Volume II -- Issue 11

The Quick Lineup...

Letter from the President
Cowboy Ball
Gay Roller Skating
Gettysburg Trail ride
Monthly Trail ride
November Birthdays
Membership Discounts at local retailers

Letter From The President

Howdy,
Every month seems to get better and better for us. October started with Outfest in Philadelphia, IGRA Finals Rodeo in Denver and ended with the Cowboy Ball. This year at Outfest we were across the street from Uncles Bar. I personally was thrilled that our area was PROTESTER FREE for the entire day!!! Allentown Pride had been an ummm experience so we had a much needed break.
I had been invited to Finals in Chute Doggin and trotted across the country to Denver last month.
I was amazingly surprised at the number of LGRA members that were there! We even had a member, Brian, who volunteered!! Speaking of Brian, wish him luck as he's running for Mr Philly Leather in a couple of weeks. That contest is during our annual rodeo convention or I would be there personally to support him. If you go keep an eye out for him and cheer him on. He is one of OURS.
I did not bring home the buckle this year but I completed my event both days and that is more then many of the contestants can say. My main job out there was to observe and learn more about the behind the scenes running of a rodeo. It is going to take alot of help to produce a world class rodeo here. We are just over 6 months out and now is the time we will gladly take up offers of help. The one thing I can say is that we will be World Class. I have no doubt we have the ability to produce a rodeo that will be talked about for years.
The cowboy ball was also a success. Everyone looked terrific dressed up for the evening. I want to thank the volunteers that made it happen. Without you guys we could not produce events like the Ball.
I want to send out a quick reminder that our rodeo and the Bears on Liberty Weekend are the same weekend next year. We will be sharing the same hotel as well as most venues. So if you ever get a chance to hang out with them you are in for a treat. They are a great bunch of men.
On a last note Santa Saturday is the Saturday after Thanksgiving and once again it is being held at the Raven Resort in New Hope PA. Last year they drew a crowd of about 1700. We are going to have a table set up and will be making a HUGE announcement on stage. We will also be donating a couple items for their live auction. This event is sponsored by the Bucks M.C. and is one of the longest running charity events in the Leather Community on the East Coast.
We leave for convention in Kansas City in less then 2 weeks. We have several major items going on the floor there. We are trying to get the International Trustee's meeting at the Liberty Stampede Rodeo. This meeting involves the Trustee's or representatives from every rodeo association across the US and Canada. The other major thing is actually a pet project of mine. I am going to wait until after convention to go into details just know I have been spending alot of time in Harrisburg recently.
One good trivia fact: Harrisburg is listed as one of the top 50 gay friendly cities to live in in America.
I hope to come home with some terrific news. In the meantime everyone has a safe month and enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday.

Jen Vrana
President LGRA

Cowboy Ball

I'd like to thank everyone who came out Saturday October 20th to PURE for the Cowboy Ball. It was a great event, with lots of fun and dancing.

I'd like to thank everyone who helped to make the Ball a success. The number of volunteers we had was fantastic. From the guys who worked the front desk to the auction table and our cowboy shirt models.

I hope everyone had a great time. I'd like to make our events even bigger and better. If anyone has a suggestion on what we could do, please drop me a note. If you'd like to do so I'd appreciate it. You can do so in a number of ways. here on the Yahoo group, or you can e-mail me directly at Socent@Libertygra.com.

Once again thanks to everyone for coming out and supporting the LGRA and especially the Liberty Stampede.

Tom Dykes

Gay Roller Skating - Chris Maurizio

Howdy everyone! I wanted to talk this month about Gay Roller-skating. Several fellow LGRA members and I bowl for the Philadelphia Gay Bowling League (PGBL) on Wednesday Nights in Deptford NJ. The PGBL along with a couple other local gay bowling leagues are planning a tournament next July 4th – 6th called the Liberty Belle Invitational (LBI). The PGBL has a gay roller-skating party every other month to raise money for both charity and to support the LBI, kind of how we had our Cowboy Ball to support our Liberty Stampede Rodeo next May. I’ve been to a couple of these parties and they are a lot of fun! Last month the DJ at the rink even played “The Hokey Pokey” and a couple other Party Songs. If you think doing these things in shoes are fun, try doing them on skates (or rollerblades in my case). The past parties have been held at a rink near Glassboro, however, the next one, scheduled for November 15th, is going to be a little closer to Philadelphia – the Cherry Hill Skating Center (http://www.cherryhillskatingcenter.com/) from 8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. The cost of the event is $10 (both in advance and at the door). If you would like more information about this event, gay bowling, or the Liberty Belle Invitational, you can contact our league president (Phil) at PhilMaceno@libertybelle.org. I hope to see you at the rink, one of our trail rides, or out and about in the city.

Gettysburg Trail Ride - Jennifer Vrana

Way back in March I wanted to offer something really special for our members. Our trail rides have been a huge success and I knew about a special 2 hour ride thru the Gettysburg Battlefields. I called Artillary Ridge Stables and was able to block out an entire ride for Sept 29th.
I was a little nervous as no one can predict the weather especially 6 months in advance.
September 29th finally came around and the weather could not have been more perfect. 16 of us from 6 different states made our way to Gettysburg. What made this ride so unique is there was an equal number of men and women on the ride. This is the first I can remember that happening with one of our special events.
The ride itself was phenominal. Just imagine being able to ride thru the battlefields of Gettysburg!!
The trail guides were very professional and did not blink an eye at our group. They have even offered to create a special 3 hour trail ride for our group complete with lunch. I think that is a must do for next year.
If you look on our web site there is a link to the photo's from that day.
If you are ever vacationing in the Harrisburg/Gettysburg region please give Artillary Ridge a call. You will be pleasantly surprised!!

Trail Ride - Jeff Bolognese

The next trail ride will be Sunday, December 2, 2007 at 11:00AM. (Reservations are now closed for the November Trail Ride) We will be riding once again at Sheeder Mill Farm, 12 Sheeder Mill Rd, Spring City, PA 19475. For more information about their farm, visit their web site at http://www.smfhorses.com/.

To RSVP now, you can send an email to Jeff Bolognese.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Nov. 3, 2007 - Liberty Bears "Pornocopia" Social

Mark your calendars for THIS SATURDAY, November 3rd, the Liberty Bears of Philadelphia first Saturday Social, 6-10pm, in The Pit at The Bike Stop.

Nov. 24, 2007 - Santa Saturday
Join us on Saturday, November 24, 2007 at Santa Saturday at The Raven Resort, 385 Bridge Street in New Hope, PA! A booth will be set up - stop by and say hello and if you are not currently a member of LGRA, you can join our organization that day!

November Birthdays
LGRA wants to wish the following a special birthday wish:

Mark Wade
Scott Korber
Mel Heifetz
Carmen Moses
Ed
Aubrey Davis
Justin Costello
Daniel Jusko
Dana Leight

Join the LGRA Yahoo Group

It has come to my attention that this "yahoo box" may not be functioning properly. If anyone else has a problem please let me know. In the meantime if you are having problems please just cut and paste the following to join the group.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/LibertyGRA/