Hello again, and welcome to the 2020 Winter Carnival Furmeet!

We will be meeting at noon inside of Fisher Hall on Michigan Tech's campus in front of room 135. This is just in front of the main entrance, in the main hallway. After noon we'll be heading out around campus to tour the statues, hang out, and have fun! Afterwards we'll head to the Rockhouse (or another restaurant if the group decides to) for an early dinner/late lunch, and then we'll head to Mont Ripley for 2 hours of tubing! Fursuits are welcome and encouraged on Mont Ripley!

Rides can be provided to those who don't have cars to the Rockhouse and Mont Ripley to/from campus. Parking on campus is free during the event. Plan for $17 per person for tubing, and additional money for food. RSVP is appreciated but not required.

So strap on your tails, and don your suits, we look forward to seeing you there!

Hello again, and welcome to the 2019 Winter Carnival Furmeet!

We will be meeting at noon inside of Fisher Hall on Michigan Tech's campus in front of room 135. This is just in front of the main entrance, in the main hallway. After noon we'll be heading out around campus to tour the statues, hang out, and have fun! Afterwards we'll head to the Rockhouse (or another restaurant if the group decides to) for an early dinner/late lunch, and then we'll head to Mont Ripley for 2 hours of tubing! Fursuits are welcome and encouraged on Mont Ripley!

Rides can be provided to those who don't have cars to the Rockhouse and Mont Ripley to/from campus. Parking on campus is free during the event. Plan for $17 per person for tubing, and additional money for food. RSVP is appreciated but not required.

So strap on your tails, and don your suits, we look forward to seeing you there!

Hi everyone, welcome to the 2018 MTU Winter Carnival Furmeet! Taking place on Saturday February 10th, 2018.

We will be meeting at noon inside of Fisher Hall, in front of room 135 (east end, main doors). We'll head out and tour the statues, interact with the public and just be plain silly! Afterwards, we will head to the Mineshaft for a few games of bowling, and then top it off with dinner at the Rockhouse Grill. Parking should be free on campus during the event, and expect to bring around $25-$30 for bowling and dinner.

Bring your suits, tails, badges, and whatever else!

RSVP is appreciated, but not required, and please comment if you have any questions! Hope to see you there!

The main event is posted on our Facebook page, feel free to request to join at https://www.facebook.com/groups/upfurry/

Your Host  queenhyena is inviting you to a party in Hancock Michigan! This years theme will be The Wizarding world of Houghton and Hancock. Costumes furry or otherwise are encouraged. Because of drinking and it being held on a private party this event is 18+ RSVP's can be done on Facebook or by messaging the host directly. You may also message them for the address.

Date: October 28th
Time: 4pm-12am

This years party activities will include the following:

- Best Costume Contest
(Fursuits make excellent additions but are not required and will not qualify on their own.) A super secret surprise will be given to the winner!

- Goody Raffle
Everyone gets a ticket at the door, more can be purchased for 50 cents a piece. The prize thusfar includes a paw/tail set made with special Halloween colors and fabric.

- Spooky Movie night
We will have a room set aside with popcorn and coca to watch classic Halloween movies such as Hocus Pocus and Beetlejuice!

- Drawing Room
Another cozy room will be set aside for quiet discussion and working on art. If you have sketchbooks to exchange or tips to give this is the place for you!

- Dinner/Potluck
A main course will be made by :userqueenhyena: but you are encouraged to brings snacks and side dishes along with any beverages.

- Butterbeer and Alcoholic Beverages.
I will be making both classic butterbeer and a virgin variety but other spooky cocktails will be offered. Like food I encourage anyone else 21+ to bring beer or drinks they might like to share.

