Whew! Chere, I know what you mean! Just got back from the Chicagoland Pet
Show, a two-day event at Arlington International Racecourse. It featured a CFA
Cat show (Mammoth proportions there) a household pet show (generic varieties)
and humdreds of booths peopled by various pet-oriented concerns. The Greater
Chicago Ferret Association was there both days and made hundreds of ferret
contacts. Private citizens, Vets and Pet shops that never knew we (or any
other ferret clubs) existed went home with as much ferret info as we could
stuff into their 'booty bags'. Everyone who said they were owned by a ferret
went home with a Census form. (I brought 500 copies to the show. At 2pm
Sunday, there were only about 50 left!) Made contact with a few pet magazine
publishers about the census and ferret articles in general. A totaly positive
feedback sort of day. People who had misconceptions about the furries went
home with a new understanding of them.
 
So far, we have 16 states (AZ, CT, FL, GA, IL, IN, MD, MI, (YES, MICHIGAN!)
NH, NM, NY, OH, PA, TX, WI & VA) responding to or requesting the forms.
Thanks, to all the volunteers who are helping get the word out. We could still
use help in these and other states to get a more representative slice of the
ferret world. Please... if you can help, send me e-mail with your snali mail
address and I'll send you a starter kit.
 This contains:  five (5) copies of the census form, one Master set of the
form suitable for copying, a window sign  for announcing the availability of
the forms (for use in pet stores, veterinarians offices ar wherever) a starter
set of ten (10) press releases for sending to the local news services, an NDF
Census Project sign (for displaying at a table in the mall (this is working
well here) and an NDF Census Project Button to arrouse curiosity with.
 
If you're already helping with this effort, thanks. If you need masters of any
of the above (the button is a new addition)  please request them withh your
snail mail address.
 
Other news. FERRET FORUM, the fidonet Echo I started six years ago, is finally
on the Fidonet Echolist. This means we'll soon be a national echo, accessible
to any Fidonet BBS in the world. We've been getting requests for the echo in
other states and two are from FFZ's. FML continues to be the TOP RATED online
publication for ferret folk. Keep up the good work, Chris.
 That's it from the windy city...
 
Hug a ferret!
 
Roger, Cinnamon Bear, Megabyte, Tribble, Heidi, Sneakers and Black Magic.
 
(IFNS)
 
--
Routed via the Great Lakes FidoNet Gateway
Indianapolis, USA [royaljok.fidonet.org]
 
[Posted in FML issue 0443]