Chris,

Thanks for running the notice about FERRET   EXPO '91. Until the recent
mail you sent me, I couldn't get through to you on the mail path I had.

FERRET EXPO '91 UPDATE

FERRET EXPO '91 (3-ring championship ferret show, Feb. 9th in
Frederick, Md.) was successful beyond expectation with 132 pet
ferrets being judged in three rings, over 250 paid admissions at
the door and many new ferret owners by day's end. Organizations
represented included the Ferret Unity and Registration
Organization, Inc. (FURO), the mid-Atlantic Ferret Association
(AFA) which sponsored the show through its chapter club, the
Montgomery Ferret Club; Loudon Area Ferret Fanciers (LAFF) of
Northern Virginia; the Garden State Ferret Club; Pet Pals of
Virginia and the Ferret Fanciers of Greater Milwaukee.

Many attendees expressed appreciation for the new judging system
brought to the show by FURO. Judges Joan and John Armshaw and Peter
Koch utilized a numeric rating system to rank the ferrets and the
consistency between rings was very noticeable to long-time show
exhibitors. Look for the next FURO show in New Jersey on March 9th.
[contact the Garden State Ferret Club at 609-586-9526 for info.]

Mr. Ferret, a human-sized furry ferret walked around the show
floor, greeting children and having his picture taken with
attendees. Rumor has it that Brad Stone, an FDA publicist, was the
man inside the suit. Mr. Ferret also made an appearance earlier in
the week at the National Press Building (home of the National Press
Club, a prestigious news organization in Washington, D.C.) and
handed out press releases concerning the EXPO. Excellent public
relations by Mr. Stone and yours truly resulted in coverage by
several newspapers including the Frederick Post, Washington Times
and Prince Georges County Sentinel.

Other highlights of this year's FERRET EXPO included the graphics
presentations around the show hall. The decoration committee
produced ferret valentines (ferrets in different poses with a red
heart background) which were displayed on the walls of the hall and
Dr. Freddie Hoffman, V. President of the AFA, produced beautiful
valentines which were presented to raffle winners. A large banner
inscribed "For the Love of Ferrets" was hung over the entry door.
Posters giving information about ferrets were visible to answer
questions a person new to pet ferrets might ask and the goals of
the mid-Atlantic Ferret Association were clearly listed on a
display at the AFA table. The FURO table was similarly arranged,
with high-quality booklets and other print material as well as a
handsome ferret carving on display for the public. The overall
impression was that of professionalism and accuracy.

Ferret enthusiasts who heard about the show on the BITNET computer
network, RIME and RELAYNET bulletin board conferences also
attended; a University of Delaware grad student volunteered to help
start a chapter of the mid-Atlantic Ferret Association (AFA) in her
area. More information on this chapter will be released when the
first club meeting has been scheduled.

The next issue of the AFA's FERRET TAILS newsletter should have the
winners of the show listed. Obtain copies from the AFA at 301-898-
3228 or e-mail your address to Chip Gallo at [log in to unmask]
on the Internet.

The next AFA event is a membership brunch on Saturday, March 23
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Casey Community Center in
Gaithersburg, Md. More info is available through the above numbers.
                                                                          
[Posted in FML 0124]