To those of you unfamiliar with our facebook page or telegram group and have been hanging on hope to see a meet posted in your area I highly encourage getting further involved with the community! Our Telegram is especially social and the quickest way to make local friends. To be added please contact one of our administrators  queenhyena or  yooperfox with your username, headlined "Yoopers"

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Its been a slow process over the last few months but UPfurry is officially running under new management! Our old group owner  platero has passed down the position and over the course of the next few weeks  queenhyena and  yooperfox will be updating our social media accounts and polishing things up. As mentioned before we do have a facebook and telegram group currently up and running for any locals to be updated quickly on current events and socialize with other yooper furs. The next year we do have some routine events in the works but official dates are yet to be released. However you can expect to find our next event taking place mid-August

Other events will include:

Halloween Party - October
Midwest Furfest Yooper Dinner - December
Winter Carnival - February

Posting this shortly after returning from the June picnic in Marquette! It was wonderful to see so many of us together enjoying a beautiful day outside. (Expect pictures sometime later today) Because of the showing success in turn out it is going to be made into much more of a habit that our meets are spread further across the peninsula, focusing mainly on Houghton/Hancock, and Marquette where most of the population is. However, as of right now the Soo is another future potential meeting spot and depends highly on feedback and interest from you! We do welcome smaller get-togethers and meets as well as others planning their own events to better connect with locals of their area. If anyone would like to propose an idea the option is always open! Please do try to contact directly via group or Hemlocks or my personal accounts as this page is used primarily for announcement purposes.

Thank you for reading and we hope you stay!
Welcome to the UP, eh!
- Akila

It's been two years since our last Winter Carnival meet, but  queenhyena is planning a gathering this weekend!

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"The 2015 Winter Carnival Meet will start by meeting at Fisher Hall on campus and continue with a walking tour of the statues and popping around the various events going on that day. If you get cold its a short stop off to the Van Pelt and Opie Library for hot chocolate. After an hour or two of fun in the cold we can move the party to the M-26 Corridor (Near Walmart) And pop by the Mineshaft for a bit of fun and a late lunch/early dinner before parting ways."

WHEN: Saturday, 2/7/15 at 12:00
WHERE: Fisher Hall at Michigan Tech

Be sure to check out the official Facebook event, or if you're not on Facebook, leave any questions/comments/concerns here or tweet them at @upfurry.

 paigeshepherd is hosting this year's Halloween meet!

"Come celebrate all things both spooky and fuzzy at this years Halloween furmeet. There will be movies, fun snacks, games, and a sketchbook exchange. Bring your fursuit, ears, and tails! Don't forget to bring a reference sheet along with!"

Full details can be found on the Facebook event, and there is some discussion happening in the UPFurry Facebook group too.

WHERE: Lake Linden, MI
If you need the address and cannot access the Facebook event, please leave a comment below.

WHEN: Saturday, October 25 at 12 noon

A lot of you have met  jaywolfe2007. He's the longest-serving staff member in UPFurry history, and he has co-hosted every Halloween meet we've ever had.

Well, Jay was on the receiving end of a nasty breakup, and he's not going to have a place to live for much longer. Due to an old back injury, he hasn't been able to work, and his most recent disability claim was rejected.

Before he moves out, he needs a bit of cash to get some affairs in order, obtain a new driver's license, and cover the first bit of living expenses.

Read more on his own journal here.

 sorcererdale, who lives nearby, has been gracious enough to offer his PayPal account, since Jay doesn't have a bank account right now. So please send any PayPal donations to dale[at]dalesclockshop.com and he'll pass the funds on.

Every penny helps!

There's been a lot of change and a bit of turmoil in the last few months.

On the convention/meet front, we're all going in separate directions:
-Traditionally we've gathered at Furry Connection North every year. FCN is no more. Will Motor City Furry Con fill the void?
-Traditionally we've gathered at Midwest Furfest every year, especially because it took place over Thanksgiving break for Michigan Tech students. This year, it's moved to early December, which is the weekend right before fall finals for most college students.
-Traditionally we've had a meet at Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival every year. Now Great Lakes Fur Con in Grand Rapids is the same weekend.
-There's a new con in Milwaukee in February and in the Twin Cities in September. Who will go?

