Threats Targeting Anthropomorphic Conventions
In addition to last week’s panic at Furnal Equinox whose cause is unclear, two other anthropomorphic fan conventions have been the target of threats this month.
VancouFur (Vancouver, British Columbia, March 2-5) was visited by police who searched the building in response to what was later revealed to be a hoax call. VancouFur’s statement on Twitter says in part:
After speaking with the RCMP, we learned the police received a spoofed number call originating from Memphis, Tennessee regarding our event.
Further investigation of the call has led the RCMP to believe the call was designed to ruin our fun.
Simply put, we were swatted.
Attendees were asked to not discuss the incident further online.
This past weekend, attendees at Motor City Furry Con (Ypsilanti, Michigan) had to clear the building on the first day of the convention. The Detroit Free Press reports:
Marriott confirmed with the Free Press that the Ypsilanti hotel received "an anonymous threat which led to the hotel being cleared while the authorities work to sweep the area" and "once we are clear to go back in our events will resume."
Unconfirmed reports say that it was a bomb threat. Motor City Furry Con has not commented publicly about it since announcing the all-clear.
In Brief
Con or Bust has announced a special fund to assist Palestinian fans and creators to attend the 2024-2028 World Science Fiction Conventions. Applications for assistance travelling to the 2024 Worldcon will open in July.
Indiana Comic Convention (Indianapolis, Indiana, May 5-7) has added Shannon Doherty, Ron Perlman, David Matranga, and Phil Lamarr as guests.
FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 21-23) has announced its initial slate of guests: Amy Chu, Clayton Crain, Steve Downes, Jen Taylor, Matthew Lillard, Neve Campbell, Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy, Tom Welling, and Michael Rosenbaum.
Event Calendar
Weekend of March 31-April 2
Corflu Craic (fanzines), Belfast, UK
Romics XXX (comics), Rome, Italy
Consonance 2023 (music), Milpitas, California, USA
13 Gears (steampunk), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival, Hunt Valley, Maryland, USA
CosXpo (costuming), Reading, UK
Midwest Gaming Classic, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Alamo City Game Convention, San Antonio, Texas, USA
DayCon (gaming), Kettering, Ohio, USA
ADK Tabletop Day (gaming), Glens Falls, New York, USA
Midwest Gaming Classic (video games), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Havoc XXXVII (miniatures gaming), Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA
Gary Con XV (Gary Gygax), Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA
KokoroCon 2 (anime), Nottingham, UK
Kawaii Kon (anime), Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Triad Anime Convention, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
Angers Geekfest #4: Utopie & Dystopie (media), Angers, France
RodCon (media), Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA
FACTS (media), Ghent, Belgium
ETSU-Con (media), Johnson City, Tennessee, USA
Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Creation Nola (media), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Megacon Orlando (media), Orlando, Florida, USA
ETSU-Con (media), Johnson City, Tennessee, USA
Paris Manga Sci-Fi Show (media), Villepinte, France
Rose City Comic Convention, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
CyPhaCon 2023 (media), Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA
CabbageCon (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Columbus, Ohio, USA
Weekend of April 7-9
Conversation 2023 (UK national sf convention), London, UK
Minicon 56, Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, USA
Norwescon 45: Between Two Worlds, SeaTac, Washington, USA
Fastaval '23, Hobro, Denmark
Golden State Fur Con (anthropomorphic), Los Angeles, California, USA
Fur Squared 2023 (anthropomorphic), Brookfield, Wisconsin, USA
Fauntastic 2023: Wild in the Street (anthropomorphic), Lyon, France
Clockwork Alchemy: Villains & Heroes (steampunk), San Mateo, California, USA
GothCon XLVI (gaming), Göteborg, Sweden
DaveCon (gaming), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Conquest Games Convention (RPGs), Melbourne, Australia
Scrum Con (wargaming), Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
WeebCon Year 3 (anime), Grapevine, Texas, USA
MTAC Blackjack (anime), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Anime Detour, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Anime Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Karoshi-Con (anime), DeKalb, Illinois, USA
Kanpai!Con (anime), Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Sakura-Con 2023 (anime), Seattle, Washington, USA
Puerto Rico Comic Con, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
