_5 jvlnnoln IIIIIUIII nssocrnnon , lllll IIIII uvl Illlslc . E IIIIIAI looo Illll nlolnl GIEWB 2 - ClT|‘1 july 2001 \ Have you ever wanted to fly? You can! z ‘ Vermont Skydiving Adventures ‘ 4369 VT RTE 17 WA_ddison, Vermont 05491 VSA is a full service drop zone offering Tandem, Static Line, ‘ and Accelerated Free Fall instruction. See our website @ www.vtskydiving.com Come experience the Ultimate Thrill... Human Fllghtl Reservation: required - (802)SKYDlVE or toll free 1-866-458-6788 Open through October—1 Days a Week—9 am until Sunset _* Recommended Accommodations: - Hearthstono Bed 8- Breakfast (802) 759-3189 or 10 Acre Campground (802) 759-2662 ’ vsms arnemberotthe United States Parachulists Associalion .52/‘pro/(4 VI/0/we/7 @//’/-5’ Vl//cm 50¢/dress P474/7 Gifts, T-Shirts, Music, Stickers Bumper Stickers, "Jewelry 28 Chapel St. Portsmouth, NH 03801 www.artisticamaz0n.com 1 877 422-0702 (toll—free) ORDER ONLINE AT \rrwur.verrnontbre\rrers.coIn OI! CALI. 802.244.5828 s your advéiftisiij_9_;o,n target'?v- A Contact _ d$§@mountainpridemedidorg jandifget thepestj results forjyo,u '1 'advertls'i'nl’gi‘dollars.-. Vermont Teddy Bear Launches Pride Bear ichael aggard, nesident and potmaster/webmaste for te reen Muntaln Growlers, with the GLBT Pride Bear manufactured by The Vermont Teddy Bear Company. BY PAUL OLSEN SHELBURNE — Looking for a unique gift for friends on Pride Day? Are you at a loss- for a gift idea for the gay or les- bian couple being joined in civil union? The Vermont Teddy Bear Company in Shelbume may just have the answer. The company recently introduced a GLBT Pride Bear and has been selling bride- bride and groom-groom teddy bear wedding sets for the past two years. Dressed in blue jeans and a white t-shirt, the Pride Bear has honey colored fur and features a permanent embroidered rain- bow tattoo on its arm. The bear is approximately 15 inch- es high and costs $75. According to the Vermont Teddy Bear Company’s Public Relations Manager, Cal Workman, Pride Bear was a natural extension of the com- pany’s philosophy. “We’re in the business of helping people communicate with each other and it just seemed like there was a hole in our product line,” she told Out in the Mountains. “There was a need for this kind of bear to help this community communicate deeply held emo- tions and celebrate milestones just like all of our other bears do.” Workman indicated that Vermont’s civil union debate played no role in the compa- ny’s decision to launch Pride Bear at this time. “It’s not so much that we were coming out and making a political state- ment,” she said. “I’m sure people are going to make that connection. Vermont has been in the spotlight for so long and the name of the company is the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, but it (civil unions) really didn’t have an influence. We just do what we know we do well which is helping peo- ple make meaningful connec- tions. I hope the (Pride) bear does well. Its time has arrived.” Irene Steiner, the Vermont Teddy Bear Company’s Director of Marketing, says developing a bear for the gay and lesbian community created unique challenges. “We had several people tell us it should have pink paw pads or wear a rainbow scarf,” she said. “We normally take pictures of pro- totypes and survey our cus- tomers. Since we don’t have a database of people who we know are gay, lesbian or bisex- ual, we thought it would be weird to send out a survey to people about this product.” “So we decided to try things a different way. So our research manager and myself went out to a local gay bar in Burlington,‘ brought the proto- types, and sat down and just ‘with it. started talking to people. We had a lot of fun and got really good feedback. We thought we had something that people are going to relate to so we came back and said ‘let’s give it a whirl.’ We’re making 500 to start with and depending on the success we’ll keep on going A drag queen bear might be next!” > A For gay and lesbian commit- ment ceremonies or civil unions, the Vermont Teddy Bear Company sells same-sex bride and groom sets. The Groom-Groom Wedding set features two dashing groom bears dressed in satin-lined tuxedos. The Bride-Bride bears are dressed in brocade and lace and come complete with wedding veils and flow- ers. Each set runs approxi- mately $150. The Vermont Teddy Bear Company was founded in Burlington in 1981 and sold its first bears from a peddler’s cart on Church Street. The compa- ny went public in 1993 and moved to its Shelbume loca- tion in 1995. The company’s bears are handcrafted in Vermont and can be shipped through their Bear-Gram deliv- ery service. The Vermont Teddy Bear Company can be reached at 1- 800-829-BEAR or www.VermontTeddyBear.com.