On the staff front:
- hundaro moved away, leaving us with no Houghton staff.
-Some of our Marquette staff are undergoing a variety of personal issues.
-I, platero, have not done much of anything in the last 2 years, except to post meet announcements. This semester I'm finally back in the UP again, and will be until 2016 (minus summers), so I plan to increase my involvement and help with a long-term strategy to keep the group going.

And that's not to mention the possibility that FurAffinity will someday not be the biggest art site, or that Facebook usage is declining among the younger population. That throws our Facebook/Twitter/FA strategy of the last 3 years out of whack.

So what needs to be done?
-We're going to hire at least one staff member who lives in Houghton. More (Houghton or otherwise) could be a possibility.
-We need more events to happen, and people who aren't on staff shouldn't be afraid to host them. I'm in Sault Ste Marie, where most of you aren't, and even though I know Houghton and Marquette well, I'm not comfortable with telling those of you who live there what to do.
-We need publicity! Our founder had business cards and made t-shirts. I'm not sure if that's the route to go, but there are furs in the UP who don't know this group exists, and that's a problem.
-We need you in chat! Turaiel says: "I started an IRC channel for Tech furs a while back, so feel free to join if you'd like. It's ‪#‎mtufurs‬ on irc.nightstar.net, or http://tiny.cc/mtufurs if you don't already have an IRC client. You're welcome whether you go to Tech or not!"
-The upfurry.org domain expires this summer. It hasn't been used for anything since 2011, except for the email accounts. I plan to renew it for either 1 or 2 years "just in case," but if we don't come up with something to do with it, I'm not renewing it again.

In the next few weeks, I'm going to do a lot of soliciting opinions, mostly in the Facebook group and maybe in the chat. I want everyone to feel comfortable and happy in the community and for new faces to begin showing up. Stay tuned!

From the desk of  zinky. and  jaywolfe2007:

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OH CRAP IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN.
Yup, our epic party is still alive and kicking! (No, really, we still have booze and candy from last year. Please consume it.)

For those who've attended in the past, they'll be familiar with our laundry list of entertainment options, such as retro gaming, movies, music, board games, and general enjoyable hogwash (for the record, we recently found the last of the jello-shot cups from last year's battle) IN ADDITION, as you may have heard, this year we will be providing a BALL BIT. YES, BALL PIT. (Now you HAVE to come!)

For your lovely faces, we will have a variety of food and drink, including soda, juice, beer, and liquor (feel welcome to provide your own as well!), grilled hot dogs, chili, pizza, chips, and candy. In the morning, when you're all inevitably hung-over, we'll have eggs, sausage, and potatoes to quell your zombie-like craving for nutrients. We will also provide bottled water to take with you (don't kid yourself. You'll be dehydrated.)

As always, you are encouraged to spend the night. We have SOME blankets and such, but if you have your own, you should bring it. It's also worth mentioning that we have a cat and a dog (though, the cat will probably be in hiding all night.)

Costumes and fursuits are welcome!

Feel free to invite friends, but please RSVP so we can get an accurate head-count! Hope to see you there!

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The party begins on Saturday, November 2 at 4:00 pm. Jay and Zinky live in KI Sawyer, near Gwinn, which is south of Marquette and definitely not within walking distance. Directions can be provided if you need.

You can also check out the Facebook event at https://www.facebook.com/events/430255750424276/

This is a feature that we've had since 2008, and even though 4-5 people are still using it, I hadn't been able to add new users for 2 years because the old site owner was still in control.

Until now.

We are offering free Google accounts in the format yourname@upfurry.org. With an account comes Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Talk... all the usual stuff!

Because our Google Apps account was grandfathered in, we can have up to 100 email accounts. Only 9 are currently taken.

If you're interested, please send a Note to  platero.
(Don't send anything to this account, because we only check it about one a month.)

P.S. Don't forget about the picnic on July 7!

A message from  paigeshepherd:

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2013 Houghton Furry Picnic
Where: Chutes and Ladders Houghton MI
When: July 7th 12:00 P.M – 6:00 P.M

Summer is here and its time for some fun and games! On Sunday, July 7th 2013 Me and  freakhound will be hosting a furmeet at the Chutes and Ladders park in Houghton Michigan. The day will include lunch there, fursuiting for those of you brave souls willing to dawn fur in the heat. At 12:00 we will have a meet and greet where everyone can introduce themselves. A little about their fursona, hobbies and anything they would like afterwards events will follow like so.

