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ConFurence doth drag-on through the long, hot days of summer. Look ahead and find out more about preparations for ConFurences to the and to the right! But first, hear now the newts...

• Disney Studio's 34th animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, opened nationwide on June 21st after an even bigger international advertising and merchandising campaign than that which proceeded (let alone followed) the premiere of some of Disney's recent features! This is the first Disney animated feature to be fully completed following last year's departure of motion picture head Jeffrey Katzenberg to Dreamworks Studios. During it's first weekend of full release, Hunchback earned roughly $21 million, placing second for the weekend behind Arnold Schwarzenegger's new action/adventure film Eraser. The songs for this new Disney film were once again composed by Oscar-winners Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. Of note to furry fans is the pet of the gypsy heroine Esmeralda: A goat named Djali, who's quite a character onto himself, if a non-speaking one. Getting more press are the hunchback Quasimodo's three imaginary companions, a trio of living gargoyles (from the waist up) named Victor, Hugo, and Laverne. Once again, the official comic book adaption of Hunchback is available now from Marvel Comics.
  
  
• Coming this August is a new feature-film version of H.G. Wells' well-known Island of Dr. Moreau, starring none other than Marlon Brando as the Doctor himself. Also starring in the film are Val Kilmer (Batman Forever), Ron Perlman (TV's Beauty & The Beast), Fairuza Balk (The Craft), and David Thewlis (Dragonheart).
  
  
• Another summer film of note is the new live-action version of Pinocchio, starring Johnathan Taylor Thomas (The Lion King), Martin Landau as Gephetto, and Bebe Neuwirth and Rob Schnieder as, respectively, the fox and the cat.
  
  
• The current Universal Pictures release Dragonheart will make the move to television this fall as a new animated series. Other new animated furry TV shows (Saturday morning and syndicated) include The New Adventures of Oliver Twist (with a canine Oliver this time), Samurai Pizza Cats (again), Tex Avery Theatre (new cartoons in the Tex Avery style), Captain Simian and the Space Monkeys, Arthur (based on the popular children's books by Marc Brown), and Little Mouse on the Prairie.
  
  
• The new Disney TV Animation series Duck Daze has changed its name to Quack Pack. Thirty-nine original episodes will begin airing Tuesdays through Thursdays this fall, as the newest segment of the Disney Afternoon. The series follows the adventures of Donald Duck, now a cameraman for an entertainment news show called 'What In The World?', as his travels and adventures get him and the now-teenaged Huey, Dewey, and Louie into trouble and adventure. Also along is Daisy Duck as a tough-as-nails reporter.
  
  
• Also coming soon from Disney on TV is Jungle Cubs, which will feature adventures with younger versions of Baloo, Bagheera, Shere Kahn, Louie, and other characters from The Jungle Book. Meanwhile, Gargoyles returns with 13 new episodes on ABC Saturday mornings, now in a series called The Goliath Chronicles. Interestingly, this new series will be animated by Nelvana Studios.
  
  
• According to ads on the Discovery Channel, a new cable channel is on its way: Animal Planet, "All Animals All The Time". Speaking of television: Stan Sakai's well-known furry comic Usagi Yojimbo was mentioned prominently in the dialogue during a recent episode of Fox's The X-Files.
  
  
• Out now from Caliber Comics is the first issue of a new comic series that chronicles the beginnings of the controversial activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Titled Animal Rights Comics, this full- color series features a script by Joyce Brabner and artwork by Mark Badger.
  
  
• Mike Halbleib's comic mini-series Vortex the Wonder Mule has returned, now self-published through Black Peke Comics and retitled Vortech. The new black- and-white science fiction adventure series features many of the same characters as the original from 1992, but now with a brand new story line carrying Vortech out into the human world. Look for it starting this July.
  
  
• ACG Comics presents the return of Atomic Rabbit, the original funny animal series that well-known comic creator Al Fago made for Charlton Comics way back when. This new black-and-white series is shot from the original Charlton proofs. Meanwhile, Vincent Fago's classic newspaper strip Peter Rabbit from the 50's, formatted into 16 black-and-white 2-page adventures. (Related Fagos? We dunno!)
  
