On October 1, 2000 Tristate Ferret Connection (TSFC) of Cincinnati voted
to no longer be associated with the COLUMBUS Ohio Ferret Show that for the
past two years has carried the name Ferret Extravaganza.  Heart of Ohio
Ferret Association (HOFA) will now wholly produce the show in Columbus.
 
Lori Sies, President of TSFC, said that in the past two years it was tough
for TSFC members to have large participation in the production of a show
so far away from their home base so the club voted to produce their own
show again in the Cincinnati area in 2001.  She further said that it could
serve well as an education and recruiting tool for ferret enthusiasts in
the Cincinnati area interested in becoming members of TSFC.  Tristate had
jointly produced the show in Columbus to help HOFA get started with their
first show.
 
"We are grateful for the assistance TSFC has given us the last two years
in getting the Columbus show off of the ground, " said Scarlett Gray,
president of HOFA.  "Our members have worked very hard and now our club
has had the experience of producing two successful shows that seem to be
getting better each year.  Gray, Show Co-Coordinator for 1999 show and Show
Coordinator for the 2000 Show said, "With all the work that goes into the
production of the show I can understand why Tristate would vote to stay
closer to home." Gray went on to say that, "=E2=80=A6Ohio has plenty of
room to support two shows, especially since Lori (Sies) said that the TSFC
show plans to be a specialty show and the Columbus show produced by HOFA
will continue to be a championship & all specialty show as in the past with
American Ferret Association sanctioning.  With those differences and the
fact that they will be on different dates they are not in competition with
each other.  I actually look forward to another show in Ohio that we can
go to where we are not working."
 
Looking ahead to next year Gray said, "We strive to get better each year.
We have already begun planning next year's show which will be held on
August 25th, 2001 in the same location as this year's by sending out
questionnaires to the vendors who took part this year, asking for
suggestions that would make our show better." Gray further said that
anyone who participated in the show is welcome to send his or her comments
and suggestions for next year's show to [log in to unmask]
 
Since Heart of Ohio Ferret Association will solely produce the Columbus
show next year, HOFA will be voting on names to be used for next year's
show at their meeting on Sunday, October 8th.  Anyone with suggestions
for renaming the show should e-mail also to [log in to unmask]
 
Scarlett Gray, President
Heart of Ohio Ferret Association
1999 Show Co-Coordinator & 2000 Show Coordinator
[Posted in FML issue 3198]