12:00-12:30 Meet and greet
12:30-2:00 lunch preparation and lunch
2:00-4:00 Fursuiting/Goof off time
4:00-5:00 Sketchbook Exchange
5:00-6:00 Random activities and cleanup

This schedule is not exact. If anyone has any ideas for further events please post them bellow C:

Lunch: It is not required though I kindly ask each member to contribute what they can to the picnic. A bag of chips, some hot dogs, a bottle or two of pop. Cups, Post bellow if you are interested in bringing something. I will compile a list of everything being brought and update it weekly.

Fursuiting: Not everyone is crazy about suiting in the summer! It can be dangerous, and hey, not everyone has a suit. If you don’t have one, or just aren’t interested that day no problem. The rest can either tag along with suiters or enjoy some time to chat with the other furs who are attending.

Sketchbook Exchange: It is common at Fur conventions for people to bring a sketchbook where you may go and pay a certain fee in a dealers den for a sketch by your favorite artist. Not everyone is as artistic as the next but it may be cool to get a few mementos from new and older friends. I ask you guys to bring along a sketchbook and a few pencils if you want. I will be drawing and I encourage you guys to as well. This is not a profit gaining event. If you would like to draw that’s great! But save the commissions for conventions unless someone approaches you about it. Likewise, please leave adult work out of the equation for this. There will be minors present and for their sake I ask you to not show such work.

Sorry for the short notice. That's completely the group administrator's fault and not the event organizer's.

You cannot attend without RSVPing, and you cannot RSVP here. Currently there are 2 slots left. Please see the links at the bottom.

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Time: 12:00 P.M - 5:00 P.M Saturday, March 9th
Five Available slots. Contact me privately to reserve one. (limited parking, see end of post)
Class will be held in my home.
Address: 42 Gregory St Lake Linden MI (roughly 12 miles from the houghton/hancock location) For directions please contact me privately

Required supplies:
1 Role of Upholstery Foam (Can be purchased at walmart for $17) Near polyfill

Hot glue sticks (preferably large, though if bringing your own glue gun whatever size you need)

A spool of black or brightly colored Upholstery Thread.

1 Cotton Balaclava (Can be purchased at most sporting stores for $10)

1 Packed Lunch: If you intend to be at the class all afternoon it is recomended you bring something to at least snack on! I will have water and maybe some soda set aside for you guys but anything extra should be brought with. If you need something refrigerated or frozen please tell me ahead of time so I can make space. Only Microwavable or cold served items please.

Advised Items-

A thin coat or Hoodie. (We will be working in my unheated basement, and only aloud upstairs for bathroom breaks.) You do not what something to poofy simply because it can get in your way while working.

Warm boots/shoes/slippers. For the same reason above.

Thin Gloves- This is mostly for safety reasons, I myself do not use gloves when hot gluing, but have suffered countless painful burns. I will not be held responsible for any injuries that happen if you dont want to work with burning hands these are highly suggested!

A hot drink cup- If you guys would like Hot coco or tea I will be willing to make upstairs trips and make it for you. it may make the experience more enjoyable to have a hot drink.

Metalic Paint- For those of you who would like to add realistic eyes (For a payment of $5 each) Please pick up some metallic paint of your own color choices. I currently have Gold, Purple, Green, and Silver.

Tote bag- Some sort of bag to keep your supplies in while not in use.

Reference Sheets- Of both species and individual characters. This will help me help you, and also be a useful guide while constructing your costume.

Helpful Items.
I have limited supplies here. Which include 2 pairs of scissors, One hot glue gun and limited paint colors.

If you guys have extra scissors, glue guns, or anything else that may be used by more than one person feel free to bring it. even if you only want to use it yourself, it will give others the option to use other supplies and make learning much more quick and easy. Please mark your items with a little bit of masking tape and your name so they can be returned to you upon departure.

