I [AA] am editing this letter of concern so that nobody will get personally
flamed - exhibitor or club.  Please post all thoughts and concerns to the
FML.
 
In [DATE] of 1997 we sent in our entries for the [CLUB] show [CITY].  We
never got a conformation, so I called the [CLUB] to find out why.  I was
told that they had not gotten our entries.  It was too late to enter any of
our ferrets to show, but they allowed us to get two vendor tables at $35
each.  We were to pay when we got there.
 
Upon arrival to the show, we were given back our delayed entries.  They had
gotten lost in the mail.  When my husband was shown to our tables (I was
unloading ferrets, cages and supplies) they were out in the middle of the
room and we would be the only vendor in this area.  Looking at the other
vendor tables and seeing several empty ones (but not together), my husband
asked if we could have space on the wall (no more vendors were coming).  It
would require one vendor to move (they were in process of unpacking) and
they happily agreed to move with my husbands assistance.  We then had two
tables by the wall and all was perfect with the tables (and our neighbor
vendors in whom we chatted with all day).
 
During my husband's dealings with the table, I was unloading ferrets and
waiting for the vet exam.  The vet was very pleasant and looked at all the
paperwork.  As I started to pull the first ferret out of the pet carrier, I
was told to leave it in.  The vet merely peaked into the pet carriers.
 
As I was bringing the ferrets, cages and supplies to our vendor tables, a
woman approached me.  She was wearing a [CLUB] T-shirt and asked me about
payment for the tables.  I gave her $70 cash.  She took it and told me she
would be back with a receipt.  In all of the excitement of unpacking and
dealing with the show, I forgot that she had not given me a receipt.
Trusting the [CLUB] show committee, I did not think twice about it.
 
The show had not even started yet when one of the judges came up to our
tables.  It was [JUDGE].  We had told her at a show a month before that we
would bring a jill kit for her to purchase.  She also was thinking about
buying back the jill kit's mother, which was her ferret originally.  She
had asked us to inform her as soon as somebody was interested in her and
she would let us know for sure if she wanted her.
 
The show went on.  A person was very interested in the jill in whom [JUDGE]
was interested.  So my husband went to the judging area, waited until
[JUDGE] was not judging a ferret or talking to her steward and he quietly
went up to her and informed her that somebody was interested.  She replied
that she indeed wanted the jill back and my husband came back to our
tables.
 
The show went on.  The vet was gone before lunchtime and we noticed a
couple walking around the show hall with a dog.  My husband located a
[CLUB] show committee member and informed them the dog was in the show
hall.  He was of course worried about canine distemper and it was, of
course, highlighted in the show packet that no other animals were allowed
in the show hall.  The committee member did not react so my husband had
mentioned the dog incident to [JUDGE] when she stopped by our tables at
lunch time.  She was appalled.  She then said something to a member of the
[CLUB] show committee and it was taken care of.
 
While looking around at the other vendors, we each noticed several cages of
ferrets with nobody attending them.  On the cage was a sign that read
"Ferret kits - fixed and descented $25".  The kits looked to be at least
sixteen weeks of age.  They had food and water - the food was brown in
color and looked like Marshall's food.  In the litter pan was very bright
green diarrhea.  The ferrets looked on the thin side and did not have the
bright eyes of a healthy ferret.  I personally asked the show committee to
check it out.  I told them I was concerned about my ferrets getting ECE and
man I spoke with told me, "Well, you will get it sooner or later.  Might as
well get it over with." I am sure he saw my jaw drop wide open.
 
The rest of the show went well.  We talked with many delightful people,
made several friends, and saw some really nice ferrets.
 
A month or so later we got a bill in the mail from the [CLUB] for $70 - the
price of two vendor tables.  I wrote a letter stating that I had paid at
the show, described whom I gave the money to, that I did not get a receipt,
etc.  I also had stated that it was a good show, and I explained about the
dog and the ill ferrets.  In return I got a letter saying that my debt was
wiped clean, but we were not welcome to the show ever again because my
husband had pestered the judge.
 
This letter prompted a conversation with [JUDGE].  She was as shocked as we
were!  She told us that nobody from the [CLUB] had questioned her, shown
her written complaints, and had no verbal complaints.  We spoke with
several vendors and exhibitors and nobody had heard anything or had a
problem with us what so ever.
 
About six months later and after no reply from a reconsideration letter, I
sent out my entries for the show this year.  My entries were sent back with
another denial letter.  This time the letter stated that they had received
complaints from other vendors regarding the moving of the tables along with
the disrupting the judge claim.
 
I still do not feel that our being banned from this show is justified.
This is where I question you.  Is it justified?  Shouldn't we have a right
to see written complaints about us?  Then we would know if there was a
valid complaint.  Shouldn't we have a chance to appear before the show
committee or the club's board?  Should an exhibitor be banned from a show
for expressing concern for the safety of the ferrets attending the show?  I
personally feel the [CLUB] thought we had not paid them and this is what
they did to assure we were not going to do it again.  If that were the
issue, I would have happily paid them an additional $70.  What about the
legal side?  Is this unjustified discrimination?
 
Just wanted to get some ideas on this matter.  This show is a local show
for us.  Any thoughts are appreciated.
 
A bewildered exhibitor  [AA]
[Posted in FML issue 2447]