  
• Original creator, writer, and artist James Dean Smith brings back Boris the Bear in Boris' Adventure Magazine, a new black-and-white from Nicotat Comics. Boris returns as his crime-fighting alter-ego, BlackBear, and issue #2 introduces us to Barney Farkwarkle and the furry crew of the Avenging Eagle in outer space adventure.
  
  
• Crusade Comics brings you the latest issue of The Dogs O' War from Tom Sniegoski and Mark Masztal. Dog-recom Shar-Pei (who previously had his own mini-series) stars in the black-and-white adventure as the leader of a group of recom 'dog soldiers' who battle to free a castle from an evil being known as Doctor Dusk.
  
  
• In the first issue of Steviebear from Belfax Studio, three teenage friends find themselves accidentally transported to a magical fantasy realm... and one of them finds himself transformed into a large ursine furry. Comedy and adventure ensue.
  
  
• Warcat moves from Alliance Comics to Coconut Comics, and Warcat #1 returns as a reprint. In his second black-and-white issue, the battle-cat returns to his fight against evil forces, and The Sophisticats are also featured in their own self-contained story.
  
  
• From Custom Comics of America comes Rooter: Sweatin' Bullets #1, featuring the story of Rooter "and his metamorphic band of misfits" -- a group of musical furries trying to make it in Memphis. Full color fun from Kelly Campbell, John Powell, and Jim Zeman.
  
  
• The anthropomorphic super-hero team The Hy-Breed returns from Division Comics. Issue #6 of this black-and-white comics features "the most shocking ending you'll find in comics this year". You heard it here.
  
  
• Tina Piazza is the daughter of rock drummer Sammy Piazza (Hot Tuna, Stevie Ray Vaughn, etc) who spent much of her life on the road with her dad. She's decided to chronicle those years, as well as the adventures of her own 'funky/ pun band', in an anthropomorphic comic called The Screamin' Bunny Butts. Black-and-white strangeness from Rock Snot Comics.
  
  
• A new black-and-white comic from Sick Mind Press (a warning?) is Sheba #1 by Wally Crane. Sheba the cat mummy is awakened in 641 AD, and enlists the aid of Anubis to help her rid Egypt of that new invading religion, Islam. Controversial? Nawww!
  
  
• Antarctic Press now has Furrlough and Warrior Nun Areala t-shirts available, designed by Shon Howell and Ben Dunn respectively. Available for $17.95 (plus shipping) each, in L and XL sizes. Meanwhile, keep your eyes out for issues three and four of Tank Vixens, once more brought to you by Paul Kidd and Mike Sagara.
  
  
• A new anthology of lycanthropic short stories has arrived from Ace/Berkley: Otherwere, edited by Laura Anne Gilman. This collection of "stories of transformation" contains shorts by R.A. Salvatore, Josepha Sherman, Jody Lynn Nye, Craig Shaw Gardner, and others.
  
  
• Ballantine/Del Ray presents the fourth novel in Tara K. Harper's popular "Wolfwalker" series, Greyheart. Once more, a young woman must use her telepathic connection with a wolf to solve a nasty problem in this fantasy/ adventure novel.
  
  
• Working from a story by Star Wars creator George Lucas, comic writer Chris Claremont brings us Shadow Dawn, the second hard-cover novel in a new fantasy series concerned with the last storing place of magic in the world -- namely, the entire race of dragons. From Bantam Books.
  
  
• Speaking of Paul Kidd as we were, his new book for TSR is The Council of Blades, to be released this December. A semi-spoof of the Forgotten Realms novels, this story includes one Tekoriikii, a somewhat ditzy firebird (lesser phoenix) who's central to the plot.
  
  
• In Thor, a new novel by Wayne Smith and available from Ballantine Books, a family's faithful German Sheppard discovers that a visiting uncle is in fact a deadly werewolf. Interesting note: The story is told from Thor's point of view.
  
  
• New from Fantasma Books is Godzilla: King of the Movie Monsters, An Illustrated Guide to Japanese Monster Movies (got all that?). Compiled by Robert Marrero, the focus here is on Godzilla (aka Gojira in his homeland) but many favorite giant monsters are covered, "from Atragon to Zigra". 144 pages with over 150 photos.
  
