Scream, Dracula, Scream! (FurFright News August '09)
FurFright
October 16-18, 2009
Waterbury, CT USA
www.furfright.org
Guests Of Honor: Tilt Longtail & Tod Wills
FurFright is a Halloween-themed Anthropomorphic convention that’s 7 years old and nearly 1000 attendees strong. Every year we work our tails off to give you a fun, unique con that doesn’t suck. No whorish, flashing neon ads on bloated websites promising the Second Coming just to get attendance numbers up. Just a con created by Attendees and Staff who actually give a crap.
57 Days until FurFright. Start screaming. God knows we are…
In This Issue:
1) War Dogs: Forgotten Heroes (2009 Charity)
2) We Need Programming (Run A Panel, Class, or Discussion Group)!
3) Artwork & Writing Submission Deadline (August 31st)!
4) Masquerade Acts Wanted!
5) Registration Deadline (September 19th)
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1) War Dogs: Forgotten Heroes (2009 charity)
**Full Article With Photos Found Here**
http://community.livejournal.com/furfright/289444.html
During the Viet Nam War the armed forces enlisted dogs and trained them to be soldiers. The dogs were paired with young men (some no older than 17) and assigned to aid the troops in the dense jungles. To the soldiers who were taken away from their childhoods and families, these dogs became more than just tools of war, they became friends, brothers, and a source of companionship and sanity. With senses far sharper than any human, the War Dogs detected enemy soldiers, mines, booby traps, ambushes, and snipers long before they could inflict harm. They were even known to attack the enemy in close quarters, and drag wounded soldiers to safety. It is estimated that they saved the lives of over 15,000 soldiers in the Viet Nam War alone.
When the war was over, and the troops shipped out, the War Dogs were left behind. The Army ordered them abandoned and destroyed as “surplus armaments”, the same as an unwanted piece of machinery. Their distraught handlers and fellow soldiers-those who had fought beside them and whose lives they’d saved-tried in vain to gain custody and bring them home. They went through every military channel possible, but all their requests were denied. Most all the War Dogs who had served so bravely were euthanized, and some were left behind to unknown fates. Of the approximately 4,900 dogs that served in Niet Nam from 1964 to 1975, only 204 were brought back to the US. None were returned to civilian life (as the military had promised the civilian families who donated the dogs).
You were Soldiers. You were Heroes. You deserved better.
Veteran dog handlers collected 100,000 signatures for a memorial postage stamp, but were turned down (Bugs Bunny made it-the War Dogs did not). When the Smithsonian was renovated the National Museum of American History did not mention War Dogs in the new Armed Forces History Hall (they even removed the one mention of a War Dog that existed). And when the veteran dog handlers applied to plant a memorial tree at Arlington National Cemetery, they were denied.
As yet there is still no national War Dog Memorial that will serve for the nation, as the War Dogs did.
This year FurFright will be working to raise money for The United States War Dog Association. Their organization is ‘Dedicated to all War Dogs and their handlers--past, present, and future’.
Please help our Charity Auction/Raffle by donating and purchasing merchandise, and donating whatever money you can during the convention to support this very worthwhile cause.
***If you can't make it to the convention, merchandise and cash donations can still be made through mail and PayPal (furfright2009 HAT furfright DHOT org Be sure to put "War Dogs Donation" in the comments)***
To find out how you can help, contact our Charity Auction/Raffle Director at: auction2009@furfright.org
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2) We Need Programming (Run A Panel, Class, or Discussion Group)!
We need people to run panels, classes, and discussion groups at this year’s FurFright! Desperately! So if you have an area of interest or expertise, please contact us! All topics and ideas are welcomed! Subjects like art (general or specific), fursuiting (building, maintenance, performance, social, etc), cosplay, Halloween (paranormal, animals in Halloween folklore, etc), the furry fandom, hobbies, social/meet and greet, etc. are needed.
***DEADLINE FOR PANEL SUBMISSIONS IS AUGUST 31ST!!***
To register your panel, class, or SIG go to: http://www.furfright.org/panel.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Artwork & Writing Submissions Needed!
If you’d like your artwork or writing featured in our conbook, on badges, t-shirts, flyers, and other areas of the convention, PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR WORK BEFORE THE AUGUST 31st DEADLINE.
We’re looking for Halloween/Horror and/or War Dog-themed submissions. We’re going to be selecting many different pieces, so feel free to submit as many designs as you like.
For more information on how to submit your work, visit:
(art) - http://www.furfright.org/submit_art.htm
(written work) - http://www.furfright.org/submit_written.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------
4) Masquerade Acts Wanted!
Put an act together and be part of the show! No experience, fursuit, or talent needed!
FurFright has one of the most entertaining Masquerades in the fandom (or at least one that doesn't make the audience nauseous), and we want YOU to be a part of it! So put together an act and hit the stage with us! It doesn't matter what your experience level is, or if you have a fursuit or not, the whole point of our Masquerade is to have fun!
Acts will be judged by our esteemed panel of honorable judges (or hobos) and prizes will be awarded!
For complete Masquerade information and guidelines, visit: http://www.furfright.org/masquerade.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------
5) Registration Deadline (September 19th)
The deadline to register for FurFright (and save money) is September 19th, so visit http://www.furfright.org/attendee_registration.htm and register today! If you don’t register before the deadline you’ll have to pay more and wait in a longer line (pre-reg is cheap and has express processing), so DO IT NOW!
