiday war stories over tropical inspired drinks.

Sunday morning you can satisfy that big appetite you built up, by heading back to ROCKS Bar for the ALL-YOU-CAN EAT BRUNCH BUFFET starting at 11am. There you'll chow down with your new buddies on a delicious manly meal for the low price of $11.95. And then the long weekend party will continue throughout the day with drink specials, dancing, and their FREE DINNER BUFFET!

It's going to be a fantastic time, so don’t be left out in the cold as the only guy to miss one of the FURRRST HOT BEAR PARTIES of the 2011 New Year!

Lights in the Park & ROCKS Holiday Party (Dec 10, 2010)

It's less than two weeks away from our Holiday Lights in the Park trolley ride. Spaces are limited and must be reserved in advance to get the $15 price. You can do so by emailing BearAlbany@gmail.com directly or by purchasing them at ROCKS bar. It's a great time for the Capital District Gay Community to get together with friends and make the 2010 Holiday season VERY MARY! Errr, we mean very merry...

The party starts at 6:00pm on Friday, December 10, at ROCKS with party snacks and drinks. We'll begin trolley departures for the Capital Holiday Lights in the Park at 7:00pm. Along the way we'll visit with SANTA for photos, stop at Cheesecake Machismo (where you can purchase cheesecake and coffee, tea, or hot chocolate), and then back to the ROCKS 2010 HOLIDAY PARTY! There'll be dancing, Bearaoke, and more more Ho Ho Ho's than you can shake your candy cane at!

Santa GangThroughout the evening we're also collecting donations for the C4 SNACK PACK DRIVE. For those interested in giving back this holiday season, here are some items that patients of the C4 unit routinely need.  

* Foods that don't require can openers, cooking, or utensils.
* Single serving snack packs, chips, etc.
* Candy, cookies, and other treats.
* Heavy socks, slippers, or flip flops (for the shower).
* Bathrobes & pajamas (male and/or female).
* Sweatshirts, winter hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, etc.
* Crosswords, game books, & anything to pass the time.
* Personal hygiene items, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, liquid soaps, etc.

So be sure to tell your friends about Lights in the Park, ROCKS Holiday Party, and the C4 Snack Pack Drive! And don't forget to reserve your trolley tickets ahead of time, as they go up to $20 after Wednesday, December 8, 2010. For more information, please visit the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=144950772219949
We can't wait to see everyone under the Mistletoe!

The Bear Albany Gang!

Heroes & Villains (Nov 05-07, 2010)

If you enjoy sliding down poles to get into your man-cave, exposing your furry chest in a crammed phone booth, or tying up bad boys with your magic lasso, we've got the perfect weekend for you! The Bear-Signal is flashing brightly in the Albany skyline and we need your help putting a stop to all the chaos and mayhem before it happens. Or maybe your the type who prefers to instigate a little pandemonium and anarchy in the streets, turning the lives of your arch-nemesis or the Bear Community utterly upside-down. Whichever the case, it's time to break out your secret identity, dust off your mask & combat-gloves, and fly your invisible jet to Bear Albany's HEROES & VILLAINS weekend!

It all goes down Saturday November 6 at 9pm at ROCKS Bar (77 Central Ave) where hundreds of HIRSUTE HEROES and FURRY FIENDS will be watching your every move. We'll have adrenaline inducing dance music, a variety of potions and antidote specials to keep you on your feet, and snacks shortly after the stroke of midnight! But more importantly, we're having a contest for the most creative and awe-inspiring Hero or Villain costume who'll win a free hotel room stay for our next event in January! So put away your deliciously deadly deck of cards, turn on that ridiculously huge Bat Computer, and come up with a outfit that would make both Marvel and DC Comics jealous of your creativity. And if you're caught kissing your arch-nemesis in a dark corner, just remember that what happens in Albany, stays in Albany...

Friday, November 05

5:00pm - 9:00pm: The gang is heading over to see the Brotherhood of Bears - Solo Gallery Show at the Romaine Brooks Gallery in the Gay Community Center (332 Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY). This is the first solo show featuring new work from the 'Brotherhood of Bears', that has yet to be viewed by the public. More info... 