  
• Disney archivist Dave Smith has compiled the Disney A to Z, an encyclopedia of all things Disney. With over 6,500 entries here, items covered include movies, TV shows, park attractions, corporate people, songs and composers, and much more. Perfect-bound, from Hyperion Books. Also available in trade- paperback from Da Capo Press is Tex Avery, King of Cartoons by Joe Adamson, profiling the career of the famous MGM and Looney Toons director with interviews and illustrations.
  
  
• A new card-based game from Steve Jackson Games is Dino Hunt, where players collect cards representing any number of dinosaur species -- the idea is to "bring 'em back alive". The main game set features 109 cards, enough for a complete game, and booster packs with additional and specialty cards are also available. The cards feature detailed drawings of dinosaurs and other prehistoric life from several well-known artists.
  
  
• From Richard Lowman (Condensed by Rod O'Riley):
  
  
• This is your anonymous ("Fox-Cub") reporter from the "Electronic Entertainment Expo" ("E-3") that took place back around May 16-18 in Los Angeles. It seems that there hasn't been that much going on in the Cyberspace world of "Furries" these days (excluding the MUCKs of course), but on the gaming side, this will change between the time that this gets to you and sometime by the end of this year.
  
  
• Now under development at Broderbund Software is Koala Lumpur: Journey To The Edge. Think of Rocky And Bullwinkle, The Wizard Of Oz, and Ren & Stimpy on acid. You play a common fly who is teamed up with a marsupial wizard and his sidekick "Dr. Dingo."
  
  
• For the Sony Playstation and the Sega Saturn: From Capcom is Werewolf: The Apocalypse, based on the RPG game [from White Wolf]. Remember Ken Maklin's character Bubsy The Bobcat? Accolade and a new company called Eidetic Software have joined forces and put him in a new adventure called Bubsy 3D. Then, from Crystal Dynamics and the warped mind of Monty Python veteran Terry Jones, comes Blazing Dragons. It features over 40 characters, and celebrity voices from Cheech Marin and Harry Shearer to Jessica Hahn [!!]
  and of course Terry Jones. Also, the game features animation from Nelvana studios.
  
  
• Over at Disney Interactive they are readying The Hunchback Of Notre Dame: Topsy Turvy Games for release on Aug. 14th. (The Mac version is due out later in the fall.) The second release in the "Game Break!" series, it includes five fast-paced games where you can interact with more than 50 characters. And for you "Duck" fans out there there's Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow. This game introduces a new original character, "Maui Mallard", a washed-up quack detective who has to "Morph" into his alter-ego, "The Ninja".
  
  
• The gang from Nintendo is planning the return of StarFox Fox McCloud in StarFox-64, along with new silicon graphics. This time, McCloud and his team go against a ruthless and powerful bounty hunter called StarWolf.
  
  
• At Playmates Interactive they are working on Duckman: The Legend Of The Fall. The politically incorrect character from the USA Network hit show will be coming to CD-ROM in January '97.
  
  
• And over at Sega, we should be seeing the introduction of Sonic X-Treme (Starting for the Sega Saturn.) in the fall, and a few new characters too.
  
  
• Meanwhile over at Sony, they now have a mascot of sorts for the game division over there: A large rat by the name of Crash Bandicoot, and he's showing up in a game of the same name, for the Playstation.
  
  
• And lastly (Somehow fitting...), the folks from Virgin Interactive are coming out with what must be the most strange and delightfully twisted title on three CD ROMs called Toonstruck starring Christopher Lloyd as harried animator "Drew Blank". Somehow, Drew is thrown headlong into the cartoon world, and it's up to the player, assisted a sarcastic purple thingy called "Flux Wildly" (Dan Castellaneta) to try and get him home again.
  
  
• As always, some of the release dates and game specifics may change. So, that's about it for the report. Until next time then....

From Steve Addlesee <steve.addlesee@lcars.com>

I was very busy from March to May, working on four assignments, with three of them being furry-related:

1. I co-inked Storm Rider #1 by Azure Press.
2. I inked and lettered "A Private Place" episode for Katmandu #7 by Vision Comics.
3. I inked Shanda the Panda #15 by Vision Comics.
4. I wrote an article on how I networked for assignments #2 and #3 for the July issue of Cartoonist And Comic Artist (formerly The Aspiring Cartoonist) by Yendie Boox Publishing.

