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: Enjoycomplimentary draft beer, snacks and h’orderves as you meet new andestablished friends. Stevo and the staff from A Bear’s Life will bedoing 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 withouthaving 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