Tag Archives: local events

Hit by FurBQ…. And Now the Post-Event Report

What a crazy week and a half it has been! Things are (still) slowly getting packed away, but the memories and fun linger from FurBQ 2019.  

We had gone to bed, feeling we are as ready as we could be for this year’s prep.  Beep beep went the alarm, and we rolled out of bed. With half of the stuff pre-packed into the car, we only had a few trips to make, and packed the coolers.  We headed down the mountain around 4:45am, looking ahead to the road. Nearing Orange County, we kept our eyes out on our Weather app and Kat looked at the sky for the clouds. We arrived just as the park was opening, with barely a wait.  Kat had a very brisk walk in almost darkness, as she put the signs up along the way down the park’s road.  

As cold as the morning was, many of our usual attendees were there first thing. People were milling around the lot, and there was a bit of movement as people began to bring up the food or items they were contributing. Ahki/Parawolf showed up with a full rolling cart of goodies. From the unloading going on, I could tell that our breakfast time was going to get on a whole new level.  

We had a full kitchen stock worth of breakfast items — from bacon (thanks to Blackie’s dad for bringing some cooked bacon.  Parawolf must have gone through about a dozen eggs, and still had a good deal remaining.

Admittedly, if the rain wasn’t something that we were looking to the skies for….we were also having to pay attention to one of the trees on the farther side of the picnic grounds. As luck would have it,  we had some familiar ‘friends’ that we would be hosting alongside our attendees — BEES! Yup, not just a visible presence of bees, but a whole tree full of them. While Kat was walking around filling holes and adding signs, Stego made contact with park staff who were able to send someone over to put in a report so that the bee nest could be dealt with properly at a later date.  The ranger also placed some helpful signs that (hopefully) other furs would read. From general conversation, there was some constructive ideas for next year. Someone (I wish we could remember thier name) had even brought us a plastic bottle style trap, which would be a humane way to deal with the problem. We would like to put a call out to any suggestions of some humane bee traps that we can purchase in bulk.  

Leo Tsubasa had also arrived and was eager to set up. Unfortunately, due to some changes made in his grilling area, we found that it was better to coalesce his grilling stations with the ones that Stego likes to use. Parawolf remained on that other side, with his coffee station set up for all the furs that would come that morning. If you can believe it, 6 gallons of coffee was consumed (and 100 hot cups used) by the time 6:30am rolled around, and Parawolf began running out.  Outside of the coffee, many loved the other hot drinks that Parawolf had to offer. Even I hoped to snag a cup of hot cocoa, but the morning kept me quite busy.

The pickup truck belonging to Chance the Dragon rolled up early, despite how far he (and the other San Diego furries) must drive to reach Irvine. I would say that the ground was probably still wet, but with the impending weather reports of previous days, these furries were prepared. Moving with efficiency, this series of Easy-Up tents were ready to receive furries within the hour of their arrival. 

Video by Scruffy the Fox


As the day went on, a few of us would occasionally look to the sky. The clouds wanted to hang around, and we had an idea of how the “chance of precipitation” would change through the day. A few furs had set up two Easy-Ups with no walls, and were serving drinks (sodas, non-alcoholic beverages, etc..). Nearby, a table was set up for artists to chat and work on sketches. As much concern as people did show about the rain before the event, I think people were unphased by the cooler weather.  

At three, it was time for what has become tradition – the big group photo. Big groups of furs were moving all around the field area by around 2:45. (Sorry, Chance! I totally spaced on that and was telling people 3:30 for some reason. Thanks for the heads up) I had been talking with a first-time attendee who originally thought to stay out of the shot, but even I found myself doing some (light) herding of this fursuiter. Believe me, it doesnt matter how partial your fursuit is, or whether your head is perfect…. Chance wants you in the shot! He even herded me down the middle and I wished my new friends off as they piled into one of the middle rows. Thanks to our fur-tographers who were down for some fursuit wrangling and getting the right shot. Also, the tall ladder and the 2 accompanying drones were also helpful to help our ever-growing fursuit population squeeze in.