The assignments I mentioned should be semi-regular to regular series assignments. Also, I should soon be inking Chris Grant's Empire series for Central Empire Productions.

The Legend Of Yore role-playing game by Galileo Games has just been released. I was one of the illustrators for the 240-plus-page book. It retails at gaming stores for $25.99. If you're unable to locate the game, you can write to Brennan Taylor at Galileo Games, Inc., 3630 Capitol Dr., Ft. Collins, CO 80526. Tell him I sent you.

Furry editors and/or publishers: If you need an inker or illustrator, please look me up.

Steven R. Addlesee
852 East 8475 South
Sandy, UT 84094
(801) 561-8905

http://www.vii.com/~jbernier
http://gnomes.org/boojum/steve.html

From Mark Krepela <teknoboy@nwlink.com>

New furry artist seeking feedback! http://www.nwlink.com/~teknoboy/fr.html
Over 40 downloadable images and other fun stuff.

From Dean L. Norton <shadorat@mail.annex.com>

Foxtailz #4...Acetylene $6.00 US a copy! Email: shadorat@annex.com for more info..!! - Dean L. Norton

From Matt J. McCullar <saturn@isrc.net>

Howdy once again. I have a much better computer system and network server and would like to announce that I'm collecting anthropomorphic TV commercials to show at ConFurence 8. Presently the tape is about half an hour long and I'd like to fill it to an hour. That seems to be a convenient length; we could show it more than once, and anything longer than that might be too complicated. Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

Matt J. McCullar
Arlington, TX

From C.K. Penchant:

The first issue of Freebop: New Furry Cartoon Fiction is going to press and will be available in July of 1996. This anthology is devoted to slice-of-life comics and features work by Bob Drake, Bill Fitts, Shon Howell, Gordon Spurlock, Mercy Van Vlack, and C.K. Penchant. This book contains adult material and will not be sold to minors. For ordering information, contact (SASE):

Running Dog Press
P.O. Box 3442
Oakland, CA 94609-0442

A Request to Our Readers:

Hey, got a favorite comic or book store that carries your favorite furry titles, or that you wish would carry more? Give us their address! We'll send them a copy of In-Fur-Nation each quarter, and keep them abreast of the kind of comics and media that you would like to see on their shelves! Remember, they can't order it if they don't know it's out there!

Advertising in In-Fur-Nation: For those who've been asking, ads in In-Fur- Nation come in these sizes: 1/8-page "business card" size for $5.00 per issue, and 1/4-page size (4 1/2" tall by 3 1/4" wide) for $10.00 per issue. Full-page inclusions can also be arranged for $50.00 an issue. Check should be made out to ConFurence. Send camera-ready art and text to P.O. Box 1958, Garden Grove, CA 92642-1958. (Only for non-internet version)

Department of Corrections Department: Needless to say, the mast-head for last issue should have read, April 1996, not 1997!

(Many thanks to the people who helped provide information for this issue, both by mail and via Internet!)

...and YOU can die! [Draco, the dragon, from Dragonheart]

Once Again, The Winning Words!

Here we go (I'll say)! ConFurence proudly presents the winning song from the ConFurence Seven Furry Filk Song Contest -- Tears of Rain, original words and music by Shannon McGuire. Interestingly, this song is based on a previous winning song, Gently Falling Rain by Michael Payne. That song told the human's story: This one tells the furry's.

I watch you through the window at the station

And see you try to wipe away your tears

You have to hide your pain; you're only human

Lost in a world of human dreams and fears.

Wherever I may go, please know I love you

Wherever they may send me, don't forget

Please remember all we swore

Those nights behind the bedroom door

No matter where I am, I love you yet.



I hope you understand that I don't blame you

You can't control the things that people do

You can't make them change the way they see me

They can't admit that I'm a person too.

I only wish we could have one more moment

Just an hour, alone, to say goodbye

To feel your skin against my fur

To say 'I love you' just once more

To ask you, just once, gently, not to cry.



What is rain compared to sorrow?

There is no way for me to ease the pain.

And though I know I may have no tomorrow

My tears will fall for you, a gentle rain.



Why did humans have to dream of hatred?

Who decided different must be wrong?

And now the hates of others come between us

You must suffer longer, please be strong.