------------------------------------------------------------------
FurFright
October 16-18, 2009
Waterbury, CT USA
www.furfright.org
October 16-18, 2009
Waterbury, CT USA
www.furfright.org
Guests Of Honor: Tilt Longtail & Tod Wills
FurFright is a Halloween-themed Anthropomorphic convention that’s 7 years old and nearly 1000 attendees strong. Every year we work our tails off to give you a fun, unique con that doesn’t suck. No whorish, flashing neon ads on bloated websites promising the Second Coming just to get attendance numbers up. Just a con created by Attendees and Staff who actually give a crap.
57 Days until FurFright. Start screaming. God knows we are…
In This Issue:
1) War Dogs: Forgotten Heroes (2009 Charity)
2) We Need Programming (Run A Panel, Class, or Discussion Group)!
3) Artwork & Writing Submission Deadline (August 31st)!
4) Masquerade Acts Wanted!
5) Registration Deadline (September 19th)
------------------------------------------------------------------
1) War Dogs: Forgotten Heroes (2009 charity)
**Full Article With Photos Found Here**
http://community.livejournal.com/furfright/289444.html
During the Viet Nam War the armed forces enlisted dogs and trained them to be soldiers. The dogs were paired with young men (some no older than 17) and assigned to aid the troops in the dense jungles. To the soldiers who were taken away from their childhoods and families, these dogs became more than just tools of war, they became friends, brothers, and a source of companionship and sanity. With senses far sharper than any human, the War Dogs detected enemy soldiers, mines, booby traps, ambushes, and snipers long before they could inflict harm. They were even known to attack the enemy in close quarters, and drag wounded soldiers to safety. It is estimated that they saved the lives of over 15,000 soldiers in the Viet Nam War alone.
When the war was over, and the troops shipped out, the War Dogs were left behind. The Army ordered them abandoned and destroyed as “surplus armaments”, the same as an unwanted piece of machinery. Their distraught handlers and fellow soldiers-those who had fought beside them and whose lives they’d saved-tried in vain to gain custody and bring them home. They went through every military channel possible, but all their requests were denied. Most all the War Dogs who had served so bravely were euthanized, and some were left behind to unknown fates. Of the approximately 4,900 dogs that served in Niet Nam from 1964 to 1975, only 204 were brought back to the US. None were returned to civilian life (as the military had promised the civilian families who donated the dogs).
You were Soldiers. You were Heroes. You deserved better.
Veteran dog handlers collected 100,000 signatures for a memorial postage stamp, but were turned down (Bugs Bunny made it-the War Dogs did not). When the Smithsonian was renovated the National Museum of American History did not mention War Dogs in the new Armed Forces History Hall (they even removed the one mention of a War Dog that existed). And when the veteran dog handlers applied to plant a memorial tree at Arlington National Cemetery, they were denied.
As yet there is still no national War Dog Memorial that will serve for the nation, as the War Dogs did.
This year FurFright will be working to raise money for The United States War Dog Association. Their organization is ‘Dedicated to all War Dogs and their handlers--past, present, and future’.
Please help our Charity Auction/Raffle by donating and purchasing merchandise, and donating whatever money you can during the convention to support this very worthwhile cause.
***If you can't make it to the convention, merchandise and cash donations can still be made through mail and PayPal (furfright2009 HAT furfright DHOT org Be sure to put "War Dogs Donation" in the comments)***
To find out how you can help, contact our Charity Auction/Raffle Director at: auction2009@furfright.org
------------------------------------------------------------------
2) We Need Programming (Run A Panel, Class, or Discussion Group)!
We need people to run panels, classes, and discussion groups at this year’s FurFright! Desperately! So if you have an area of interest or expertise, please contact us! All topics and ideas are welcomed! Subjects like art (general or specific), fursuiting (building, maintenance, performance, social, etc), cosplay, Halloween (paranormal, animals in Halloween folklore, etc), the furry fandom, hobbies, social/meet and greet, etc. are needed.
***DEADLINE FOR PANEL SUBMISSIONS IS AUGUST 31ST!!***
To register your panel, class, or SIG go to: http://www.furfright.org/panel.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Artwork & Writing Submissions Needed!
If you’d like your artwork or writing featured in our conbook, on badges, t-shirts, flyers, and other areas of the convention, PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR WORK BEFORE THE AUGUST 31st DEADLINE.
We’re looking for Halloween/Horror and/or War Dog-themed submissions. We’re going to be selecting many different pieces, so feel free to submit as many designs as you like.
For more information on how to submit your work, visit:
(art) - http://www.furfright.org/submit_art.htm
(written work) - http://www.furfright.org/submit_written.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------
4) Masquerade Acts Wanted!
Put an act together and be part of the show! No experience, fursuit, or talent needed!
FurFright has one of the most entertaining Masquerades in the fandom (or at least one that doesn't make the audience nauseous), and we want YOU to be a part of it! So put together an act and hit the stage with us! It doesn't matter what your experience level is, or if you have a fursuit or not, the whole point of our Masquerade is to have fun!
Acts will be judged by our esteemed panel of honorable judges (or hobos) and prizes will be awarded!
For complete Masquerade information and guidelines, visit: http://www.furfright.org/masquerade.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------
5) Registration Deadline (September 19th)
The deadline to register for FurFright (and save money) is September 19th, so visit http://www.furfright.org/attendee_registration.htm and register today! If you don’t register before the deadline you’ll have to pay more and wait in a longer line (pre-reg is cheap and has express processing), so DO IT NOW!
------------------------------------------------------------------
FurFright
October 16-18, 2009
Waterbury, CT USA
www.furfright.org