Midwest FurFest
Encyclopedia : M : MI : MID : Midwest FurFest
Midwest FurFest got its start as the furry track for Duckon, a Chicago-based science fiction convention. The furry track was started at Duckon 3 in 1994 and was headed up by . The track grew larger each year and it was estimated that by Duckon 8 (1999) between one-quarter and one-third of the attendees were there due to interest in the furry track.
The track ran into problems because it was running out of room to expand without costing other parts of Duckon programming space and time. It was decided that the best course of action was to spin off into a new convention. A parent corporation, was created and Midwest FurFest was born, to take place in November of 2000, on the weekend before Thanksgiving (a date that was to become traditional). The parting was amicable, and Duckon lent a good bit of expertise and manpower to help make the first year of Midwest FurFest a success.
Yearly history
2000
For its inaugural year, Midwest FurFest made its home at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest, in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Robert King served as chairman, and many of the popular elements of the furry track at Duckon made appearances: , The furry variety show (in its traditional Friday-at-midnight timeslot), and the Saturday evening dance. MFF also endeavored to carry on Duckon's fine tradition of a well-stocked con suite, making sure its attendees were well-fed and happy. MFF was proud to welcome and , , and as its initial .
In all, a total of 388 fans turned out to welcome furry fandom's newest convention. MFF's attendees helped to raise $3,522 for the three designated charities that year: , [Valley of the Kings] big cat sanctuary, and [Chicago House].
2001
In 2001, Robert King was again chairman and MFF was once again at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest. 511 attendees helped to push the boundaries of the meeting space there to close to bursting. 2001 also saw the premiere of in his first ever convention performance. Guests of Honor included , , and . "" served as auctioneer to help the charity auction raise $6,800 for [Animals for Awareness].
2002
The next year was a big jump for the convention, both in attendance and space, as MFF moved a few miles south to the Hyatt Regency Woodfield in Schaumburg, Illinois. The new location was a huge hit among the 685 attendees, with its close proximity to Woodfield Mall, many restaurants, and other amenities. (Aureth) took the reins as convention chairman. Animals for Awareness was once again the chosen charity, and the charity auction and contributions at their table raised a total of $6,088. Programming continued to expand, assisted by Guests of Honor ), , and David Simpson.
2003
Aureth again chaired the convention in 2003, still at the Hyatt Woodfield. , , and were the Guests of Honor. The charity auction and donations to Animals for Awareness totaled $6,500 that year. 800 furry fans turned out that year, establishing a steady growth curve for the convention. At the end of the convention, Aureth followed the "two years and out" tradition established by Robert King and turned the reigns over to .
2004
2004 was another banner year for MFF at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield, with 959 attendees. A new charity, [Furry Friends Foundation], was the recipient of $7,000 raised by donations, the charity auction, and a unique, one-time-only joint show featuring Uncle Kage and 2 the Ranting Gryphon together on stage for almost two hours. The Guests of Honor that year were , , and David Gilbert. This was the first year that MFF reached outside furry fandom for a Guest of Honor and Mr. Gilbert wrote afterwards that he had a fantastic time.
2005
, , and were the Guests of Honor in 2005. The convention continued to grow, breaking the thousand-furry mark for the first time with 1,066 in attendance. Wildlife in Need, a small wildlife rehabilitation organization, was the recipient of $6,800 in donations. The highlight of the Charity Auction was the auctioning off of an evening with 2 and Uncle Kage entertaining the winner and their friends in a private performance; in the end, two groups who were bidding against each other pooled their funds and the performance went for $650. This was Dan's last year heading the convention, as he passed the chairmanship over to for 2006. It was also announced that Midwest FurFest would be returning to the Hyatt Regency Woodfield in 2006.
External links
- [Midwest FurFest] - Official site
- [Midwest Furry Fandom, Incorporated]
- and a at WikiFur
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.