[Posts combined into one.  BIG]
 
Well here we are just two weeks away from the big event!  It seems
like we only started planning for this years frolic a few weeks ago
and already the date is fast approaching...
 
This years event promises to be much bigger and better than our last and
God willing, the rains that we've been having will stop and some sunshine
will make it a very pleasant Arizona winter day.  We have a lot of things
planned and we're hoping that everyone getting this message will be able
to come and enjoy a wonderful day with other ferret owners from around
Arizona and the rest of the country.
 
The Ferret Frolic will be taking place at Westwind Academy which is
just a few blocks east of the intersections of I-17 and Northern Avenue.
The address is 2045 W. Northern Ave. and the festivities will begin at
8:30am and will conclude around 4:00pm.  There should be ample parking
in the school's parking lot, but there are other lots available and if
necessary we'll have shuttles running to transport people (and their
fuzzies) back to where their cars are parked.
 
Westwind Academy will also be providing all of the food and beverages.
So there's no need to stop and have breakfast before arriving.  They will
be serving breakfast from 8:30am to 11:30am and after that lunch will be
served.  All proceeds from food and beverage sales will be going to help
fund a new gymnasium for their charter school.  So come hungry!  You'll
be helping out a very worthy cause!
 
Admission to the event will be $2.00 for adults and $1.00 for children.
Of course our four-footed fuzz-butts are free!  After all, this event
is all about them!  All the profits from admissions and the raffles will
go to help some of Arizona's ferret shelters as well as creating a small
bank account to help family's with ferrets in need of medical attention
that might not otherwise be able to provide proper medical care.
 
There will be a number of events, games and seminars being held
throughout the day and everyone should plan on staying and participating
in what promises to be Phoenix's biggest ferret-related event ever!  As
we've mentioned in other previous e-mails, one of the most popular
activities at these events are the ferret games.  This year we planned
on having three games including 'ferret bowling', 'tunnel races' and a
'wagon pull'.  If you never seen these games before, you can't afford to
miss it.  They're such a blast to watch and the ferrets never fail to
entertain and amaze.  Each event will have three winners (first, second,
third places) and prizes and ribbons will be awarded to the winners of
each game.  Think your carpet-shark can run a 50 foot tunnel in just a
few seconds?  Bring them out and let's find out how quick they really
are!
 
Last year we had a game called the 'wagon pull'.  This event involves
trying to keep your fuzzie in a small wagon while you pull it down the
length of the course.  If you own a ferret, you know how difficult it
can be to get them to hold still for anything!  This game is always a
blast and really shows how well trained your ferret can be.
 
This year we're also presenting three of the valley's most popular and
recommended ferret veterinarians.  Dr. Svoboda, Dr. Molina and Dr.
Driggers.  Folks that visit these vets truly love them and we're so
grateful to have them.  We're just so honored that these fine vets are
willing to give up their Saturday to come out and present short seminars
on a number of different subjects.  Each presentation will last about an
45-60 minutes and will be scheduled in between the ferret games and the
other events we have planned.  If time allows, we also plan to have an
open 'question and answer' session at the end of the day where anyone
can ask specific questions to all three vets.  We all know how costly
veterinary visits can be, so here's an opportunity to get some answers
to questions that you might have or to get advice on diet, care or even
specific information on illnesses such as adrenal cancer and insulinoma.
By the way, if you see these vets at the event, please take a moment to
thank them personally!
 
We've also contacted several of Arizona's ferret shelters and we're
hoping they will come and set up booths.  As everyone is aware, many of
these shelters are taking care of a great number of otherwise unwanted,
homeless or terminally ill ferrets.  Having personal experience with
running a shelter, we know all too well how expensive and time consuming
this can be.  These wonderful people have opened their hearts and their
homes to ferrets that might otherwise have no place to go or even worse
yet die horrible deaths because they have been abused or neglected by
their previous owners.  We're hoping the shelters will come and accept
adoption applications.  So if you've been considering adding another
fuzzie to your 'clan', then this could be a real opportunity to help
out and adopt rather then buy from a pet store.  PLEASE HELP SUPPORT
OUR SHELTERS!
 
Another new feature this year is the nail-clipping booth.  Some of the
staff/ladies from Palm Glen Animal Hospital will be setting up a table
where you can have your ferrets nails trimmed and ears cleaned for free!
(of course donations are always accepted!) I'm sure many of you are
painfully aware of how difficult it can be sometimes to keep our ferrets
nails trimmed and their ears clean.  They just don't like to sit still
for that and often they squirm and fight to avoid having this required
grooming done.  So here's a chance to get them all 'ship-shape' and
looking sharp for the party!
 
