Hey FMLer's "Ferret Extravaganza '98" in Cincinnati, Oh. What a show! I just want to take a minute to compliment Lori Sies , Rachel Gay and TriState Ferret Connection for organizing such a great event. Despite our discuss with the Ramada Inn's, cleanliness, personnel and air conditioning (Which was not controlled by the show organizers and has declined since last years show.) I would have to say it was the best show we have been to yet! Friday night after checking in, we were going down the hall towards our room. When an unsuspecting hotel guest (non-ferret owner) opened her door, only to be confronted with a stack of cages filled with anxious and curious ferrets, belonging to a another exhibitor in the room on the opposite side of the hall. The poor woman screamed and nearly jumped out of her skin. It was all I could do to keep my composer and not fall to the ground laughing. It probably wouldn't have been nearly that funny if she would've had a heart attack and I'm sure she wouldn't have been amused. I can only imagine what story she would be telling her friends in the near future, especially when I explained we were really there for a ferret show. I think her exact words were "You've got to be kidding". I did encourage her to come down to the show and see for her self. The show consisted of three separate rooms. The first and largest room was the display area for vendors, clubs and organizations. The second was for exhibitors and their ferrets. The third was for judging (This room could have been a little larger and cooler). All the rooms were connected via a speaker system which allowed the M.C (who was excellent) to keep everyone aware of activities, vendors and judging status. Even despite a slight delay, all judging was completed by 7:30. We met several people who were showing ferrets for the first time and none of them had any trouble understanding where to go or what to do next. A true testament to just how organized this show was. This was the first show that we (my wife and I) actually got to be ring stewards. If you ever get the opportunity do this "Jump on it". The education you get is well worth it! I have a whole new appreciation for the judges. Diane Bodofsky was the judge I was assigned too. She did an excellent job in explaining the details of judging and showed an incredible amount of patience in answering all the questions I threw at her. If you think judging is easy, try picking up and rotating a variety of squirming ferrets weighing from one to five pounds, holding a different one every three to five minutes and calling out numbers for about ten hours with a couple of small breaks and a hour for lunch. So, what do they get for all this hard work? NOTHING! As usual we met and made several new friends as well as seeing many old ones. Even though none of our three ferrets placed, we had a great time just hanging out and socializing. We even got to hang out with one of the legends and voices of reason from the FML, Linda Iroff. I'm always amazed at all the ferret related items available at these shows. Nita (the wife) was able to add many new items to her collection including two jewelry pieces, which are her favorites. We look forward to seeing everyone in Chicago and Lancing. Jerry, Nita and eigth should have been enough, plus one [Posted in FML issue 2427]