The Lazy Bears settle into Guerneville and gear up for weekend of socializing

Like moths attracted to something bright, guys with big beards and backpacks flocked to the West Sonoma Inn on Wednesday, drawn by thumping dance tunes, the promise of a refreshing swim and a chance to rub elbows with men from across the globe seeking fellowship and fun.

Now in its 23rd year, Lazy Bear Week - known until this year as Lazy Bear Weekend - brings together hundreds of mostly large, hairy gay men for days of pool parties, outings and other social events that culminate in a weekend of revelry expected this year to attract about 3,000, organizers said.

When the bears come to town, they’re free to pursue their own diversions, though participants say it’s the collective community that lures them to the Russian River each year to be among friends old and new.

There are morning stretch sessions, coffee and cigar socials, hikes at Armstrong Woods and Bodega Bay, beverage and food-tasting tours, bingo, campfires and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” screened on the lawn at the West Sonoma Inn.

On Tuesday, dozens of those who already had checked in for the week donned colorful tulle skirts for Bears in Tutus in Tubes at Johnson’s Beach. Sexier stuff is scheduled for the weekend.

Besides being enjoyable, the event pumps hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy, which this year after the historic Russian River flood in February can use all the help it can get.

It also helps generate money for organizations that build strong LGBTQ communities or promote medical research of any kind, so far raising about $2 million since its founding and some of that cash is donated locally, said David Barker, president of the Lazy Bear Fund Inc.

“Some people say, ‘I gave at the office,’” Barker said, against the beat of an ’80s disco song Wednesday. “If you come here, you can say, ‘I gave at the party.’?”

The fund last year donated $110,000 to various organizations, including local nonprofits like the West County Health Centers, Food For Thought food bank and Face To Face Sonoma County, which provides HIV prevention, education and services to those living with HIV and AIDS.

While the bears, as a physical type, are known mostly for their size and hairy characteristics, Barker said the culture is more about feeling comfortable in one’s own skin.

“You don’t have to adhere to anybody else’s idea of beautiful to come and have fun at our party,” he said.

Trey Sheldon, board secretary, a former San Francisco resident now living in Seattle, said participants hailed from all over the country and the world, including countries like Australia, New Zealand, England, Spain, Turkey and Venezuela. Many also attend similar events on a circuit of “bear runs,” including notable annual gatherings in Provincetown, Massachusetts, Sitges, Spain, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to name just a few.

Lazy Bear Weekend board director Fred Bothe said the appeal is camaraderie, “the getting-to-know people.”

“We’re good at it,” he said, demonstrating his point as he spoke. “We’re friendly people.”

“There are a lot of misconceptions,” including the fact the event is only for a certain kind of guy, said Monte Rio barber Robert Gray, whose shoulder muscles suggest he’s doing something besides just cutting hair to build muscle. “It’s really a nonjudgmental gathering of all types. I’ve been coming to these for 14 years, and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger.”

R3 Hotel owner Jeff Bridges said only Fourth of July comes close to rivaling Lazy Bear Week for business.

But the bears bring something else, said Russian River Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Elyse Van Dyne.

“I don’t know how to express it, but the bears are just the most pleasant, just the happiest people,” she said. “The whole town is taken over by this feeling of goodwill and happiness, and there’s nothing like it.”

The lower river community has long been known as a gay-friendly getaway spot for visitors from the Bay Area and beyond.

So it made sense that when San Francisco producer Harry Lit, Lazy Bear founding director, organized the first, small gathering of gay “bears” in 1996, he chose Guerneville and established the Lazy Bear Fund at the same time.

Now led by a five-member board of directors with about a 30-member staff and 200 volunteers, the event has just continued to grow, preselling more than 1,000 weeklong passes this year, Barker said.

But this season has presented interesting challenges, given heavy rainfall last winter that in February produced the worst flooding on the Russian River in a quarter century, inflicting particular damage on the town of Guerneville and, especially, upon several resorts in the downtown area near Fife Creek.

Among them, the R3 is usually a center of activity, serving as headquarters, hosting pool parties and other events, and accommodating overnight guests for the duration of Lazy Bear festivities.

Despite every effort, Bridges had to inform participants and organizers last week that it would not be finished renovating the flood-destroyed property for a couple more weeks, prompting last-minute scrambling to rearrange parties and book rooms for guests in Santa Rosa.

“It is heartbreaking in more ways than one,” Bridges said.

With several other resorts, including The Woods and West Sonoma Inn, not yet up to full capacity either, Barker figured the town is short about 150 rooms this year.

He also said the closure of several restaurants in town, apparently unrelated to flooding, was enough to warrant “pop-up” eateries and the closure of Fourth and Mill streets this weekend to ensure sufficient options for hungry bears.

Barker, once a San Francisco resident who now lives in Hawaii, said he knows the bears want to pitch in where they can to see the town recover from the flood, and are eager to see places like the R3 regain its footing.

Santa Rosa Realtor Daniel Bell, who regularly volunteers for the event, said he frequently wears his Lazy Bear cap around the area and hears all the time from business owners about how much they enjoy having the bears in town. At the same time, Lazy Bear participants “understand what this community’s been through.”

“There’s a lot of mutual love,” he said.