Helpfull items include.
- Hot glue guns
-Scissors
- Sewing Needles (I should have plenty but extras never hurt!)
- Metalic, and black paint colors.

Hot drinks.
As said before I am willing to make hot drinks for everyone, but only if the packets are supplied. If someone feels like bringing some Hot coco powder, Tea bags, Or Ground Coffee. feel free. any food or drink items will be accepted excluding Alcoholic ones.

Proper Conduct.
My parents are being very generous in allowing strangers in our home, and my family as a whole very trusting. The following should not need to be mentioned and simply expected, but to be safe I am going to list some rules bellow.

-No going upstairs without the permission of Myself, or another helper (I may have 1-2 friends there to assist us)
- Please refrain from stating any offensive opinions. This includes Relgious, political, sexual. ect ect. a casual conversation is fine, but if someone looks uncomfortable or I say to leave a topic alone please do so.
- No Alcohol, or Tobacco products. My home is free of both. if you need to smoke, please go out to your car and do so. (Dispose of all smoking waste inside your car)
- No pets permitted
- No "Tag alongs" Please dont bring your friends, or parents. if you are underage and parents are concerned I can provide more information to them personally about the location.
- No stealing, causing destruction of property or doing anything else which would classify you as a turd sandwitch.

There is limited parking space and class registration is on a first come, first serve basis. I will not be making pick ups so it will be your responsibility to either carpool or have a ride here and back. I have enough room for 2-3 people to park in my front lawn. please state how you are planning to get here in your attendance request.

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For more information, please see the post on the UPFurry Facebook, or better yet, the new Fursuitassist page.

It's that time again!

The theme of this year's Winter Carnival at Michigan Tech is "Heroes and Villains Find Their Power, in These Frozen Winter Hours!"

Here's  hundaro with the details:

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That time of year is coming around again, whether you like the snow and cold or not, so start growing your winter coat for the 2013 Winter Carnival at MTU! The theme of this year's carnival is Heroes and Villains. Regardless, if you are a little goody two shoes hero or a constant failure at taking over the world you are welcome to join in the festivities. The furtastic weekend will start on the night of Friday February 8th and end the morning of Sunday February 10th.

There will be plenty to do, of course. For all the snow birds out there the options are plentiful. There is snowboarding and skiing at Mt. Ripley, snowshoeing or XC skiing, snow sculptures, etc. For those furs who just wish to stick around the house and visit will have board games, ping pong, video games, movies, and music/dancing to help keep them entertained. For those into a little bit of nightlife- Houghton has a number of bars that are great to relax and socialize, and now the city offers a fancy dance club for the furs that want to shake those tails off into the night.

There will be plenty of room at my house for all of those furries and fur-friendlies out there with three beds, two inflatable mattresses, two couches, and plenty of floor space for any more inflatable mattresses or sleeping bags. Noms and snackage will be provided, so any donation would be appreciated but not required. There is also wi-fi at my place for the guests' use. I do have a very lovable dog, but just in case be prepared if you have any allergies.

The tentative plan:

Friday:

-Meet and greet (When we all shake paws and introduce ourselves. Although, a large portion has already met most that are attending.)
-Pizza, (Will be graciously provided by the host :D) or for those who are willing to spend some money a late dinner out at the new Mexican restaurant "Habaneros."
-Movies at home (All day)
-Games (Board, card, video, you name it) (All day)
-Miscellaneous Shenanigans (All day)

Saturday:

-Snow sculpture viewing/Fursuiting (For those willing. A photo shoot would accompany those who tag along for this.)
-Skiing/Snowboarding (Most likely for the Techies, but others who are interested will be escorted to the slopes.)
-Dinner cooked and provided by the host ("Bacon Bombs" and vegetarian chili)
-Furry Bowling
-Movie at the theater (If enough interest is expressed)
-Games (All day)
-Movies (All day)
-Continued Shenanigans (All day)

Sunday:

-Breakfast at the hillside (For those that dare to get up at 10 in the morning!)
-Saying goodbyes :(

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So, here's what you need to know.

