Midwest FurFest

2014-12-07T18:50:25Z

Jagothewolf:

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{{Template:Midwest FurFest}}
'''Midwest FurFest''' (commonly abbreviated as '''MFF''') is an annual [[furry]] [[convention]] based in [[Wikipedia:Illinois|Illinois]] which has been running as a separate entity since 2000.

Midwest FurFest got its start as the furry track for [[Duckon]], a Chicago-based [[science fiction]] convention. The furry track was started at Duckon 3 in 1994 and was headed up by [[Robert King]]. The track grew larger each year and it was estimated that by Duckon 8 (1999) between one-quarter and one-third of the attendees were there due to interest in the furry track.

The track ran into problems because it was running out of room to expand without costing other parts of Duckon programming space and time. It was decided that the best course of action was to spin off into a new convention.
[[Image:MFFraccoon.png|thumb|left|220px|Midwest FurFest|Midwest FurFest Logo]]
Thus [[Midwest Furry Fandom, Inc.]] was created and Midwest FurFest was born, to take place in November 2000, on
the weekend before [[Wikipedia:Thanksgiving|Thanksgiving]]. The parting was amicable, and Duckon lent a good bit of expertise and manpower to help make the first year of Midwest FurFest a success.

Since then, the convention has grown from 388 attendees in 2000 to 3,904 in 2013, making it the [[List of conventions by attendance|2nd largest furry convention]]. It has raised over $192,125 for various charities.

Midwest FurFest is a production of [[Midwest Furry Fandom, Inc.]], which holds ''[http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78958777 Midwest Furfest]'' and ''[http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78958792 furfest]'' as [[Wikipedia:Service mark|service marks]].

== History ==
[[Image:MFF Attendance Through 2010.png|right|thumb|200px|Visitor Statistics]]
=== 2000 ===

For its inaugural year, Midwest FurFest (typically abbreviated as MFF) made its home at the [[wikipedia:Sheraton Hotel|Sheraton Chicago Northwest]], in [[wikipedia:Arlington Heights, Illinois|Arlington Heights]], Illinois. Robert King served as chairman, and many of the popular elements of the furry track at Duckon made appearances: [[Artists Alley]], The [[Furry Variety Show]] (in its traditional Friday-at-midnight timeslot), and the Saturday evening dance. MFF also endeavored to carry on Duckon's fine tradition of a well-stocked con suite, making sure its attendees were well-fed and happy. MFF was proud to welcome [[Robert Carspecken|Robert]] and [[Margaret Carspecken]], [[Rapid T. Rabbit]], and [[Derrick Dasenbrock]] as its initial [[Guests of Honor]]. In its first year, a total of 388 fans turned out to welcome [[furry fandom]]'s newest convention. MFF's attendees showed their generosity by helping to raise $3,522 for the three designated charities that year: [[Wolf Park]], [http://www.votk.org/ Valley of the Kings] [[feline|big cat]] sanctuary, and [http://www.chicagohouse.org/ Chicago House].

=== 2001 ===

In 2001, Robert King was again chairman and MFF was once again at the Sheraton Chicago Northwest. 511 attendees helped to push the boundaries of the meeting space there to close to bursting. 2001 also saw the premiere of [[2|2 the Ranting Gryphon]] in his first convention performance ever. Guests of Honor included [[Mary Hanson-Roberts]], [[Jessica Willard]] (who designed the convention's t-shirt),<ref>[http://www.rabbitvalley.com/item_2643_1240___Skunk-Circles.html "Skunk Circles"] on [[Rabbit Valley]]. Retrieved February 13, 2014.</ref><ref>[http://us.vclart.net/vcl/Artists/J-Willard/index09.html jw-scrcle.jpg] on Jessica Willard's gallery on [[VCL]]. Dated November 26, 2001. Retrieved February 13, 2014.</ref> and [[Matt McCullar]]. [[Uncle Kage]] served as auctioneer to help the [[charity auction]] raise $6,800 for [http://www.animalsforawareness.org/ Animals for Awareness].