7:00pm - 9:00pm: If you're looking for something fun and off the beaten path, check out to The 2010 Fall RPI Charity Drag Show Hosted by Albany's own Jeze Bel and Peggy Sparkles!!! The drag show, hosted by the Rensselaer Pride Alliance, features both student and professional performers. All proceeds go to the Damien Center, a charity that supports individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS. This event is open to the public. More info...

9:00pm - 3:00am: We're heading over to ROCKS Bar (77 Central Ave) to celebrate the start of Bear Albany's 6th year as well as the birthday of our buddy Lance, who is one of the owners of Rocks Bar. We'll have pizza and wings, great drink specials, lots of dancing, and it looks like there will be a mixture of karaoke and videos playing in the pub area. In addition, Fly 92 will be doing their Jingle Jam, event with lots of games, and our buddy Alvin is DJing! So bring your gorgeous smiles and come share a few laughs with the gang. More info...

Saturday November 06

11am - 2pm: Join your buddies for an Unlimited Bowling Benefit at Olympic Lanes from 11am to 2pm. This event will help support the Capital Area Pride Bowlers and for only $15 you'll have unlimited access to 3 hours of bowling! There will also be a 50/50 raffle and other cool prizes to win including a video games for the PS3, XBox360, and the Wii systems. Olympic Lanes has an area where you can grab lunch, pitchers of beer, and is a quick drive from the host hotel. More info...

2:00pm - 4:00pm: For those of you who couldn't make it to the Brotherhood of Bears - Solo Gallery Show on Friday evening, the gallery will be open this afternoon for a second showing. It's at the Romaine Brooks Gallery in the Gay Community Center (332 Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY) and this is the first solo show featuring new work from the 'Brotherhood of Bears', that has yet to be viewed by the public. More info...

4:00pm - 8:00pm: Because the location of the Brotherhood of Bears Gallery Show is just off of Lark Street, you can walk right around the corner to Oh Bar and have a happy hour drink or two with Mike HugAcub and then head off to dinner at one of the many places in the area. Two of our favorites are Quintessence and McGeary's Pub. Both have great food, fantastic drink specials, but McGeary's is offering a 20% discount off our dinner checks by saying your with the Bear Albany group! More info...

9:00pm - 3:00am: The Heroes & Villains costume event at ROCKS Bar (77 Central Ave) where hundreds of HIRSUTE HEROES and FURRY FIENDS will be watching your every move. We'll celebrate with adrenaline inducing dance music, potion and antidote specials, and snacks shortly after the stroke of midnight! We're also having a contest for the most creative and awe-inspiring Hero or Villain costume who'll win a free hotel room stay for our next event in January, as well as other great prizes!!! More info...

Sunday November 07

11:am - 2:00pm: Sunday morning after HEROES & VILLAINS, you can satisfy that SUPER appetite you built up, by heading back to ROCKS Bar for the Brunch Buffet from 11am until 2pm. You can chow down with your new buddies on an ALL-YOU-CAN EAT delicious manly meal for the low price of $11.95. A perfect ending to a memorable weekend! More info...

4:00pm - 6:30pm: Let's all meet for dinner and beers at McGeary's Pub before the Kathy Griffin Show at 7pm. It's right across the street from the Palace Theater, where she is performing, so try to get there as early as possible to get a table. Oh and did we mention that Tess the manager is offering all Bear Albany guys 20% off our checks for the entire Heroes & Villains weekend? Pretty great right? More info... 

7:00pm - 9:00pm: A bunch of us are heading to the Kathy Griffin show, Sunday night at 8pm at the Palace Theater in Albany, NY. It's a great way to end the Heroes & Villains weekend and it would be even better sharing it with our buddies. Better yet, the Marriott Town Suites is extending the following Bear Albany weekend rate thru Sunday night. More info...

Welcome!

Welcome to the new Bear Albany home page. We've been hard at work trying to make this site an easier-to-use experience for all of our buddies out there. At the top of the page, you'll see several sections that will take you to the information you need quickly; including our events calendar, host hotel, travel info, and how to participate in Bear Albany events. We hope you enjoy our site and would love any feedback you'd be willing to provide.


It's time to dress up, put on your poker face, and get your GaGa-on for Bear Albany's MIRROR BALLS retro dance party! Bell bottoms, weird hats, crazy wigs, and anything that shows off your chest hair 70's style, is more than welcome. Make sure you check our upcoming events calendar for a full list of activites and don't forget to update your Bear411 Profile with our event. We'll see you there!