We'll be meeting at 5:00 on Friday, February 8 at Hundaro's house, and again at 11:00 on Saturday, February 9 at the Memorial Union Building in the middle of Michigan Tech's campus. All ages are welcome.

For the most up-to-date info, you should take a look at the Facebook event (you probably have to be a member of the group to RSVP, but I'm not sure). We'll try to keep things up to date on here and especially Twitter throughout the weekend as well.

If you need to know any addresses or phone numbers, please send a note to  hundaro.

See you there!!

If you're currently enrolled at any college or university in Michigan, or in high school, you'll probably want to check out the new School Finder over at  michiganfurs. Go show your Husky, Wildcat, Laker, Lion, or <Other> pride!

In particular, there have been lots and lots of new furs at Northern in the last year or two, and hardly anyone there seems to know each other. I've heard a lot of complaints that "I'm the only fur in town", which is far from true, especially when Marquette is one of the most common cities for furmeets here.

I've thought about doing a user finder here by city, too... would anyone be interested, or is that too private or too redundant?

Talk about whatever with your fellow Yoopers.

What should UPFurry's resolution be for 2013? Restore the forums, add a chatroom, user locator, more furmeets?
Wondering if there are any furries in your town? Ask here!
Have furmeet suggestions? Suggest here!
How did fall classes go?
Any big plans for the holidays?

Midwest Furfest is just 8 days away! The third biggest convention in the world, with a projected 3,000 attendees this year, and usually the most popular con amongst Yoopers, this year's theme is "It Came From TV!"

Oh, you want to know where and when? It's November 16-18 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare, Rosemont, IL. Preregistration is closed, but latecomers can still register at the door.

Who's coming this year?

We don't have any planned meetup, unfortunately, but maybe if enough people ask for one...

...or, more specifically, Jay & Zinky's Ghoulishly Haunted HOWLween and Terrifying Housewarming extravaganza with a Creepy 80's Twist! Dot com!

This will be on Saturday, October 27 in Gwinn, which is between Marquette and Escanaba, so it should be close enough to everyone!

I turn the floor over to  zinky.:

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A Halloween/housewarming party by your favorite Yooper Wolves ;D FOR YOU, there will be dinner, a drunk-late-night-snack meal, breakfast, and of course, chips, chandy, and booze!

All we ask in return for all that awesomeness, is, well, anything. We just moved into a 3-bedroom townhouse, coming from a one-bedroom efficiency apartment. As you might imagine, we don't have much in the way of furniture or appliances. Sooo, any amount gift card or cash we can add to our savings to make our house a home would be
GREATLY appreciated! It's not a necessary part of admission, but, seriously. We'll take anything we can get ;u;

Dinner will probably be chili (I'll make a poll to figure out how much to make, and what kind), complete with cheese and sour cream and FRITOS. Hellz yeah.

We will supply cheap beer, cheap vodka/kool-aid/juice, and MAYBE jello shots. If you want anything better, feel free to bring it (you won't be expected to pass it).

After everyone is severely drunk and hungry again, we'll pass around pizza rolls, on top of potato chips, Doritos, fruit snacks, candy, and soda.

In the morning, there will be pancakes, eggs, and whatever else that hasn't been eaten.

As far as entertainment, we'll have music, streaming Netflix, a Nintendo, Super Nintendo, N64, PS2, XBox, and DDR. There's also various board games, cards/poker, & a giant drawing pad. If you have any games (video or board) or movies you'd like to bring, feel free to do so!

Costumes and fursuits are encouraged! The more the better!

There is ample floor space to crash, but some of you may need to park in another neighborhood, as we only have 3 spots to work with. (It won't be a long walk or anything.)

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You may RSVP here, but please, if you're in the Facebook group (and you should be ), respond to the official Facebook event as well. See you there!

Just in case you didn't see the flyer, I turn things over to  hundaro:

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Where? Marquette, MI

When? July 14-15, 2012

Who? All of those who consider themselves furry or furry-friendly

Why? Simply because we’re awesome and we want to!