=== 2002 ===

The next year was a big jump for the convention, both in attendance and space as MFF moved a few miles south to the [[wikipedia:Hyatt Regency|Hyatt Regency Woodfield]] in [[wikipedia:Schaumburg, Illinois|Schaumburg]], Illinois. The new location was a huge hit among the 685 attendees, with its close proximity to [[wikipedia:Woodfield Mall|Woodfield Mall]], many restaurants, and other amenities. [[Jim Doolittle]] (aka Aureth) took the reins as convention chairman. Animals for Awareness was once again the chosen charity, and the charity auction and contributions at their table raised a total of $6,088. Programming continued to expand, assisted by Guests of Honor [[Ursula Husted]], [[Ysengrin Blackpaw]], and [[D.C. Simpson]].

=== 2003 ===

Aureth again chaired the convention in 2003, still at the Hyatt Woodfield. [[Thomas K. Dye]], [[M.C.A. Hogarth]], and [[DBruin]] were the Guests of Honor. The charity auction and donations to Animals for Awareness totaled $6,500 that year. 800 furry fans turned out that year, establishing a steady growth curve for the convention. At the end of the convention, Aureth followed the "two years and out" tradition established by Robert King and turned the reins over to [[Dan Hauschild]] (aka Takaza J. Wolf). Mary Jo Pehl of Mystery Science Theater 3000 appeared.

=== 2004 ===
[[File:Mff04-conbook.png|thumb|The cover of the Midwest FurFest 2004 conbook.]]
2004 was another banner year for MFF at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield, with 959 attendees. A new charity, [http://www.furryfriendsfoundation.com/ Furry Friends Foundation], was the recipient of $7,000 raised by donations, the charity auction, and a unique, one-time-only joint show featuring Uncle Kage and 2 the Ranting Gryphon together on stage for almost two hours. The Guests of Honor that year were [[Ursula Vernon]], [[ScribbleFox]], and [[David Gilbert]]. This was the first year that MFF reached outside furry fandom for a Guest of Honor and Mr. Gilbert wrote afterwards that he had a fantastic time.

{{see also|User:DuncanDaHusky/Midwest FurFest 2004 Registration Report{{!}}Duncan da Husky's 2004 Registration report}}

=== 2005 ===
{{main|Midwest FurFest 2005}}

[[Gene Breshears]], [[Tincrash]], and [[Kenket]] were the Guests of Honor in 2005. The convention continued to grow, breaking the thousand-furry mark for the first time with 1,066 in attendance. Wildlife in Need, a small wildlife rehabilitation organization, was the recipient of $6,800 in donations. The highlight of the Charity Auction was the auctioning off of an evening with 2 and Uncle Kage entertaining the winner and their friends in a private performance; in the end, two groups who were bidding against each other pooled their funds and the performance went for $650. This was Takaza's last year heading the convention, as he passed the chairmanship over to [[Linnaeus]] for 2006. It was also announced that Midwest FurFest would be returning to the Hyatt Regency Woodfield in 2006.

=== 2006 ===
{{main|Midwest FurFest 2006}}

Illustrator Heather "[[Kyoht]]" Luterman , fursuit designer [[Whiteyfawks|Whitefox]] (aka [[Whiteyfawks]]) and artist and designer [[Spunky]] were the Guests of Honor in 2006. The theme was ''Midwest FurFest County Fair''. 1,422 people were in attendance. [[Fursuit parade]] attendance was at 213 participants, a record at the time. The Charity Auction raised $5570 for the [http://www.safehavenwildlife.com/ Safe Haven Wildlife Refuge], not including donations. $13,048.96 in all was raised for the refuge.

=== 2007 ===
{{main|Midwest FurFest 2007}}

Linnaeus chaired the convention again, which took place November 16-18, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Woodfield in Schaumburg, Illinois. The Guests of Honor included illustrator and artist Erika Rosengarten, artist and costumer [[Jill0r]], and author [[Will Sanborn]]. The theme was ''Critters on the High Seas''. Attendance was 1,689, and the fursuit parade had 286 participants. The convention raised more than $15,000 for [http://www.flintcreekwildlife.org/ Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation].

