Attendance:(up from 260 last year)Fursuiters:Charity Auction/Raffle Earnings:(which will be split between The Humane Society of Northwest Louisiana and Horizon Wings)Furry Fun:

Hello, my furry family. *the big bruin gathers every beast in his arms and gives them a warm, loving bearhug* After a year of planning and work; a weekend of organized chaos and more work; visiting with friends both old and new; a lot of laughter, hugs, and fun; an impromptu evening of trick-or-treating; and a lot of hibernation, I wanted to sit down and growl about this year’s FurFright.

When you devote your entire heart, soul, spirit, and life to something, and it finally comes to fruition, the emotions can be overwhelming. I’ll be honest, during the con, and reading some of your LJ entries and emails, I shed more than a few tears. Why? Because we created FurFright to make our furry friends happy and give back to the community we love so much, but when you’re running around during the con you’re bombarded with failure. The registration computers are down, the hotel didn’t setup like it was supposed to, we can’t find the equipment, etc. Each FurFright I go through a period where I feel like we’re doing a horrible job and letting everyone down. But then, when I least expect it, a fursuiter (or a group of 50 fursuiters! *beams*) gives you a pounce and warm hug, somefur comes up to you with a smile on their muzzle and tells you how much fun they’re having, or you read in someone’s LJ that it was one of the best cons they’ve ever attended . . . and your heart starts to melt . . . and you realize that maybe you didn’t fail. You realize you’re a part of something that makes people happy, and to me, that is the single greatest feeling in the world. My friends tease me all the time for being so overly sentimental and sappy, but that’s the real me.

When I tear up and say that I love you furs, I mean it. It comes from the heart. You’re my friends and family, and I can’t imagine my life without you. As much as you may think I give you by being part of the FurFright Crew, the truth is, you’ve all given me much, MUCH more.

*wipes the tear from his eyes* Jeeeesus . . . I’m cryin’ like an LJ entry. *chuckles*

Thank You!

I literally can not thank you furs enough for coming to FurFright and supporting us! I mean it sincerely when I say that you are every bit as vital to this con as our Directors, Staff, and Volunteers. YOU created FurFright, and it’s YOU who make this con come alive year after year.

Thank you so much for making it all possible! *BIG bearhugs* Please, if we met at the con, or didn’t have a chance to get together, drop me an email and say hi. I’d love to hear from you and keep in touch!

Feedback/Improvements

PLEASE know that we’re going to keep working to improve the con for you!

FurFright is YOUR con, and we’ll always do everything in our power to make you furs happy. Each year we try new things, learn from our mistakes, make changes, and strive to make the con the best it can be (in fact, on the drive home K’gra and I filled up 2 pages with improvements for 2006). We want and need your feedback, so if you have an idea on how to improve the con and/or would like to become a member of Team FurFright, just drop us an email (see the “contact us” page at www.furfright.org). We take every suggestion very seriously and try to implement as many of them as possible.

And at the con, PLEASE, if something or someone is making you uncomfortable, come and tell me (or a member of the staff) about it so we can help you. I want FurFright to be a safe, relaxed, fun environment for all us furs, and we’ll do everything in our power to fix things.

Directors/Staff Thanks

Organizing a con this size is truly a labor of love. You have to love what you do and the people you’re working with or at the first sign of trouble you’ll just stuff your head (or someone elses) into a wood chipper. *chuckles* To give you a little idea just how much sweat we put into FurFright, I lost 8 pounds over the 3 day course of the con. BUT, the rest of the FurFright Crew worked MUCH harder and longer than I did, so you can only imagine what THEY went through! THEY are the ones who made the con possible, and deserve FAR more credit then they are given.

I used them like a punch-press and they never let me down! *smiles* Team FurFright, you rock! *salutes you*

Epilogue

Well, FurFright 2005 is tucked safely in its grave for another year.

There were so many friends, so many hugs, so many memories and emotions . . . and all of them fond and cherished. As I sit here and reflect, I can’t help but feel a sense of emptiness and longing. I miss you all terribly. This is the moment each year when I remember why I put myself through the physical and emotional wringer organizing a con. It’s because of you, my friends . . . my furry family. I will embark on this journey each year for as long as I am able, because I know at the end of the road I will see your smiling muzzles and we will all be together.

Thank you all for making this the best FurFright ever! I love you furs, and I’ll see you next year! *BIG bearhugs*

Belic Bear