ZonieCon

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ZonieCon was a small furry convention based in Tucson, Arizona from 1998 to 2001, usually held in the fall to avoid the hot summer months.

The name of the convention comes from the popular character Zonie the Coyote, who was created by the late Michael-Scot "McMoo" McMurry. After McMurry's untimely demise to stomach cancer in 2001, ZonieCon briefly engaged in a limited partnership with the ConFurence Group but effectively dissolved after its final outing in October of that year.

Promoted as "The Con That Would Not Die", this was held at the Best Western Executive Inn in Tucson. Chairman Scott Malcomson later moved from Tucson to Phoenix, with the effect that the convention (which had always been run "informally and usually at the last minute") was shelved indefinitely. Occasionally, Malcomson has said he would like to resurrect the convention, when and if time and finances allow.

ZonieCon had a very unusual and tumultuous history for such a short-lived convention. One example, as shown in the linked photos, was that the Best Western Executive actually allowed the guests to draw on its walls --- because the hotel was undergoing extreme renovations and expected to paint over everything in a few days anyways. This permissive attitude was essentially a form of apology: the hotel had forgotten about the ZonieCon contract due to internal communications problems. Only a handful of rooms were available and most guests having to be relocated to two other nearby hotels. So long as the artwork was kept clean, it was allowed.

The convention also had a patron saint in the form of Mitch Beiro, who often created outstanding original works to help promote the event. Besides art for flyers and convention books, he also went so far as to engage his formidable skills with foamcore, producing colorful and innovative standups.

It was also noted for its unusual events:

  • Machine Gun Shoots, including at local "wildcat" ranges
  • Model rocketry firings (one of which took place at a Tucson graveyard)
  • "Art Spelunking" (in which furry artists took over a storm drain for art and exploration fun)
  • Wolf Smith's "Ice Cream Anti-Social"
  • The "Meat Meet" (free burgers and ribs for all attendees).

Between the Anti-Social, the Meat Meet, and the notoriously well-stocked ConSuite, ZonieCon may well have had the best-fed guests of any furry convention to date.

[edit] 2001

  • Date: 19-21 October 2001
  • Location: Best Western Executive Inn, Tucson, Arizon
  • Motto: The Con That Would Not Die

[edit] Staff

[edit] External links

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