Tag Archives: reservation

Long Overdue Post About Furbee-cuuueee!!

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First, a bit of post-FurBQ 2018 update. Really, I think our reaction can best be described as “pleasantly knocked over with a feather”, on just how many different kinds of energy filled our event with love and encouraged positive experience.

Cheetah costumed character holds a foam sword, as it approaches a table of other furries enjoying the SoCal FurBQ. Photography by Blue Hasia.

Photo courtesy of Blue Hasia : https://bluehasia.smugmug.com/

The event was an even larger turnout, due to all the furs that came in from out of town to support Dogbomb. We knew there was going to be a small group for the morning, as many of you were walking it out for ALS research. We were prepared for this and, when the ALS walk was over, Stego (and Leo Tsubasa) had quite the work ahead. We were only sorry that we didnt see The Dogbomb Himself, but good dogs need to rest their paws.

By early afternoon, our usual population numbers returned, and we hit that peak time. People created groupings of blankets and folding chairs, creating social areas all along the grassy area by the wall. Furries burst out into ecstatic dance in the California sunshine. Thanks to the San Diego Furries, we hit the largest “fursuit lounge” yet, and it was so spacious even with all the fursuiters that join us. Chance the Dragon, Ceasie and other San Diego furries were happy to help keep people hydrated. You really made it that much easier for people to fursuit. Soon it was time to take the group photo. Without warning, Stego and I found ourselves pulled into the group photo. Suddenly, we were surrounded by all the fluffy good energy, even if it was an unexpected thing (oh, Chance… you are such a persuasive dragon).

Our November contingency plan did afford some cool weather. We were happy that the bees did not return. There was a decent amount of cleanup ahead of us, and the earlier park closure presented a challenge. Also, we did have more possessions left behind, that left us scrambling for room when we packed out. Thanks to Janala Blackspire, Brum Da Bronze, Kirimi Blackspire, Chance, and Howlie for being able to stick around and help us. We really wanted to get that lawn area extra clean.

Special Thanks to..

  • Leo Tsubasa for taking up the extra grilling area and helping with all the furs that came in around 1 or 2, hungry as heck.
  • Ubervoop for giving us a generous sized cooler to use for the event. We will work on getting this back to you. Also, this is the man responsible for those awesome buttons, gifts, and stickers celebrating our 20th year.  You do not know how many smiles you created, and providing some memorable keepsakes. Oh, and the piñata!  So many furries took a whack at this one.
  • Chance (our fursuit photo wrangling dragon)
  • Ahki for bringing your coffee set-up. Breakfast food, coffee and tea have become a regular thing for us early risers.
  • Ceasie and all the San Diego furs who made this so awesome (I know I forgot so many of the names that should be on this line)
  • Seppo Kun, Ryker Husky and Blue Hasia for taking so many wonderfully composed photos of this event

Looking forward, its time to plan for this event all over again. These last few weeks, we were able to check into fall dates.

SoCal FurBQ 2019 will take place on Saturday, September 28th

This will be our 21st annual event, and will be back on the Summer hours. Our event is for furries of all kinds, and their fans. In the next months, we will be working on planning and gathering resources to see if we cant make this another memorable one!

The Plotting for Our 20th Year Has Begun!

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Rolling through March, we have stayed behind the scenes making sure we really consider what we plan for this year’s annual FurBQ.  Without further ado, we can now say that we have secured our spot.

SoCal Furs’ 20th annual FurBQ is happening this Fall, on Saturday November 10th. We will have plenty of time to bust out some picnic supplies. The FurBQ is a long standing tradition and we will return to our green and shady spot within Irvine Regional Park

Please go to the full Event Calendar Posting for a full rundown of information

http://socalfurs.com/event/socal-furbq-2018/

Finding a date was challenging this year, as the Canyon Fire took out one of the four Reserved picnic areas. This created heavy competition for the remaining three reserved spaces. The November slot we chose was the only one available After the Pumpkin Patch festival: The alternative would have been too early in September (the week after Labor Day), which would have made it a true FurBQ (All those overheated fursuiters and costumers). Our Past Fall FurBQs, held on Nov 16th 2013 and Nov 14 2015, both fared well with the cooler weather and were enjoyed by everyone despite the shorter park time.

