Events

NOTE: Tiny Paws Con will have a 30-minute lunch break from noon to 12:30pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and a similar 60-minute dinner break from 6pm to 7pm on Friday and Saturday. During this time The Expo will be closed (except on Friday when it will just be opening at noon) and all departments will also be closed. No events will be specifically scheduled for these periods. This does not mean that the convention is supplying food for its attendees. If you plan ahead for food to be delivered, ask for it to be delivered at the start of this breaktime; don't order lunch at noon only to have it delivered 40 minutes later when everything is in full swing again! This might also make delivery simpler for the restaurants.

Guests of Honor

Shadra (@ShadraAvroArt on Twitter)

With his Bachelors in Art Education, Shadra took his love of traditional mediums into the furry fandom in 2008 when a friend encouraged him to create a fursona. Hailing from southern New Jersey, he roams the wilds with his LARP group and also enjoys collecting dragons and creating cosplays and props, inspired by elements of nature, intricate costuming and armor, and fantasy themes. He has been featured in several juried shows in the Albright College Freedman Gallery in the past several years, and some of his work has been featured on the Solar Ark LARP group’s rulebook and website. His favorite quote is by Albert Einstein: “I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

Boozy Badger (@BoozyBadger on Twitter)

Having trekked from the wilds of Kentucky only to find himself trapped in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Boozy Badger is new to the fandom, having discovered it in early 2017. In his daily life, he serves as a lawyer in Pennsylvania, a profession he finally took on after the life-long influence of his father, who showed him the good a lawyer can do. In his career and with his blogging site Lawyers and Liquor, Boozy’s main goal is to make the world a little smarter legally while trying to get a smile or two. He has also worked hard at fundraising for various charities and dragging more lawyers into the furry fandom. Outside the fandom, QM and their clan of little badgers keep him busy, as does his lawn when he gets home from the furry convention circuit. His recommendation to all? Read Rudyard Kipling’s “If--”.

Patch O'Furr (@DogpatchPress on Twitter)

Patch O’Furr is founder of Dogpatch Press, a news source that explores the furry fandom as its own subculture: what makes it unique and sets it apart, who’s in it and why, and its relationship with larger culture. It's the most active source for furry news, bringing stories every weekday and tens of thousands of views per month. Dogpatch Press also works with outside journalists and is quoted in places like Vice, Rolling Stone, and the LA Times. CollegeHumor chose it to spread exclusive news about their “Furry Force” animation, and Patch had a cameo in it and nominated it to win the Ursa Major award. Patch does DIY, fan-based, zine-style writing, combining investigation, personal voice, a little satire, and a lot of love. Patch was also a pro animator for Disney, MTV and a low budget movie or two. He fursuits as a husky and has been an invited guest speaker and dancer for stages, music videos and comedy shows. Street Fursuiting is his favorite thing. He supports creators, dreamers, happy weirdos, and everything fabulous and furry. If you see him, go for a hug!

Special Guest

Uncle Kage (@Unclekage on Twitter)

With his Ph.D. from Dartmouth, Uncle Kage (editor’s note: pronounced kah-gay, not like “cage” as some have presumed) is a relative newcomer to the furry fandom. If you haven’t heard of him, he is a published writer, world traveler, and helps out at the second-largest furry con, Anthrocon. We’ve heard he’s one heck of a guy, however, and a great storyteller so we have invited him to Tiny Paws Con to entertain all of you! If you like what he does, please share your encouragements with him (especially if they are semi-dry Reislings from Germany’s Mosel Valley or Washington State’s Columbia Valley which are no more than three years old) so he keeps up the good work! <3

Our Best Features!

The Expo

We have a huge dealer room filled with the best artists and dealers in the fandom! Who could ask for anything more?! For more information, visit the Dealer Registration page. To view a list of our dealers, check out the Artists and Dealers section at the bottom of this page.

Tabletop Gaming

We’ve got tournaments and pick-up games running all three days! Role-playing, card games, and other games, we’ve probably got it!

Charity Raffle

Bid on and win one-of-a-kind furry art and merchandise at our Charity Raffle! All proceeds go to help our charities, so donate what you can and bid often! Raffle tickets can be purchased for $1 each in the Charity room. We can provide donation receipts for those of you who want to claim your donation on your taxes.

Talent Show

Have a specific skill or talent you'd like to showcase? At the Camp Tiny Paws Talent show, all skill levels are welcome! Come join us to spectate or show us some talents of your own whether they be dancing, singing, acting, comedy, or even something new! Cheer on your friends as they show off what they got or witness the many talents and the variety of different skills making this community so special! The Talent Show is the perfect event to showcase just how gifted every fur can be. If you have an act of your own, it's easy to join us and may be the perfect opportunity for you to get up on stage.

Talent Show Guidelines:

Mandatory rehearsal and sign-up will be on Saturday at 10am. Performers need to be in the Main Lodge on Saturday evening at 7pm.

Each act has a time limit of three (3) minutes. If your act needs to exceed that time limit, please contact the Talent Show Director prior to the convention. While many songs are longer than three minutes, they can often be trimmed down to fit in our time limit.
All acts must be suitable for a general audience including both adults and minors. This means no adult language or subject matter and no vulgar or grotesque behavior. All costuming must obey Tiny Paws' Code of Conduct guidelines. Any act which breaks these guidelines during their final performance (i.e. is clean during rehearsal but runs blue/adult during the show) will be pulled from the stage and banned from future performances.
No fire, water, glitter, blood, confetti/glitter, or other substances which make a mess of the stage may be used before, during, or after an act.
Performers must provide their own props. Camp Tiny Paws can provide microphones, tables, and chairs. Do not bring props which are overly large, fragile, or complicated to build or disassemble.
All performers must attend Saturday morning's rehearsal to be allowed to perform in Saturday evening's show. No last-minute acts will be accepted.

Creative Spaces

Nothing soothes the soul more than making something fun and imaginative. We will be offering a number of classes and crafting opportunities, ranging in skill level from super-basic (but still enjoyable!) to professional, all geared to inspire your creativity.

Do you have a particular crafting or creative skill? Go to our Programming submissions page to submit your own event. The event can be purely social (like a stitch ‘n’ kvetch) or instructional. We are also interested in events to craft simple, quick items to be donated to charity like hats, cowls, mittens, and fleece blankets if you would like to play host to your fellow crafters. Feel too shy to lead a creative event or class? If your ConCat can do it, so can you!

Do you have a stash of yarn, fabric, fake fur, or other crafting supplies or basic equipment which is getting out of hand? Destash your extras by donating them to the convention and we will see they are put to a positive, charitable use! Contact the ConChairs to discuss your donation. We can provide donation receipts for those of you who want to claim your donation on your taxes.

Social Events

We will also offer a Talent Show, dances (including a kid-friendly dance during the day), the Tiny Paws Olympics, fursuit photography studio, and many more fun things to do!

SPECIAL BONUSES:

Attendee Guest of Honor

Prior to the beginning of the convention, the name of one of our pre-registered attendees will be randomly drawn. That person will have their membership upgraded to our Wolf level and also receive free Chipmunk admission to next year’s event. (If the selected attendee has already purchased a Wolf registration, their free membership for the next year’s event will be upgraded to Wolf instead.)

Social spaces galore!

We've got huge lobbies on the main and second floors and an outdoor patio so you can experience the brilliance of that bright ball in the sky called Sol! It's amazing! And, if you expose your skin to Sol for safe periods of time, the light actually provides your body with a natural source of Vitamin D! But that's what we do here at Tiny Paws Con, work miracles of science!