=== 2008 ===
{{main|Midwest FurFest 2008}}

Midwest FurFest was held from November 21st to November 23rd in 2008. [[Duncan da Husky]] was the convention chairman, and the convention moved to a new venue: The Westin Chicago North Shore in [[Wikipedia:Wheeling, Illinois|Wheeling, Illinois]]. The theme was ''North to Alaska''.

Total attendance was 1,992, and over $15,000 was raised for their charity, Rainbow Animal Assisted Therapy. The Art Show generated $22,928 in revenue.

=== 2009 ===
{{main|Midwest FurFest 2009}}

2,040 attended the 10th anniversary of MFF, to which all previous guests of honor were invited. No complaints were voiced at the feedback session, but art show sales also suffered from the economy, despite an increase in the number of pieces. An experimental theatrical event - ''Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind'' - gained a positive reception, while $12,971 was raised for the charity ''KARE For Wildlife''.

At closing, it was announced that the convention would move to the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in [[Wikipedia:Rosemont, Illinois|Rosemont, Illinois]] in 2010.

=== 2010 ===
{{main|Midwest FurFest 2010}}

MFF 2010 was held on 19-21 November at the [http://www.ohare.hyatt.com/ Hyatt Regency O'Hare] in Rosemont, Illinois. The convention theme was ''Chicago Blues''. Total attendance was 2,285, a 12% increase from 2009, and $11,300 was raised for the charity Castaway Pet Rescue, Inc.

=== 2011 ===
{{main|Midwest FurFest 2011}}

Midwest FurFest 2011 took place November 18-20 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois. Theme for the convention was ''Route 66''. Attendance was 2,600, with 574 participants in the fursuit parade. $19,575 was raised for convention charity Lake County Animal Education and Rescue.

=== 2012 ===
{{main|Midwest FurFest 2012}}

The 2012 Midwest FurFest took place the 16th-18th of November in Rosemont, Illinois at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, with a theme of "It Came From TV". The attendance of 3,216 exceeded that of [[Further Confusion 2012]], making it the second largest furry convention. 743 participated in the fursuit parade, and convention charity ''Felines & Canines Inc.'' took home more than $40,500.

=== 2013 ===
{{main|Midwest FurFest 2013}}

Midwest FurFest 2013 was the 14th convention held again at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois. The theme was "Pirates of Lake Michigan" and had a attendance figure of 3,904 at the closing ceremony. The 2013 convention raised more than $28,000 for the charity [http://www.onetail.org/ One Tail at a Time.]
The convention took place on November 22-24.

=== 2014 ===
{{main|Midwest FurFest 2014}}

The 2014 Midwest FurFest took place on December 5-7 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, Illinois and had the theme "Holidays in the City" with an attendance figure to still be released. On the last day of the convention, the hotel was evacuated due to a emergency condition consisting of a [http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Midwest_FurFest_2014#Evacuation chemical chlorine leak.]

== Abbreviation of Midwest FurFest ==
Midwest FurFest is commonly abbreviated as MFF.

The official Twitter account of Midwest FurFest [http://forum.furfest.org/index.php/topic,393.0.html advises attendees to post on Twitter using the hashtag] [https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MwFF #MWFF], as there are many other conventions abbreviated MFF, one of them taking place nearly at the same time as the Furfest.

