06.05.2020

Letter from the Chairman

Good morning my Furrydelphia Family,

The following is a statement that I have been dreading having to make for months now. I’m not a person known for skirting around bad news, so here is the official word:

Furrydelphia will not be opening its doors in 2020.

For the past several weeks we have been nervously fidgeting with the idea of closing down this year. We have been holding onto hope that Pennsylvania would go to the green phase of reopening before August and permit us to hold our event, but in the past week many things about the situation in Pennsylvania (and across the United States) have changed. There are many reasons why hosting Furrydelphia 2020 in person would be a bad idea, and I’m certain that some people will disagree with our decision to close. So I want to point out one, overarching fact:

Our governor has revised the condition-green coronavirus regulations: events above 250 people will still be banned in the green phase of reopening. We cannot legally host Furrydelphia 2020 in person, even if we wanted to.

I have a few comments regarding the present and future state of things before I conclude this letter. First, I want to acknowledge the sales & catering team at the Valley Forge Casino Resort, who have been doing their best with the people they have to make this action as easy as possible. I want to assure you that Furrydelphia will return in 2021. We are working hard on establishing dates, and will let you know ASAP what they are. The convention theme will still be “Galactic Fleet”. Anyone who registered for the con this year, your ticket will be automatically forwarded to next year. No action is required by you to make this happen. Dealers, we will email you soon to discuss things!

Secondly, we have some very cool things in the works for this year regarding plans to host an online convention experience for Furrydelphia 2020. We are working hard to refine these plans and will be posting more about that as we go, but we hope to be able to offer streamed panels & DJ sets, a virtual convention environment via VR-Chat (which you do NOT need a VR headset to play!), a virtual Dealers Den, and possibly some FD-2020 “Stay at Home” merchandise.

Thirdly, we have so many exciting things in the works for FD 2021. I eagerly await my ability to announce them to you, including a surprise GOH that should hopefully be announced soon. As I said before, we plan to announce dates and open registration for 2021 as soon as possible.

Finally, I want to express in the light of the injustice and systematic racism seen throughout our country that Furrydelphia has always been, and will always continue to be, an inclusive and welcoming space for all members of the furry fandom. If you ever feel like we have room to improve in that regard, or if you ever experience or witness discrimination or abuse at Furrydelphia by another attendee, non-attendee hotel guest, or convention/hotel staff member, please bring the matter directly to my attention. My email is drayne@furrydelphia.org.

Thank you so much for your attention and for your support in this matter. I cannot wait to see you at Furrydelphia 2021.

- Drayne the Wolf, Furrydelphia Chairman