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]