How? Join us on the 14th where we’ll be meeting at 11:15 at Taco Bell, eat a small lunch (Or however much you want to eat ), and then start the festivities.

What’s the plan? When everyone is in attendance at Taco Bell we will first take our tails to the forest for a short hike into the wild, where we head to one of Marquette’s finest beaches for a few hours of splish splashing fun. Don’t forget to bring a towel to dry any damp fur! It will then be time to set up our camp at Tourist Park, so don’t forget your tents and your sleeping bags. Others will have room in tents if necessary.
Think you’ll be hungry by this time? Well, no problem because we’ll be tallying up the vote and heading out for a big dinner. Yay, noms! After dinner, if time allows we will head over to watch a flick at Marquette’s air conditioned cinema. Perhaps, a nice break for some overheating furs. Next, the furry gang will head on over to Negaunee where we’ll witness the Pioneer Days fireworks. Surely, a spectacle to behold, and possibly a great time to fursuit!
Finally, we’ll head back to camp and retire next to the campfire where we’ll tell stories and reminisce over the day. And make some smores, of course!! If you’re of age be sure to bring any wonderful beverages you wish to enjoy, but some will be provided. One by one, we’ll begin to hit the sack and fall into the dream world only to wake up the next day and head out to breakfast for those who wish to stay just a bit longer. But for those who wish to leave early we will bid them farewell.

What should I bring? You could bring whatever you want, but here are some recommended items: -- Tent (Not entirely necessary) -- Sleeping Bag/Roll -- Small Backpack -- Hiking Attire/Rain Coat -- Swimming Gear -- Towel -- Camera/Camcorder -- Water Bottle/Camelback – Sunscreen -- Snacks

What if the weather is really crappy? If it turns out to be a horrible day, don’t fret! We’ll have other activities lined up such as: Movie, Dinner, Live Music, Pool/Spa. We’ve got it covered!

It's been an unusually dry season for furry activity, not just here but everywhere in Michigan. I just wanted to say thanks to the 7 Yoopers who went to Leo's Coney Island at Furry Connection North on Friday, despite the short notice and lack of communication.

In case you'd like to add anyone you met there:

 hundaro  terai  talothefox  platero  sorcererdale  iarann  reddawn2988

Overall, we had at least 12 current and former UPFurries at FCN this year, twice as many as last year!

Hope everyone had a safe drive home, and best of luck on final exams (if applicable). :3

It is with a heavy heart that the three current admins of UPFurry.org ( zinkywolfe,  jaywolfe2007, and  platero) have decided unanimously to shut down the website for the time being. It's especially disappointing when the site redesign has been 90% finished since July, but we've reached the conclusion that it would not be worth the time, cost, or effort.

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TL;DR SECTION:

A couple things led up to this. First, the current staff took over because  furglitch and Phoxtayl both moved out of the state and obviously had no more interest in local events. However, I (the webmaster) unexpectedly left the UP in August, which put a huge dent in that reason. Communication between the staff got a lot more difficult... in fact, I think the three of us have all been in the same room only once since then.

Second, we wanted to replace a mostly dead forum with something that people would actually use. Thanks to a survey I made in September 2010, we learned that 100% of the community would like the option to receive email announcements of furmeets. The decision was made to move from forum-based software to event-based software, and I chose GroupSpaces, which is fairly similar to Meetup.com (and in fact, the Green Bay/Appleton furs use Meetup as their primary means of communication). This was a decent plan in theory but had some issues:

1. Other than the ability to email everyone, there's not more functionality than a Facebook group. In fact, GroupSpaces has built in Facebook integration, and we planned to sync events between the website and our Facebook group. That would mean if you used your Facebook login on UPFurry, you could RSVP to an event on one site, and both sites would register your response. Cool, but a double edged sword. There are of course people here who don't have Facebook or don't want to use their real name for furry things, but they're a small minority. Everyone else would most likely still do everything from the Facebook group. And we're spread across too many websites as it is.

