The Bear’s musical reunion

Ask many longtime Huntington Beach residents which civic decision they most regret, and the demolition of the Bear is likely to be high on their list.

The now-legendary music venue, a former haunt of musicians from Jimi Hendrix to Jimmy Buffett, stood for more than 60 years in downtown Huntington Beach. From its beginnings as a restaurant in the 1920s, it morphed into a celebrated concert hall before to its sudden closure due to building instability — and redevelopment pressures — in 1986.

“They’re tearing down a church here,” Golden Bear owner Rick Babiracki famously said at the time.

Those who felt they never had a chance to help the Bear go gentle into that good night will have an opportunity to meet and commemorate its impact at a reunion this weekend in Huntington Beach.

Local acts like Honk and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band will perform at a series of reunion concerts at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Surf City. The concert area will be remade to resemble the Bear, with memorabilia displays and classic menu items like the Bear Burger. This weekend’s lineup also includes artists like Ray Manzarek of the Doors, another band that played at the Bear.

Several past owners and staff members will be on hand at the reunion, some proceeds from which will benefit Sweet Relief, a local charity aimed to help musicians with life difficulties.

PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

Social networking has helped Bear lovers get back together. Past shows can be viewed on YouTube. Golden Bear groups on MySpace and Facebook let fans and former employees reunite, reminisce and share photos and videos from the venue’s many decades of musical history.

First founded on Main Street as the Golden Lion Cafe by Harry Bakre and later moved to its Pacific Coast Highway location, the venue saw a long period of neglect before it was christened as a music club by economist Delbert Kauffman. He, along with other owners like George Nikas and the Babiracki trio, helped establish the Bear as an unparalleled location to see the country’s top acts.

Long before their big breaks, musicians like future Monkee Peter Tork and Buffalo Springfield’s Stephen Stills worked in the kitchen and lived in the building’s basement.

The Bear’s many loyal fans saw its range of performers as a way to learn about all kinds of musical genres.