Albu-FUR-que XVI

[sabotlours]

We held the latest installment of New Mexico's oldest furmeet on Saturday at FurCentral. I didn't post about the event last year because there was some drama at the very end of the meet that I wasn't particularly proud of and pretty much just wanted to forget about. This was after the major drama the year before, so the event itself was in danger of going away because I'm getting too old for this shit. After a loy of deliberation we decided to go ahead and try one more time to bring the event back to at least some of its past glory. I must say that on that front the party was an resounding success. We ended up with about 40 folks and everyone had a great time. I cooked up some carne adovada and pork carnitas. scritchwuff went above and beyond and cooked up a beef brisket. Other chefs brought smoked chicken, pork, and ribs. Of course there was also a ton of booze, but everyone stayed on their best behavior. There was quite a bit of fursuiting after the sun went down. I was even inspired to don Sabot for a little while. So good food, good friends, good booze, and lots of furry goodness. One of the more memorable things that happened was that an older lady (but probably still younger than me *lol*) showed up with 2 teenagers. One was a budding furry and really wanted to try on his new partial fursuit. He didn't interact a whole bunch, but I think he was just happy to be around fellow freaks. His younger sister commented that she really wanted to get a unicorn fursuit. I would have liked to have talked with the mom more. She seemed like an interesting character. I'm pretty sure she was discreetly drinking a 40. Perhaps my faith has been restored.

Comments

[nexrad.livejournal.com]

Seems like it worked out splendidly! I'm hoping to get your advice on some of the cost factors and other issues... might try a *smaller* scale event like this sometime this winter or next year now that we'll have the space for it. I guess the biggest concern I have is parking and not annoying neighbors... but eh, for one day with a dead-end street that we're on, it shouldn't be a tremendous deal-breaker. Glad your event seems to have gone very well! It's interesting to me how many teens are getting involved in the fandom, or even younger sorts. It was a positive thing, to me, at FWA. :D

[sabotlours.livejournal.com]

My events have grown over the years as the number of furries has also grown. I think there were 7 or 8 of us at the first meet in 2003. I just wanted to do something for the community because at that time the whole fandom was a huge game changer for me. I had this overwhelming sense of "furry love" which then faded over the years as I got a peak behind the curtain and saw the more seedy side. I think the key for you would be to have a good small circle of friends that can help out. While I encourage new people to join and get some socialization, you never know what you're gonna get. Last year a new fur showed up who I thought was pretty cool. Then everything fell apart by the end of the evening. Fortunately I had my circle of friends who were looking out for me. Our group is so awesome that the place gets cleaned up so quickly once the party is declared over. In terms of cost, I have become more generous over time. I used to just provide hot dogs and hamburgers from Costco when the crowd got up to 80. Now it's more manageable so now I might spring for steaks (especially if they're on sale). The pork I cooked up this year was bought on sale for less than $2/lb. For St Patty's parties I don't even blink at buying 10 lbs of corned beef at $2-3/lb. In terms of booze, I sometimes end up with more than I started! I usually just buy beer or "bitch beer" and let everyone else bring the hard stuff. And furries buy crap like 99 Bananas and Fireball Whiskey.

[nexrad.livejournal.com]

Sage advice, sir, that I appreciate. I'll test some events with the 5 or 6 friends we've gained some trust/closeness with over the past year first, and maybe go from there. I was thinking of expanding events by an "invite only" sort of deal where our known friends could invite a guest if so desired.

I like the BoB thing with my providing some basics. As for food, I feel ya on that. Fortunately with a grill, even cheap can be fantastic. Tbh... I might be lucky as it seems most of our crowd either doesn't drink or likes high-quality scotch / gin. XD

If I develop some sort of event this fall, I'll def' be posting about it with your input welcome!

[allaboutweather.livejournal.com]

Glad you all had a good time! :)