RainFurrest
| RainFurrest | |
|---|---|
 Detail from letterhead, ca. 2007. Artist unknown. | |
| Location | |
| Website | |
| Status | Defunct |
| First iteration | August 24-26, 2007 |
| Final iteration | September 24-27, 2015 |
| Organizer(s) | Rainfurrest Anthropomorphics International (RAIn) |
| Subject | Convention |
| Resources | Photos, videos, reports: RainFurrest resources |
RainFurrest (RF) was a furry convention first held August 24-26, 2007 at the Holiday Inn Seattle-Sea-Tac Airport hotel in Washington state, U.S.A.
Contents
History[edit]
RF was conceived by a group of individuals in the Pacific Northwest region who wished to start a new furry convention in the absence of Conifur Northwest. Gene Armstrong was one of those amongst the group who was asked to help coordinate and lead the efforts as he had experience working with of convention development within the sci-fi and fantasy fandoms.[citation needed]
Attendance[edit]
370 furs attended the inaugural event. For its second year, RF was held on September 26-28, 2008 at the Seattle Airport Marriott, with an attendance of 599.[1] The 2009 event was held September 18-20 at the same hotel, and had 911 attendees.
In 2010, RainFurrest attracted 1045 attendees, making it the sixth convention worldwide to surpass 1000 attendees [citation needed]. For 2011, there were 1420 Attendees, a 36% growth over 2010. Attendance for 2012 was 1705, a 20% growth over 2011; in 2013 there were 2202 attendees, an increase of 29% on 2012; and in 2014 there were 2,586 attendees, or an increase of 17% on 2013. There were 2,704 attendees in 2015, or an increase of 4.5% on 2014.
| Convention year | Attendance | Percentage change | Fursuiters | Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RainFurrest 2007 | 370 | - | 41 | - |
| RainFurrest 2008 | 599 | 61.89% | 89 | 139.02% |
| RainFurrest 2009 | 911 | 52.09% | 157 | 76.4% |
| RainFurrest 2010 | 1045 | 14.71% | 184 | 17.2% |
| RainFurrest 2011 | 1420 | 35.89% | - | - |
| RainFurrest 2012 | 1705 | 20.07% | - | - |
| RainFurrest 2013 | 2202 | 29.15% | - | - |
| RainFurrest 2014 | 2586 | 17.44% | 504 | 173.91% |
| RainFurrest 2015 | 2704 | 4.56% | 492 | -2.38% |
| RainFurrest 2016 (Cancelled) | - | - | - | - |
Cancellation and closure[edit]
- For more details on this topic, see RainFurrest 2016#Cancellation.
In February 2016, RF announced the cancellation of the 2016 event, citing an inability to secure a venue. On February 28, 2017, the board of directors and convention staff announced that the event was again cancelled, and referred attendees to Furlandia.[2]
The RF website and social media channels shared the following message:[3]
| Hello, Rainfurs.
It is with sad hearts that we have to tell you that we are closing RainFurrest as a convention. The RainFurrest Anthropomorphics International (RAIn) board of directors has been working hard to secure a venue, but we have exhausted all of our options. Right now, we can't make it happen. We thank all of you for waiting and standing with us, and we are sorry to let you down. Even though RainFurrest the convention is being closed, RAIn will continue to hold Furlandia in Portland, as well as the summer BBQ and the winter holiday party in Seattle. We will also continue to support and promote the furry fandom in the Pacific Northwest and worldwide, because we want everybody to see the great things that our community, our colleagues, and our supporters accomplish every day. Thank you, everybody who helped us run RainFurrest—staff or volunteer, many years or few. Thank you, everybody who came together with us to celebrate the wonderful things our fandom brings to life and the amazing community we can create by working together. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. We hope to see you at other RAIn events, and we look forward with you to the arrival of Furvana in Seattle in the near future. — The RainFurrest Board of Directors |
Guests of Honor[edit]
- 2007: Monika Livingstone, Stalking Cat, Phil Geusz & Alexander James Adams
- 2008: Werepuppy
- 2009: Farore Nightclaw and Nicodemus
- 2010: Balto, Kodi, and Graveyard Greg
- 2011: Tani DaReal, Beetlecat, and Alan Dean Foster
- 2012: Yamibliss, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, and Matrices
- 2013: Soulscape, Temperance, FurPlanet (Fuzzwolf, Teiran, Buck C Turner, Zia McCorgi), and Fred Patten
- 2014: Kyell Gold, Egypt Urnash, Pepper Coyote, and Croc
- 2015: Jan, Renee Carter Hall, RedHyena, and Amadhia Albee
- 2016 (Cancelled): NeoGeen, Ribnose, and Ryan Campbell
Themes[edit]
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Charities[edit]
- 2007 - Sarvey Wildlife Center - $1000
- 2008 - Ferret Rescue Society - $1000+
- 2009 - Unknown - $536.78
- 2010 - Unknown
- 2011 - Unknown
- 2012 - Unknown
- 2013 - Clouded Leopard Project - $6454.17
- 2014 - Cougar Mountain Zoo - $6,500
- 2015 - Cougar Mountain Zoo - $10,000+
Organization[edit]
Rainfurrest Anthropomorphics International (RAIn) is a 501(c)(3) exempt organization founded in the state of Washington[4], which "exists primarily for the purpose of holding events to facilitate education in anthropomorphic literature, art and culture, and to facilitate the donation of funds to non-profit institutions that the board decides are worthy."[5]
RAIn's other events include Furlandia, SpokAnthro, RustyCon, and annual meetups in the summer and fall.
The current board president is Rex and the vice president is Saph.
References[edit]
- ↑ "RainFurrest". Retrieved on October 11, 2008.
- ↑ @RainFurrest. "Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts". February 28, 2017. Retrieved on March 1, 2017.
- ↑ RAIn. "Hello, Rainfurs.". February 28, 2017. RAIn. Retrieved on March 1, 2017.
- ↑ Tweet from Furlandia (event under RAIn's umbrella) announcing non-profit status
- ↑ Rainfurrest Anthropomorphics International By-Laws
External links[edit]
- On Wikipedia
- RainFurrest - convention website
- RainFurrest Community Discussion
- RainFurrest Public List on Yahoo! Groups
- RainFurrest Public Community on LiveJournal
- RainFurrest wiki (staff-only)
- RainFurrest and RF Dealers' Den on Twitter
- FainFurrest on Facebook
- Photos, videos, reports: RainFurrest resources
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