And now the train begins to leave the station

You try to run beside, but it's too fast

I try to smile, and then you're gone

And still the train keeps going on

Leaving all our dreams that couldn't last.



I have to pray that we will be together

I have to keep believing this will end

But still I feel my heart break and I crumble

For I know we may never meet again.

I thought that I would have to leave you

Still I hope you can live past the pain

I only pray we'll meet again

That love will win, but until then

My tears will fall for you, a gentle rain.

ConFurence Eight -- Music and Mirth!

Our main theme for ConFurence Eight: Songs about furries, as well as the music of our favorite movies and TV shows. Plus our secondary theme: Scalies! Dragons, dinosaurs, and reptiles of all sorts get their due!

The Guests

Since last April we've confirmed more Special Guests for ConFurence Eight, giving us yet another interesting line-up! In addition to authors Peter S. Beagle and Robert J. Sawyer, and filksinger Jane Robinson, we now welcome comic book and animation artist Ricardo Delgado to our fold. Ricardo has worked for years in artistic development, most notably for Disney Studios. Recently he's become known for a wordless graphic series which fits right in with our secondary theme: The Age of Reptiles, from Dark Horse Press. This exciting and popular dinosaur adventure series has now been collected into a trade paperback, and even spawned a sequel series, The Age of Reptiles: The Hunters. Look for Ricardo to join up with some of our other special guests for some lively discussion on prehistoric life -- and no, we don't mean First Fandom!

So, our Guest-of-Honor roster is rounded out, and our list of other guests continues to grow. So who's on it? Names like Steve Addlesee, Jeremy Bernal, Mitchell Biero, E.T. Bryan, John Cawley, Jimmy Chin, Mike and Carol Curtis, Steve Gallacci, Roz Gibson, Tygger Graf, Jim Groat, Daphne Lage, Michele Light, Monika Livingstone, Jymn Magon, Michael-Scot McMurry, Chuck Melville, Lex Nakashima, John Nunnemacher, Joe and Trish Ny, Fred Patten, Dusty Rhodes, Ted Sheppard, Terrie Smith, Taral Wayne, Mel. White, Elin Winkler, Tommy Yune, Ed Zolna, and numerous well-known artists and writers from YARF!, MU Press, Vision, and Antarctic! And many more! We even have Leslie Fish, one of the premiere filk singer/songwriters in America. But remember, the face we always most want to see there most is yours! So don't disappoint us!

The NEW Hotel

ConFurence has settled down for 1997 in a new environment -- namely, the Buena Park Hotel, right in the parking lot of Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. The great news is that we've made a deal for you: Rooms are only $64.00 a night for single, double, triple, or quad! Suites are also available (and wait until you see what we have in store for our sponsors and super sponsors!). For reservations, call (800) 422-4444, or the local number (714) 995-1111. Important: Make sure to call during business hours (M-F 9 am - 5 pm, pacific time), and make sure to mention ConFurence! Reservations are already coming in steadily, so think about getting yours in soon!

Other Accommodations

For those fans of less means, there are also a trio of cheaper motels right across the street from our host hotel -- more on them next issue!

Other Activities

There will be some sort of group-ticket sales available for Disneyland at ConFurence 8 -- watch this space for more details next issue. Other local fun- places-to-go near ConFurence include Knott's Berry Farm, Medieval Times, Movieland Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, and Wild Bill's Western Show. Please write us and let us know which of these you might be interested in getting group discount tickets for!

 

 

The Den of Dealers:

By the time you read this, we will most likely have sold the very last tables in the Den of Dealers for ConFurence 8. That's more than 80 tables worth of stuff for the discerning furry collector! Want your last chance to get involved? Please write us and let us know if you want to be placed on the Waiting List for the Den of Dealers 1997. Otherwise, just show up, and be prepared to be blown away by the variety of comics, books, music tapes, portfolios, fanzines, prints, puppets, t-shirts, and other just-plain-neat- stuff you'll find at our furry trade show! If a table opens up at the last minute, and you're on the Waiting List -- we'll let you know first!

The Artists' Alley:

One of the most popular and populated areas of any ConFurence, and ConFurence Eight is going to carry on that tradition for sure! These tables in our hotel's pre-convene area (right above the Main Lobby) are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis at the con itself, and need to be signed up for each morning. Write to Rod O'Riley at the ConFurence address for any information on table space.