BABSCon 2023 (My Little Pony), Burlingame, California, USA
Star Wars Celebration 2023, Anaheim, California, USA
Weekend of April 14-16
Swancon 47, Maylands, Australia
HAL-CON 2023, Kawasaki, Japan
Les Intergalactiques 2023, Lyon, France
221B Con (Sherlock Holmes), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Las Vegas Fur Con 2023: The Enfurtainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Jack Williamson Lectureship 2023: Climates of Empire, Portales, New Mexico, USA
Conpulsion 2023 (gaming), Edinburgh, UK
MEPACON (gaming), Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
CODCON XXVI (gaming), Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA
Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada
VGM Con: Oops, All Zelda (videogames/music), Plymouth, Minnnesota, USA
Harucon (anime), Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria
Riverwalk Anime, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Comic-Con Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
Bold City Con (media), Jacksonville, Florida, USA
SC Comicon, Greenville, South Carolina, USA
Quad Cities Comic Con, Davenport, Iowa, USA
Supanova 2023 – Gold Coast (media), Broadbeach, Australia
Dairycon 2023: The Moo Generation (Transformers), Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA
Weekend of April 21-23
RavenCon 16, Richmond, Virginia, USA
ConStellation 12: Age of Aquarius, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
HELIOsphere, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
LuxCon 2023, Dudelange, Luxembourg
Concinnity 2023, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
JordanCon (fantasy literature), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention, Lombard, Illinois, USA
Penguicon 2023 (sf/open source), Southfield, Michigan, USA
Costume-Con 39: Things That Go Bump in the Night, San Jose, California, USA
Farmageddon IX (gaming), Farmer City, Illinois, USA
Cheyenne Gaming Convention, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA
Rising Phoenix GameCon, Milford, Massachusetts, USA
LexiCon 2023 (gaming), Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada
Nashville Tabletop Day 2023 (boardgames), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
CoMo Retro Con (retro video games), Columbia, Missouri, USA
Omnicon Symphony (anime), Cookeville, Tennessee, USA
Mang’Azur (anime), Toulon, France
Anime St. Louis, St. Charles, Missouri, USA
Saluki Con (anime), Carbondale, Illinois, USA
Mobile Bay Anime Festival, Daphne, Alabama, USA
Anime Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Anime Town Utah, Sandy, Utah, USA
FicZone 2023 (anime), Granada, Spain
Beta Quest 2023 (anime), Kingsland, Georgia, USA
Ithacon 2023 (comics), Ithaca, New York, USA
Sci-Fi Scarborough (media), Scarborough, UK
Yellow City Comic Con 2023, Amarillo, Texas, USA
Fayetteville Comic Con, Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
El Paso Comic Con, El Paso, Texas, USA
Wicked Comic Con, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Supanova 2023 – Melbourne (media), Broadbeach, Australia
PortmeiriCon (The Prisoner), Portmeirion, UK
Weekend of April 28-30
Tulkon, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
OmegaCon (relaxacon), Siren, Wisconsin, USA
Ice and Fire Convention (Song of Ice and Fire series), Mt. Sterling, Ohio, USA
Scheibenwelt Convention (Discworld), Witzenhausen, Germany
Malice Domestic 35 (mysteries), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
UBCon XXXII (gaming), Buffalo, New York, USA
Chupacabracon IX (gaming), Round Rock, Texas, USA
2023 Gaming Hoopla, Mundelein, Illinois, USA
Buckeye Game Fest 2023, Columbus, Ohio, USA
LoBsterCon XXIV: Couple Dozen (boardgames), Eastbourne, UK
LAN All Night VII: SpaceLAN (LAN gaming), Grapevine, Texas, USA
Recon 2023: Infantry! (miniatures gaming), Kissimmee, Florida, USA
Little Wars 2023: Damn the Torpedoes! (miniatures gaming), Lisle, Illinois, USA
Warhammer Fest 2023 (Warhammer miniatures game), Manchester, UK
aniMUC (anime), Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany
Castle Point Anime Convention, Seacaucus, New Jersey, USA
LoboCon (anime), Rohnert Park, California, USA
Heroes Made in Asia (anime), Gorinchem, Netherlands
Oz-Con (anime), West Plains, Missouri, USA
Manga-Comic-Con, Leipzig, Germany
MondoCon 2023 (anime), Budapest, Hungary
ExpOtaku Vitoria-Gasteiz 2023 (anime), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Fangaea (media), San Diego, California, USA
Causeacon (media), Beckley, West Virginia, USA
Mini-Mini Con (media), Balcones Heights, Texas, USA
ASU Nerd Con (media), Boone, North Carolina, USA
Central Texas Comic Con, Waco, Texas, USA
Coda
ChatGPT tries to predict when The Winds of Winter is coming (FanSided, hat tip: File 770)
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