== News ==
{{WikiFurNews|Midwest FurFest announces 2007 theme, Guests of Honor}}
{{WikiFurNews|MFF board plans more rooms for 2007}}

==References==
<references/>

== External links ==

* [http://www.furfest.org/ Midwest FurFest] - Official site
* [http://community.livejournal.com/midwest_furfest/ Midwest FurFest community] at [[LiveJournal]]
* [https://twitter.com/midwestfurfest Midwest FurFest] on [[Twitter]]
* [http://www.midwestfurryfandom.org/ Midwest Furry Fandom, Incorporated]
* [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=51875835495 Midwest FurFest] group on [[Facebook]]
* {{con resources}}

{{Conventions}}
[[Category:Conventions]][[Category:Illinois]][[Category:2000 births]]
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Midwest FurFest 2014

2014-12-07T18:31:01Z

Jagothewolf: Added some more details to the Evacuation section.

[[File:MidwestFurFest2014Banner.jpg|right|250px]]
{{Midwest FurFest}}
'''Midwest FurFest 2014''' is the 15th yearly [[Midwest FurFest]] [[convention]] held once again at the [http://www.ohare.hyatt.com/ Hyatt Regency O'Hare] in [[Wikipedia:Rosemont, Illinois|Rosemont, Illinois]].<ref name="Tweet1">[https://twitter.com/midwestfurfest/status/404785343578537984 Tweet] on the Midwest FurFest account on [[Twitter]]. Dated November 24, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.</ref> It will be held on December 5-7, 2014.<ref name="News1">[http://forum.furfest.org/index.php/topic,724.0.html Update] on the Midwest FurFest website. Dated January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2014.</ref> The change in dates from its traditional weekend before Thanksgiving (US) was due to scheduling conflicts with the hotel and lack of available rooms.

The convention's theme will be "Holidays in the City"<ref>[https://twitter.com/midwestfurfest/status/448160221710393344 Tweet] on the Midwest FurFest account on Twitter. Dated March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2014.</ref> (originally announced as "Bright Lights Big City").<ref>[https://twitter.com/midwestfurfest/status/404755326047883265 Tweet] on the Midwest FurFest account on Twitter. Dated November 24, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.</ref>

== Guests of Honor ==
The [[Guest of Honor|Guests of Honor]] will be [[Lacy]] and [[CloudPouncer]], Novadog/[[D. Walker (Novadog)|D. Walker]], and [[Sabretoothed Ermine]].<ref>[https://twitter.com/midwestfurfest/status/404754854532624384 Tweet] on the Midwest FurFest account on Twitter. Dated November 24, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.</ref>

== Evacuation ==
Early morning on the third day of the convention, December 7th, the entire hotel was evacuated due to an emergency condition.<ref>[https://twitter.com/midwestfurfest/status/541509709212446722 Tweet] on the Midwest FurFest account on Twitter. Dated December 7, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.</ref> The attack was later reported to have been caused by an intentional chemical leak within the main hotel as a result of a smashed container containing powdered chlorine was found in the 9th floor stairwell. The gas from the stairwell was reported to be smelt strongly from the 9th floor and the 8th floor in the hotel. Some attendees were transported to hospital but there were no severe injuries reported, nineteen people were hospitalized due to the incident. The incident happened around 12:40 a.m. Technicians decontaminated the area and after conducting several tests deemed the area safe within about two hours. During the evacuation, attendees were evacuated to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center nearby to keep out of the cold.<ref>[http://www.arlingtoncardinal.com/2014/12/glass-jar-with-white-substance-strong-chlorine-smell-causes-firefighter-ems-hazmat-response-evacuation-at-hyatt-regency-rosemont/ News Story] from http://arlingtoncardinal.com. Dated December 7, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.</ref><ref>[http://chicagosuntimes.com/news/chemical-leak-prompts-evacuation-during-midwest-furfest-at-rosemont-hyatt/ News Story] from http://chicagosuntimes.com. Dated December 7, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.</ref><ref>[http://abc7chicago.com/news/furfest-evacuated-after-chemical-leak-at-hyatt-hotel/425553/ News Story] from http://abc7chicago.com. Dated December 7, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2014.</ref>
==References==
<references/>

{{future-con-stub}}
[[Category:Illinois]]
[[Category:2014 events]]

WikiFur - User contributions [en]

Midwest FurFest

Midwest FurFest 2014