The Art Show:

Until you see it, you are not going to believe the size of the space we've taken out for this year's Art Show. But even still, our experience tells us that the ConFurence Eight Art Show will fill up -- again! Trust us, if you do art of funny animals, furries, monsters, aliens, toons, or even real animals, you want to be in this art show! Your first art show space (4 ft. by 4 ft., horizontal or vertical) is still available free with your paid supporting or attending membership -- all you have to do is claim it, in writing. Additional art show spaces are available for a low $5.00 each. We also have an extensive Print Shop available for selling copies of your work. So get your reservations in today! What, you can't make it to ConFurence? No problem! Reserve your space, and mail us your art before the con -- we'll set it up, send you back what may not sell, and get you off a check for your sold items! We have an extensive registration 'instruction sheet' available that explains all the ins and outs of displaying and selling art, sculpture, prints, or whatever at ConFurence, so write to Jazmyn Concolor at the ConFurence address (or e-mail her at Jazmyn@netcom.com) and we'll send it off to you right away! Don't delay! Write today!

The Video Program

The ConFurence Video Program returns to a single space for CF8. In 1997, in addition to many new items and some old favorites, we're going to be celebrating several well-known furry features that are having special anniversaries, including Dark Crystal, The Secret of NIMH, Wizards, Twice Upon A Time, and Charlotte's Web. In fact, we have enough to show you that video is going to be running round the clock, 24 hours, through the con! So we've got lots of room if you have suggestions for us -- write to the P.O. Box or e-mail address, and be sure to put Attn: Video on your letter!

Let The Games Begin!

ConFurence Eight will feature not one, but two rooms dedicated to Gaming: Card Games (Magic Spoken Here), and more traditional Role-Playing Games (Magic Free Zone). Interested in setting up a specific game or tournament? Write to us ASAP, at the ConFurence address (put Attn: Games on the envelope or subject line). We'll help you find people interested in playing!

 

The Cabaret Fur le Dance:

Once again, we can promise you another magical evening of furry entertainment at our famous charity stage show, high atop the Buena Park Hotel. What kind of entertainment will there be? The kind to get you howling, that's for sure! And perhaps you have an idea for an act yourself? Why not try it out on the ConFurence staff -- you just might find yourself on stage! Write to Mark Merlino at the ConFurence address for all the de-tails! Or, you can e-mail him at sylys@netcom.com. (Just remember, once again all performers in the Cabaret must be able to first attend a special pre-planning meeting on Friday night, January 17, at ConFurence!)

Club Tekno-Fur Returns!

It's back! Swirling lights and magical sounds! Fractals and videos galore! And above it all, beats to make you move your feets! It's Club Techno-Fur, back for you on Friday night atop the Buena Park Hotel -- and it's included free with your membership!

Nitrocoon Returns!

The ever-loonier Nitrocoon Improv Theatre Show makes another go at your sanity on Friday Night. Admission is included with your membership, so be there or be -- missing!

The Food:

We've brought along with us one of our great traditions, the Friday night Ice Cream Social, our annual frozen-food munchie-fest! Next night, it's the Saturday Night Furry Feed, where for a small price, you can indulge in some finely crafted lasagna -- at venue which, appropriately enough, we call Garfield's. Speaking of food, the Buena Park Hotel features a full-service coffee shop, a fancy bar with a 50's theme, and a fancy steak house restaurant -- all under one roof! (Don't worry, we'll have Restaurant Guides printed up if you want to check out what else is in the neighborhood!)

More Furries, More Films, More Bang For Your... oh, you know!

ConFurence Eight! What's happening?

Still more of what we're famous for, of course: Meetings, discussions, rap sessions and round-tables on dozens of furry topics, from art and writing to animation, computers, games, and even meeting other fans of your favorite animal species -- plus some special new gatherings you're bound to enjoy! Presentations, lectures, and how-to sessions on writing, art, publishing, and other aspects of the creative furry. And yes, more life-drawing workshops, and a special new session for life-photography! Autographs from your favorite well-known lit and media furries. The Saturday afternoon Costume Presentation returns, with voting for the best costume -- and helpful how-to sessions with costume makers and designers. Computer networking, art, animation, and technical innovations. Filking through the night, including our popular Furry Filksong Contest on Friday again (right before the Friday Night Concert!). Sketching by literally dozens of artists of every size, shape, and style, anyplace they can find unoccupied horizontal space. Plus a whole lot more! No problem keeping track of it all: Once again ConFurence will have its own daily newsletter, The Scent Post, keeping you on top of all the newest developments, twice daily. All the rest, as always, is what you bring to the con!

