Furnal Equinox/History

History
Prior to 2010, there had never been a large, hotel-based furry event hosted in the Toronto area. (Feral! has run continuously since 1998, but takes place at a summer camp three hours from Toronto.)

In late 2008, Dan Skunk, after scouting many possible venues and finding one suitable for hotel convention in Toronto and people willing to fund it, created message board on his web site, Ontario Furries inviting people to become involved in running it.

In early 2009, after discussions on Ontario Furries, an organizing committee was formed to plan the event. This committee consisted originally of Aaeden, Benjamin, Blindsight, Crassadon, Danruk, Dan Skunk, Sparrow, KI Wind, Pakesh De, Potoroo, Scani, and Shiro Tora. These members of local fandom all made contributions, some quite significant, of time and/or money to make the convention a reality.

Benjamin, Ki Wind, and Aaeden soon after resigned and Dan Skunk, Danruk, Sparrow were later dismissed by the remaining members followed by Shiro Tora and then Crassadon. These removals caused considerable controversy on the Ontario Furries forum, where Dan Skunk and Sparrow disputed the reasons for them, Dan Skunk continued to support the convention on Ontario Furries, offering criticism and suggestions, but banned them twice for engaging in flame wars on the site and slandering other members. After attending Furnal Equinox, Dan Skunk claimed he was treated rudely by staff, hassled by security,  and treated rudely by the chairman and eventualy banned all discussion of FE on Ontario Furries. Furnal Equinox disputes these claims. The dispute eventually led to a split in the local forums and meets.

FE was promoted in its first year as Toronto's First Furry Convention and formally announced its name on July 1 (Canada Day), 2009.

The name Furnal Equinox was conceived by founding member ShiroTora. The chosen name plays upon the convention's date in March, close to the beginning of spring (the vernal equinox).

Furnal Equinox has aimed to promote this goal of showcasing the best local talent and attracting worldwide furry names by inviting two Guests of Honour to the convention every year, one from Canada and one from outside of Canada.

The convention has raised money every year for the Mississauga Humane Society (MHS) by hosting a charity auction. The MHS is unique among humane societies in that it has no shelter facility or paid staff &mdash; rather, all funds are directed towards veterinary bills, food and other supplies for the animals in their care. In total, Furnal Equinox has raised $4,200 for the MHS over two years.

History
Prior to 2010, there had never been a large, hotel-based furry event hosted in the Toronto area. (Feral! has run continuously since 1998, but takes place at a summer camp three hours from Toronto.)

In late 2008, Dan Skunk, after scouting many possible venues and finding one suitable for hotel convention in Toronto and people willing to fund it, created message board on his web site, Ontario Furries inviting people to become involved in running it.

In early 2009, after discussions on Ontario Furries, an organizing committee was formed to plan the event. This committee consisted originally of Aaeden, Benjamin, Blindsight, Crassadon, Danruk, Dan Skunk, Sparrow, KI Wind, Pakesh De, Potoroo, Scani, and Shiro Tora. These members of local fandom all made contributions, some quite significant, of time and/or money to make the convention a reality.

Benjamin, Ki Wind, and Aaeden soon after resigned and Dan Skunk, Danruk, Sparrow were later dismissed by the remaining members followed by Shiro Tora and then Crassadon. These removals caused considerable controversy on the Ontario Furries forum, where Dan Skunk and Sparrow disputed the reasons for them, Dan Skunk continued to support the convention on Ontario Furries, offering criticism and suggestions, but banned them twice for engaging in flame wars on the site and slandering other members. After attending Furnal Equinox, Dan Skunk claimed he was treated rudely by staff, hassled by security,  and treated rudely by the chairman and eventualy banned all discussion of FE on Ontario Furries. Furnal Equinox disputes these claims. The dispute eventually led to a split in the local forums and meets.

FE was promoted in its first year as Toronto's First Furry Convention and formally announced its name on July 1 (Canada Day), 2009.

The name Furnal Equinox was conceived by founding member ShiroTora. The chosen name plays upon the convention's date in March, close to the beginning of spring (the vernal equinox).

Furnal Equinox has aimed to promote this goal of showcasing the best local talent and attracting worldwide furry names by inviting two Guests of Honour to the convention every year, one from Canada and one from outside of Canada.

The convention has raised money every year for the Mississauga Humane Society (MHS) by hosting a charity auction. The MHS is unique among humane societies in that it has no shelter facility or paid staff &mdash; rather, all funds are directed towards veterinary bills, food and other supplies for the animals in their care. In total, Furnal Equinox has raised $4,200 for the MHS over two years.