For the first time, the traditional Bear Bust weekend of Oct. 15-18 will feature two separate bear events put on by two different clubs.
Bears of Central Florida has organized the Bear Bust weekend event for 19 years, and this year, it announced that the weekend events would be moved out of downtown Orlando and into Kissimmee. Following that decision, a faction of the club split off to form Bears, Cubs, Chasers and Chubs (BC3), and the new club will host its BC3 Weekend at Parliament House at the same time as Bear Bust.
Keeping with tradition, both events will also serve as fundraisers for local charities.
Bear Bust began in 1989 at the Full Moon Saloon in Orlando and was held there yearly until the bar closed in 2007. BOCF moved Bear Bust to Parliament House in 2007 and 2008. According to BOCF board member J. Virgil Rice, Jr., the Clarion Resort and Water Park in Kissimmee approached BOCF to host Bear Bust 2009.
“We saw it as a prime opportunity to make some positive changes that were long overdue,” Rice said.
He said those changes include a water park and a climate-controlled indoor venue for the vendor fair. A weekend package costs $110 until Sept. 25 and then jumps to $125. Day and night passes range from $30-$45.
Tim Limbach, BOCF president, said the new venue also saves the club about $12,000 since there would be no need to shuttle attendees between a host hotel and a separate venue.
“Right after the Kissimmee announcement we decided it was time for a new club that thinks about the locals and is not in it for selfish games,” said Fred Belgie, BC3 president. “When they moved Bear Bust to Kissimmee, they didn’t give a crap about the locals or economy. Locals can’t afford the run package and if they’re going to ignore the locals, we’re going to do something for the locals.”
Limbach confirmed that most of the 357 pre-sale packages sold are for out-of-town guests.
“Yes, we’d like the locals to come, but it’s not the locals who give to our charities that much and most do not buy run packages,” Limbach said.
BC3 Weekend chairman Randy Stephens said with the exception of a $10 ticket to the Bruce Vilanch comedy shows, all BC3 weekend events are free.
There continues to be some conflicting information about the circumstances surrounding the decision to move Bear Bust out of the Parliament House. Belgie said the Parliament House offered to fulfill a wish list provided by BOCF in order to keep the event, while Limbach said they the venue fell short of Clarion’s proposal. Limbach cited Clarion’s offer to give 10% of food and drink sales to charity as a big factor in the decision for the relocation. Belgie said the practice is illegal.
Also at issue are room rates. Parliament House charged $100 a night for a room during Bear Bust the past two years, while the Clarion’s advertised price is $65 a night. Limbach said BC3 then knocked the price at the Parliament House down to $64.
“If that isn’t competition on [BC3’s] part, I don’t know what that is,” Limbach said.
Belgie said Parliament House gave BC3 the regular room rate of $64, rather than the previous event rate of $100, as a favor to boost a new event from a new club.
The conflicting information extends from the events to the circumstances surrounding the split in the original group.
“By going behind our backs and forming another club and then holding an event the same weekend we’ve been holding it for 19 years because we took it away from Parliament House, that’s just not kosher,” Limbach said. “You don’t do that to another bear club within the same community.”
Belgie said BOCF members had approached him several times to start a new group because they didn’t like the way business was handled in the original club and they wanted a more social experience. He says the Bear Bust decision was the last straw.
“All they are thinking about is themselves,” Belgie said. “They aren’t thinking about the people who support them all year long.”
Limbach said he hopes the clubs can one day work together.
“How can we expect to be accepted by the outside community when we don’t accept each other within the same bear community?” Limbach said.
