Mephit Furmeet
| Mephit Furmeet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Website | |
| Status | Ongoing |
| First iteration | August 29-September 3, 1997 |
| Organizer(s) | Mephit Furmeet Group |
| Subject | Furry |
| Resources | Photos, videos, reports: Mephit Furmeet resources |
|
| Mephit Furmeet staff |
| Mephit Furmeet guests of honor |
The Mephit Furmeet, also known as MFM, is an annual furry convention in Olive Branch, Mississippi, USA, which is just south of Memphis, TN. This convention meets over the Labor Day holiday weekend. MFM's mascot is a skunk, as the name implies, and its motto is "Welcome home".
Contents
Venue[edit]
Mephit Fur Meet was originally hosted in Memphis, Tennessee. The event was first held at a Howard Johnson's Inn (now an Econo Lodge) on Sycamore View Road in East Memphis.
From 1998 through 2000, the convention was held at the Holiday Inn Memphis East on Poplar Ave. From 2001 through 2009, it was held at the Holiday Inn Select at Memphis International Airport.
In 2009, it was announced that the next convention would be held at the Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, making it the first time the convention would be held outside of the city of Memphis.[1]
Charity[edit]
Tiger Haven has been the convention charity for Mephit Furmeet every year since 2001 and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. Through 2009, MFM has raised more than $100,000 for Tiger Haven and is their largest single contributor. More than $15,000 was raised for Tiger Haven at 2004. As of 2005, there is an enclosure bearing MFM's name that was funded entirely with donations from the convention attendees.
History[edit]
Started by local Memphis furry GrowlTiger in 1997, MFM originated from a small pizza party gathering hosted in a local Howard Johnson's. Since then, the chairs organizing the convention have included:
- GrowlTiger (1997 - 1999)
- Kodian (2000 - 2001)
- Tyger Cowboy (2002 - 2011)
- Since 2012, MFM has been led by a team of five co-directors consisting of Tyger Cowboy, Alexander Katz, Goliath, Blue Heeler SunFire, and Bunny Mickley.
Scenes from Mephit Furmeet 4 in 2000 appeared in the documentary Fans and Freaks from Nashville, Tennessee area directors Stephen and Suzie Lackey.
In 2001, a surprise guest appearance was made by Dr. Samuel "Uncle Kage" Conway, disguised as "The Great Unknown Furry".
In 2002, part of the convention space was unexpectedly "borrowed" by the Transportation Security Administration.
In 2005, the hotel was shared with displaced victims of Hurricane Katrina, with convention attendees donating both money and resources to those affected by the catastrophe.
There were over 600 people attending in 2005. Attendance held near that level through 2011.
Guests of Honor[edit]
- Bill Holbrook, cartoonist and webcomics creator of Kevin and Kell (1998)
- Pat Duke and Elin Winkler of Radio Comix and artist Joe Rosales (1999)
- Plonq, author (2000)
- Tigerwolf of Tigerden Internet Services (2001)
- Ryngs Raccoon, artist and fursuiter (2002)
- Loriana Vixen, artist and fursuiter (2003)
- Rog Minotaur, artist (2004)
- John "The Gneech" Robey, webcomics creator of The Suburban Jungle (2005)
- Jodi "J3T" Tong, artist and webcomics creator of Lang Lang (2006)
- Jim Lane, author (2007)
- PandaGuy, Fursuiter (2008)
- Isfacat, furry comedian (2009)
- Razzek, artist (2010)
- Bucktown Tiger, musician and fursuiter (2011)
- Tiger Haven, convention charity (2012)
- Wolf Pup Wielder, (2013)
- Floe, (2014)
- Doc Bolt (2015)
- Tavi Munk & Noxychu (2016)
- Mike & Carole Curtis of Shanda Fantasy Arts (2017)
T-shirt Design Contest[edit]
Through 2014, an annual contest was held to select the t-shirt design. The T-shirt contest was discontinued in 2015.[2] Winners of the popular vote include:
- Loran Skunky (1997)
- Joe Rosales (1998)
- Brian McPherson (1999)
- Herbie Bearclaw (2000)
- Gideon Artwolf (2001)
- Sheve (2002)
- J3T (2003 and 2004)
- Cirrel (2005)
- Evol (2006)
- CrssaFox (2007)
- Rayven Wolffe and Nihaler (2008)
- Blackfrost (2009)
- Charles Ettinger (2010)
- Growly Lobita (2011)
- Tavi Munk (2012)
- Coon Spoon (2013)
- Becky A (2014)
References[edit]
- ↑ Official twitter announcement about MFM's 2010 venue
- ↑ https://www.mephitfurmeet.org/history/ retrieved 2016/10/18
External links[edit]
- Mephit Furmeet convention website
- Mephit Furmeet community on LiveJournal
- Mephit Furmeet on Twitter
- Mephit Fur Meet on Facebook
- My Furry Weekend - an article on MFM9 in the Memphis Flyer on 16 September 2005
- Photos, videos, reports: Mephit Furmeet resources