A short while after the crowd broke apart, it began to sprinkle.  This reminded me to get into gear about cleaning up the grounds. Sometimes, finding help is hard because people have scheduled things after the event.  With the rain being noticed by everyone, I knew there might be some who dont want to wait it out and might just leave. I took moments to connect with attendees as I went around and grabbed any errant soda cans. Trigger Happy Squirrel brought his large recycling bin (the large blue ones that many people have for recycling pickup at their house) back to the event, and so that allowed for a lot of our plastics and aluminum to be taken off of the grounds. We didnt have as many trash cans set up on the far end of the table due to the proximity of the “bee tree”, so with others’ help, we were able to keep things from piling up. Despite the weather and the lowering sun, Stego and I saw a visible improvement between the chaos of last year and this year, and we really appreciate that more people stuck by to help. (Blue Jaguar, Brum, Janala, and Kirin… you guys really stuck it out for us.  Also, some of the San Diego furs really stuck it out to the end, despite that long drive home)

Did you lose anything at FurBQ?   If you are still searching through your personal effects, please let us know if you think you might have lost something on the FurBQ grounds.  While everyone was doing trash detail, we did pick up a few things (clothing items, a belt, sports equipment, and yes… the quintessential single fursuit paw). 


By morning, we still were feeling the long work of that amazing day.  Each year, we have a set of notes to take home, related to making sure we can improve on this fun event. With the population size, we have some big things to think about as we look to 2020.

With all the trolling from Mother Nature, and our normal worries about having enough/budgeting enough for the reservations and food…. The furry community comes together again and really makes this event what it was.   When it came to the (official) grilling, Stego and Leo really take on a whole day of standing at a hot grill. Kona Roo was here for fun, but he ended up jumping into the fray and made some delicious elotes.  

We are a bit taken aback this year, as we also got a $600 donation in food and supplies from the Huntington Park Chapter of the Elks Lodge.  Our event brings alot of different groups of people together, with diverse backgrounds and hobbies. Elks Lodge #1415 is a little known part of FurBQ history, having attended our events in the last 5+ years.  This is a big deal to us and something that really knocked Stego over with a feather.

Also, we have to hand it to the people who were able to donate to our Ko-fi, for the 2019 event: Blue Hasia, WhiskeyWuf, Rivercoon, Ubervoop, Leo Tsubasa, Anna Songbird

Long Overdue Post About Furbee-cuuueee!!

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!

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.

Changing Clocks and Gears (Community Feedback)

Can it finally be “Spring” yet? While recent SoCal weather has yet to decide, we look at March as when things start to happen.  Well, we can only speak for ourselves when we say that.  Really, for the Southern California area, this is a year round thing. 😉

Looking on recent weeks, I can say that events are picking up again.  From photoshoot meets in Ventura and Santa Barbara, pockets of small monthly meets, to casual park meets in Pasadena and Orange County … the mix of event types has been nice. Admittedly, we did post some meets that …well… we arent sure how they went. We try and keep in contact with organizers, especially for the new events, but sometimes we get no answer.  No matter how you communicate best, our contact form is always open.

Special thanks to Anpu42 who helps keep Meetup.com cooking and assists in finding more great events to add all around.  Special thanks to Axel and Leo Tsubasa for helping with upkeep on our Facebook Page.

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December is Here.. Time To Chill

The first bits of the Santa Ana winds are licking at our mountaintop, and that reminds us admins that it is Winter Time.   Last weekend, the holiday season kicked off with a celebration of lights. Furry event organizers from all over SoCal have more in store for you during the coldest months, and sometimes giving you the opportunity for celebrating the holidays.

Map of Southern California, showing furry centric events going on for Winter 2017/2018. First Edition

1st Edition. We will update this as more winter/holiday events are submitted.

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