Camp Feral! - Cabins, Payments and more!

This blog is also the first mass-mail sent to campers who have registered!  If you haven't received this email and are registered, please check your spam folder...if it still isn't there, let us know!  Clearly our emails aren't getting to you!  Now...on with the show!

Heya campers!  There are just over 50 days to Camp Feral…excited yet?!?

It's time for us to get important information your way to help make camp a better experience!  There are two vital things to start clearing up - Cabin Assignments and Payments - which we will discuss in this email and follow up on later this week!

Before we move on there's an important fact to remember: Camp Feral! is unlike pretty much every furry convention or event in the world.  ...well, duh, we're the only furry summer camp, and we've been doin' crazy new things for years, but we mean for a very important reason.  Most events (including camping conventions) are designed so that you (the attendee) handle the vast majority of planning yourself...and just show up.  For some cons, registration on site accounts for the majority of attendees.

Feral is different…pre-registration is our registration because we handle the vast majority of planning for you!!  Food, lodging, even transportation (if you're taking the Feral bus) is our job and we're happy to do it!!  But one complication is that we need to know who is attending…so that there's enough food and a cabin for you!

For that reason, we have some important info about Payments and Cabin Assignments!

PAYMENTS:

If you have paid for Feral! already, please disregard this section!  If not, you should probably read on!

Registering for camp you lets us know you're interested in coming.  Paying for camp confirms your attendance.  Each year, several campers prefer to pay on site.  (Remember: you must pay in 'cash' if you are paying on site!)

We are trying to institute a $50 deposit if you plan to pay on site.  Why do we do this?  Numbers are VERY important to us for many reasons:

• We need to know how many people are attending for to make sure everyone gets fed 
• We need to make sure everyone gets a cabin…it's beautiful under the stars…but it can rain sometimes. Cabins are good!
• We need to make a conbook and conbadge for everyone
• More seriously…for insurance!!  They need to know how many people are attending camp!!

The $50 deposit ensures that you'll have a spot saved come August 30th!  If you choose to just show up at the bus, and haven't contacted us at all or paid a $50 deposit…there's a chance there won't be a spot on the bus, not to mention chaos when you try to find a place to sleep!

How To Pay? Payments are located in the navigation bar of the Feral site…or, you can click this link! http://campferal.org/products  Simply choose the attendance package you want, add the bus if you need it, and check out!  If you want to pay the deposit, choose the 'Pay On Site' option!!

If you have questions about this or anything involving payments, please contact us by replying directly to this email!

CABIN ASSIGNMENTS:

Veteran campers will remember our various attempts to automate the cabin assignment system…and how each ended in tears and confusion.  Guess what…automation is for suckas!  We're going manual in 2011!!

...back to our roots...*tears up*

Yup!  In the next weeks, expect Feral! staff to contact you and ask YOU what cabin you'd like to be in!  There are many ways this can go down, such as:

• If you know who you want to bunk with, talk amongst yourselves, and let Feral staff know the list of cabin mates!  Once everyone is confirmed, you're set!
• If you aren't sure, we'll ask a few questions, like whether you want to be in bed early or stay up late, if you are a light sleeper, if you snore, stuff like that!  After that, we'll work to find a good match for you.  Yup…sometimes, real people do better than machines!
• If you're a first timer, we'll find a good matching veteran camper cabin to put you and some other Feral! Noobs (meant VERY affectionately) so you can get into the swing of things.

In addition, this year we have divided the camp up into distinct 'Lights Out' sections: Lights out before 11, Lights out at Midnight, and Lights Out Whenever.  Noise rules of camp still need to be respected, but if you want to stay up until 4 am talking about the meaning of life, or crash out at 9, we have a cabin for you!

But wait, there's more!  We will feature a map of camp on the site, and within each 'Lights Out' section you can choose your first, second, and third favourite cabin out of the bunch!  We will try our best to make sure everyone is in a cabin they love!

Sooooo, if you know who you want to bunk with, get a list together and ready for when we contact you!  If your friends aren't registered yet…well, time to get them reg'd!!  Otherwise, how will we know they're coming? :D  If you're a first timer, no worries, we've got you covered!

OTHER INFO:

Please review the 'What To Bring' section on the Feral! site so you can start planning!  Things to remember: sunscreen, sleeping bag, pillow, flashlight, warm clothes! (the five most commonly forgotten items!)  For more reading…probably the most important thing you'll read about camp…go here: http://campferal.org/pages/what_bring_tips_and_tricks

SHORT STORY WORKSHOP: Guest of Honour Rikoshi will be running a limited attendance short story workshop this year, much like Kyell Gold ran in 2009.  Five lucky furs will get help with writing skills related to short stories they have already written!  To join the workshop, please send the short story you would like to discuss in the workshop - with Rikoshi moderating the discussion and offering insight - to Potoroo at roogoyle@gmail.com.  To guarantee entry you must be registered for camp, have submitted a story, and be confirmed to attend.

REMEMBER, the bus leaves Yorkdale Mall at 2:00 pm sharp on August 31st!  Please read the Getting to Camp section and familiarize yourself on the important details!  If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact us: http://campferal.org/pages/getting_camp

Expect a few more emails before camp, and a 'Cabin' email within the next week!

Take care, campers!!  Much loves!!

Potoroo and the Camp Feral! Staff