In the next 6 months, we have some ideas and plans. We will keep you informed with our social media network of sites. Overall, we have been wanting to do something special for our community. With this being our 20th year, its destined that we should have something to commemorate all these awesome memories.

SoCal Furs Annual FurBQ: Its A Date! (Sep 23rd)

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March has come and we find ourselves with this long awaited piece of news concerning our annual event. While all that wonky webpage stuff was happening, Stego and Kat have been checking into whats possible for FurBQ 2017. As many know, FurBQ traditionally happened in the spring months. However, with the added necessity of using a reserved group area (due to our crowd size) and the changing of some local events, its become necessary to place our annual FurBQ event in the fall.

Last year’s date of September 17th really worked well for us, with that week being just when the weather starts to get comfortable (especially for the fursuiters). However, from talking with the park rangers and Reservations, we learned that October is entirely blocked out due to the parking situation created from Irvine Regional Park’s annual pumpkin patch event.

So, with all that is possible, we have put in our reservation request. The $300 fee has been paid,and we are ready to roll. I can say that with advanced planning (from choosing to do this in the fall only), we will have more time to work on the event and make improvements. Feel free to view the event posting on our calendar and make your plans now.

FurBQ Recon Mission Report

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One of the things done during that trip to the Prancing Skiltaire was to visit Irvine Regional Park to get the scoop on what could be in store for the SocalFurs FurBQ this spring.

In talking to the ranger on Saturday, we learned one thing …. our FurBQ is definitely going to require us to plan even further in advance simply because people have already begun reserving these areas in May, despite that this is 3 months away.  Of course this requires additional resources and planning now that we are no longer in the “free to the first person” picnic areas.

From pricing and specific location within the park, we have found a great spot that can hold the size of our crowd:

The Good Stuff

  • 3 Grilling Areas – BBQ Grills are scattered around this group picnic area.  Each one is off to the side and therefore will keep foot traffic near hot grills to a minimum. With more grills to use, this may mean we can designate one or two of them for dietary accommodations (e.g. fish allergies, vegan diet, etc..)
  • Plenty of shade – The seating area sits under a canopy of trees. This should keep guests and our grillmasters out of the sun and help prevent overheating.
  • Cement surfaces in the grilling areas – For years, we have had to spend a bit of our prep time making sure we have room for food prep.  While we will need to get some plastic covering for the 2 cement “tables”, we now have many more surfaces to work with.
  • Open field for sports – While not part of the reserved area, there is an open grassy field where people can play volleyball, frisbee and other activities where a large area is needed.  This area exists a short distance away, but is far enough away from the hazards of our grilling and eating areas.

The Not-So-Great

  • Parking  – OC Parks offers no reserved parking with any of the group picnic areas. Parking wont be any worse than before, so we will need to remain considerate of other guests at the park by not blocking right-of-ways.  This site has 2 parking lots nearby that are first-come-first-served. From there, people will have to find whatever parking available and be prepared for a walk to/from the picnic grounds.
  • Less Bathroom Stalls – This group area is located towards the back of the park, which still has yet to get its modern upgrades.  The bathrooms closest to this site are not unisex bathrooms like our old lot.  The “men’s” bathroom has 3 small stalls and 3 urinals.  The “women’s” bathroom has 4 stalls.  There is another set of bathrooms in the field area nearby, but it will require a walk.

Where do we go from here? Lets Decide!

During our visit, we got a list of days that are still available for booking this area. Once the $300 reservation payment is submitted, the spot is reserved.  Because reservations are first-come, first-served, we need to be quick about it. Please use this poll to choose what you want to be as our FIRST CHOICE when we set up our reservation with OC Parks.

What weekend should we book for our annual FurBQ?

 This poll was closed

The above poll will close as of Saturday, February 27th, at 23:59. Second and third choices will be gathered based on what comes in 2nd and 3rd place.