2. The least expensive "good" GroupSpaces plan was over $15 a month, which isn't worth it for a website that maybe 20-30 people would use.

3. Even though the main focus would be on events and the event function is very good, the other features (forums, photo galleries, etc.) were proprietary and very bare-bones. In the event that we wanted to move away from the GroupSpaces platform in the future, we'd have to completely scrap and rebuild most of the site from scratch.

---

This is not necessarily a goodbye forever. If the existing social networking pages don't do the trick, the website might come back in another form someday. We're going to keep the domain for now and put a little splash page up to redirect you to here, the Facebook group, and the Twitter page. In the unlikely event that anybody reading this has a yourname@upfurry.org email address, we'll make sure that you still have access to it too.

Was a nice 4 years, see you here or on Facebook!

~Platero

The theme for this year's Winter Carnival at Michigan Tech is From All Over the State, What Makes Michigan Great. How appropriate, then, that furries from all over the state will be making the pilgrimage!

Right now over at MiFur,  takodahotah is making plans for a furmeet with some assistance by  platero and some lodging provided by  hundaro. We're still deciding what to do and on which days... some ideas include:

• Fursuit skiing/snowboarding at Mont Ripley
• Checking out all the neat snow sculptures on campus (hey, suiting here wouldn't be bad either!)
• Snowshoeing
• Eating, bowling, and/or playing arcade games at the Mine Shaft

So head on over to the OFFICIAL MIFUR THREAD if you want to give any input about this, or email  takodahotah at takoda117[at]gmail.com.

Stay tuned for more details!

Ready for some sledding? Come to Harlow Park in Marquette at 1 pm on Friday, December 30!

I'll let  zinkywolfe take it from here...

Brrr! Winter's here! TIME FOR FUN. COLD WET FUN.

I'll be hosting a furry-friendly sledding event, and basically everyone is welcome to drop by. Bring your friends!

Fursuits are encouraged, but certainly not necessary. Also, I only have one sled myself, so bring what you've got! Sleds, snowboards, or even skis if you're feeling cheeky.

If you're from out of town, you're welcome to change back at our apartment (which is only a few blocks away), before departing, or going out to dinner. The specific restaurant is debatable, but there will probably be food involved before the night is over (totally optional).

Unless you don't have a Facebook account, please RSVP to the official Facebook event. It's not guaranteed that anyone will be monitoring this journal.

This is a bit last-minute...sorry for breaking the two-week rule. There were scheduling issues, etc.

Similar to last year, we're gonna have a meet and greet in Sault Ste. Marie. Eat some lunch, wander around downtown, get to know each other. No ears, no tails, no pressure. We don't have a lot of chances to hang out in the Eastern UP.

Meet at Penny's Kitchen (112 W. Spruce St.) at 11:30 am on this Saturday, the 15th.  platero will be wearing a Sir Ferret shirt (photo) for easy identification. Hope to see you there!


Likely attendees:

Unlikely attendees:

It's been a while since we've announced any meets (7 months? really?), so here's what's in the works!

•  sorcererdale would like to gather a group of furs (suiters welcome) to see PAAC Fairy Tales at the Vista Theater in downtown Negaunee. This is happening this month and there are both clean and adult shows. Check out our Facebook group for discussion (and finally, nonmembers of the group can request to join).

• Look for another Sault Ste. Marie meet & greet in October. LSSU has a few new furries!

• No Halloween meet is planned at this time.

•  takodahotah is working on a fursuit snowboarding meet in the western UP sometime after December!

• Michigan Tech's annual Winter Carnival will be February 8-12, 2012 (in Houghton, if you didn't know). Quite a few alumni are asking for a meet, so maybe we'll make this a reunion of sorts. :3


Folks, we need you to plan events! The Houghton-Hancock area especially hasn't had much lately considering the size of its furry population. If you have any ideas, talk it over with your local friends (if applicable) and then send a note to  platero to get it posted on all the sites and groups.

We are retooling UPFurry.org to make it more of an event-based site than a forum-based site, so keep an eye out for announcements on that too.