Event photos, candid moments, old albums, group shots, travel weekends, and community snapshots.
Show Me Bears History Project
For 33 years, the Show Me Bears and HiBearNation have created friendships, chosen family, community service, laughter, love, and unforgettable memories.
Our oral history project is being created to preserve those voices before they fade, honoring the people, events, photos, stories, and moments that shaped our community. These collected memories will be donated to the archives of the Missouri Historical Society so future generations can understand and celebrate our place in St. Louis LGBTQ+ history.
You can be part of this living archive by sharing your photos, stories, flyers, memories, and reflections from 33 years of the Show Me Bears and/or HiBearNation.
What to share
Every piece matters. The polished photos, the blurry dance-floor snapshots, the program ads, the badges, the inside jokes, the quiet stories, and the big community moments all help complete the record.
Memories of friendships, first weekends, chosen family, funny moments, and people who made an impact.
Posters, event programs, ads, schedules, badges, buttons, shirts, and printed ephemera.
What the Show Me Bears, HiBearNation, and the St. Louis bear community have meant to you.