Mayor Bear & Other Furry Celebs Honor Matthew Shepard

Monday, 29 March 2010 22:29 | Written by Byron

BEAR-ING IT ALL: The "Mayor Bear," created by Mayor Sam Adams (both pictured above), were just two of the celebs at Wilf's on Monday night at the "Bear To Make A Difference" event to benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Portland was the first time that this very beary silent auction and cocktail party has left its Denver, Co. base and hit the road, and from the looks of it, the party was a huge success. Even my bear, a leather dude (that I outfitted with, no lie, some baby chaps I found at Build-A-Bear and turned into a tribute to my own hog-loving dad), went for its full value. Other big bids were placed on bears by Carol Burnett (her sweet bear re-created her famous curtains and rod ensemble she donned for her show's "Gone With the Wind" parody), Katy Perry, Mackenzie Phillips, and a slew of local drag stars, including one of the evening's honorees, Darcelle XV. And what did for Meryl Streep's "Mama Mia" bear go for, you ask? Well, hard to say, since it was lost somewhere between here and New York City prior to the event. "It will definitely show up," says event organizer Andrew Tweedie, "someday." Those who did show up for the swell soiree included Mayor Adams, Governor Barbara Roberts, her "best friend" Terry Bean, and Matthew's amazing mother, Judy Shepard.