The Price

Registration to ConFurence Five is on a sliding scale -- All memberships are $20.00 for a full three-days Attending, from now until December 1st, 1996. From December 2nd, 1996 until January 10th, 1996, three-day Attending memberships are available for $30.00, and after that, at-the-door for $30.00 also. Plus, a full year of In-Fur-Nation, and our special annual ConFurence Souvenir Collection Book, are all included in the price of your membership! A single art show display space is also included free with your membership -- if you write us and claim it!

And remember, we'd love to have you join us, but if you cannot make it out to our environs, feel free to join ConFurence as a Supporting member! Supporting members get a full year's subscription to In-Fur-Nation, the Souvenir Collection Book, and one free art show display space for the taking, all for the low price of just $12.00! And, if your fortunes change, you can convert your supporting to a full attending membership at the door for only $15.00. Such a deal, spiders and snakes!

We heartily recommend that you get your memberships now. That provides us with the best means to keep you in touch with ConFurence over the whole year -- and if past history holds true, we'll have a lot of exciting stuff to tell you between now and the con itself!

THE Needs of ConFurence...

Our Sponsors

Sponsors are the excellent people who help keep ConFurence going by giving just a little extra bit (or a lot extra bit!) of financial help. This is money for transporting, lodging, and feeding our special guests, as well as off-setting complimentary memberships. To become a sponsor, contribute a minimum of $50.00 (up to $99.00), which includes your initial membership fee. Remember: Indicate which of our special guests this money is to help toward, or just mark it "general fund" -- we'll split it among all of them. And what do you get for being a sponsor? Sponsors are the only folks (besides staff and guests) allowed in the Guest Lounge, a special place set aside where folks can relax away from the hubbub of the con. Guests and sponsors can attend a free sandwich-feast on Sunday evening, after the con. And, sponsors get some special prices on materials from the ConFurence store. And, sponsors get -- our unending gratitude! (And, recognition by name in the souvenir book!)

Super Sponsors!

Super Sponsors are the awesomely excellent furry folk who really want to help out ConFurence -- and who think they deserve something special in return. Super Sponsors are crazy, er, wonderful people willing to contribute $100.00 or more (which includes their initial memberships) toward a special guest of their choice, or just toward the guests in general. Super Sponsors get all the same neat stuff as other Sponsors, plus an added bonus of a chance to obtain a customized art piece from a famous furry artist! (Write for a list of participating artists.) Don't have $100.00 sitting around handy? Make installments! That's right, we'll take two payments of $50.00, or four payments of $25.00 -- it still counts you as a Super Sponsor, as long as it totals $100.00 by the time of the con itself.

Once again at ConFurence Eight for Sponsors and Supers: We're setting up a special 'Express Registration' just for our pre-registered sponsors and super -sponsors. You can bi-pass the line-up at Con Reg, get your badges and other con stuff right away, and get out there first to get those sketches in your books started!

ConFurence Wants YOU...

... to join our staff and help put on one of the fastest growing fannish conventions on the West Coast! Join our team! We need volunteers to help out with all areas of the convention, from registration to art show to helping keep the fans well-fed! No experience necessary -- we will train! For as little as 12 hours of work over the length of CF8 (though we won't stop you from helping more!), you can get access to our exclusive Staff Lounge, as well as use of our available crash space -- plus, some other special goodies, and the knowledge that you've helped us pull this thing off for another year! Write to Volunteers care of the ConFurence address, or send e-mail to Rod O'Riley at vinson@netcom.com, and we'll send you our staff sign-up sheet and information right away!

Fly! Fly, my pretties!

For those who haven't heard yet, ConFurence has its own official travel agency, Ladera Travel of Southern California. They've specialized for years in getting good rates for travel to and from SF cons all over the world, including ours! Contact Rick Foss or Robin (his trusty assistant) at (800) 624-6679 from outside California, or (310) 640-0527 inside California.