This is a page from the Empire Bears' website which Gary and I produced many years ago based on an early brochure produced by the club. I think it is still one of the best and most concise definitions of "bear" out there so I figure I should preserve it here.

The club has a public presence on Facebook but it has not been updated since 2011.

Who or what are Bears?

Bears are many things to many people. Some folks have suggested that a "bear" is someone who:

• is cuddly
• is fuzzy
• has a cuddly body
• is bearded
• has facial hair
• has a 'stache
• is furry
• has a build ranging from thin to stocky, all the way to just plain BIG!

The Empire Bears have no rigid guidelines as to who is or is not a bear. If you identify yourself as a bear or bear lover, that's enough!