As always, we'll also be holding a raffle.  This year we have at least
five wonderful items that we've acquired including two beautiful art
prints (framed and ready for hanging), an airline approve collapsible
travel carrier (a 'must have' for any ferret owner), a ferret watch and
a gorgeous sand casting.  Raffle tickets will be $1.00 each (for each
item) and you need not be present to win.  The names of the winners will
be selected at the end of the day just before the event closes.  Winners
that are not present will be contacted by phone or by e-mail.
 
Something else that we've added for this event are vendors and
ferret-related artisans.  We have one particular artist named Adam Thomas
that does pet portraitures.  He mainly does paintings of dogs and a few
other pets, but he's recently done several ferret portraits for us as
well as some of our friends.  The picture on the right is the portrait
of our 'Crystal' that passed last year.  We thought this was a fitting
way to honor her memory and Adam's work is so well done.  You can check
out more of Adam's work on his web site at:
http://illustrationsbyadam.com/
He also has several more ferret portraits depicted in his April
newsletter at:
http://illustrationsbyadam.com/aprilnewsletter.htm
Click on these links and take a moment to check out Adams' work.
 
We also plan to have several digital photographers available throughout
the day.  We'll be bringing along a laptop computer and color printer so
that we can take photographs and then have them printed for you 'on the
spot'.  Several sizes of prints will be available including 4"x6", 5"x7"
and 8"x11'.  So if you've never had good photographs of you and your
fuzzies taken, here's a chance to have the memories saved for posterity.
(There will be a small fee charged in order to print your photographs.)
 
As many of you are also aware, as times goes by most of us collect lots
of ferret-related items that we no longer use.  As we did last year,
we'll again be having a 'rummage sale'.  So feel free to gather up all
that old stuff that's just collecting dust and bring it with you.  Some
of the items you may be able to sell to others or may we also suggest
that you donate these items to the ferret shelters that will be
attending.  We know how grateful these shelters are to receive items
that can be used such as cages, bowls, water bottles, hammocks, sheets,
toys and just about anything.  These items can be cleaned up and sold as
'packages' to those that adopt homeless or shelter ferrets.  These items
also help the shelters to survive (financially) and to pay for veterinary
expenses that can quickly accumulate.  So please, take a moment and
consider bringing these things with you.  You'd be doing yourself a favor
as well as helping out those that do so much to rescue and shelter these
needy ferrets.
 
And lastly a few words about safety and health related issues...
 
1) As always, all ferrets (and other pets) must be kept on secure
harnesses and leashes at all times.  We certainly would not want there
to be any tragic accidents or escapes.  (We will have proper figure-8
harnesses and leashes available at the gate to anyone that may need to
purchase one.  They will cost about $8.00 each, far less than the retail
price in most pet stores.)
 
2) Please take a moment to check your ferret's medical records and be
sure that they have been properly vaccinated against distemper.  If
it's been more than a year since their last vaccination, be sure to
have them done before you bring them to the event.
 
3) Please bring along a secure pet carrier complete with food bowl,
water bottle and bedding (towels, blankets, sheets etc.) It could be
a long day for our little fuzzbutts and we want to be sure they have
a comfortable, safe place to bed down if they feel they need to take
a quick nap.
 
4) ECE warning.  As with any ferret event or gathering, there is always
the possibility of contracting illnesses such as ECE.  So we're asking
everyone to use their best judgment only bring those ferrets that they
are sure are NOT carrying any potentially infectious illnesses.
 
In closing we'd like to say that we're really excited about this year's
frolic and we hope that everyone receiving this e-mail will come and
enjoy a day of ferrets, sunshine, games and most of all an opportunity
to meet lots of other ferret owners!  There's nothing more helpful than
having a close-knit community and we've found that our friends and
contacts have been an invaluable resource over the years.  We want to
extend that community and possibly help to encourage more events like
this even possibly forming a new ferret club here in Phoenix.  It's been
a very long time since our last club disbanded and we certainly would
love to see the group reform and be stronger than ever.  We have a very
large ferret-owning population here in the valley and there's no reason
that a new club couldn't be started.  We just need to contact those
individuals that would be interested in reforming the organization and
begin discussing the creation of the governing board.  Got an interest
in being a board member or helping to form a new club?  Stop by and see
us during the frolic and we'll take down your name and number.
 
PLEASE, feel free to cross-post this e-mail on to any other e-mail
forums or groups that you may be a member of.  We really need your help
to spread the word and make this years ferret frolic one to remember!
 
If you need more information about the frolic or are interested in
attending as a vendor, photographer, media or artisan, contact us at
(602) 547-0031.  Our e-mail address is: [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 4753]