EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW AND MORE!!!
GOOOOOD MORNING, CAMPERS!
In accordance with Feral tradition, we bring you the final newsletter of the year, THE BIG ONE, packed with lots of valuable info that will help ensure you have the best time possible at our birthday celebration for Pawnee! Please take time to read the info below and be sure to reach out to us at info@campferal.org if you have any questions!
IN THIS MESSAGE:
- Registration Information
- Registration Requirements for Bus and on Site
- Information re: COVID
- Information re: MONKEYPOX
- Getting to Camp
- Cars on Site
- Important Phone Numbers
- What to Bring
- What NOT to Bring
- Schedule and Workshop Fees
- Call for Volunteers
We can’t stress enough that you should read this entire message.
Registration Closes August 15th!
We still have a few slots available for camp this year. If you know of anyone that would like to join us for the softest party ever, let them know that they can register at campferal.org/registration/. We’ll be closing reg in just a few days, so make sure your friends know to register now!
Just as a reminder, there is NO ONSITE REGISTRATION for camp. You must register using our registration system before arriving at camp.
What do I need for registration check-in?
Please make sure you have photo identification available for check in, either at the bus pickup location, or on site if you are driving to camp.
Valid Photo ID Examples are:
- A valid driver’s license with your photo and date of birth
- A valid passport
- Canadian Armed Forces Identification Card
- A Secure Indian Status Card issued by the Government of Canada
- A permanent residence card
Canadian citizens should bring their provincial health card. U.S. and other foreign citizens should bring their own health insurance coverage, whether it be national, or private.
We will be checking for neither. It is illegal to request a provincial health card unless you are a medical practitioner. But let’s be frank for a moment. You should always travel with some form of personal insurance on hand.
COVID
Please remember to have your COVID vaccination records available when you arrive for registration, or when you arrive at the bus pickup location. We recommend you have a non-digital copy of your records or have them available in offline mode unless you have 100% certain that your network carrier will work at camp, or at all *mumblemumbleROGERSmumblemumble*.
Also, please be sure that you are familiar with our COVID policies before heading to camp and remember that we will be doing temp checks and potential rapid antigen tests as part of the registration check in process.
While you’re on our site it may not be a bad idea to also refresh yourself on our code of conduct and our list of what to bring.
Monkeypox vaccine ACAM2000 and personal space
We have been made aware that there could be potential issues for those that have skin conditions such as eczema or dermatitis if they are exposed to individuals who have recently been vaccinated against Monkeypox, specifically with the ACAM2000 vaccine. From what we have been able to gather, both Canada and the USA predominantly offer Imvamune, which does not have this side effect risk. However, the CDC has approved the use of ACAM2000 so you may have received ACAM2000 if you were vaccinated against monkeypox. We suspect if you got this vaccine you might have been warned about side effects for individuals with conditions like eczema, but we can’t be certain.
The side effect in question has to do with skin-to-skin contact between someone who was treated using ACAM2000 and someone with skin conditions such as eczema or dermatitis. As such we ask that we proceed with the usual request to respect personal space.
Additionally, if you have a skin condition that puts you at risk, and if you want to voluntarily self-disclose, Feral staff can issue you a special wristband letting other people know to give you a little more space. This can also be used if you would just like to have a little more personal space in general.
Please note that, as staff of a furry summer camp, we do not consider ourselves to be medical experts and are not in a position to offer medical advice. The above is noted based on what we could find about this situation online with some googling and is being provided to you in this newsletter at the request of potentially impacted campers. If you have any concerns about the monkeypox vaccine, risks that may be associated with it due to conditions like eczema or dermatitis, or any other medical concerns, please contact your primary healthcare provider.
Camp Feral fully supports vaccination efforts for monkeypox.
Getting to Camp
If you’re driving to camp and need instructions on how to get there, we recommend checking out our getting to camp page. Please remember that if you are driving to camp you will be allowed in the parking lot for camp, but you will not be allowed to access camp beyond the parking lot until registration opens, typically around 5 pm. Arriving in the parking lot before 4 pm is not advised. There will be members of Feral staff in the parking lot to assist with whatever you may need until registration opens.
If you are taking the bus, please review our page for the feral bus as this has all the info you need to figure out where and when we’re picking up and dropping off. Please be sure to be at the bus pickup location by 11:30 am when we depart for camp.
In our previous newsletter, we noted that air travel into Toronto Pearson International has been a bit hectic, so if you are taking the bus, you should arrive in Toronto the day before camp.
Our bus departure time is at 1 pm SHARP. If you miss the bus and still want to make it to camp, our recommendation would be to rent a vehicle, if able, in Toronto so you can make the drive to camp.
If you are planning to cancel your registration, please let us know by emailing us at registration@campferal.org. That way, we’re not waiting at the bus pickup location for someone who isn’t coming.
As a reminder, bus service cannot be purchased at the bus pickup location. You can only take the feral bus by registering ahead of time.
If you run into issues and need to urgently contact a staff member regarding bus travel, you can call 647-370-9635, and a staff member will be able to assist.
Cars on site
Cars will be allowed on site for unloading between 7pm and 9pm after dinner on the first night of camp. You’ll be required to sign in with your con badge in order to bring the car onto the campgrounds during that time. All cars must be off-site and in designated parking areas no later than 9pm.
Note that due to noise complaints, excessively noisy vehicles will be asked to stay out of camp.
Important phone numbers
Halex / Co-chair / Bus contact – 647-370-9635
Roo / Co-chair – 416-829-3616
Camp Arowhon – 705-633-5651
Before or after camp, feel free to contact Roo or Halex directly. During camp you will want to only use the Arowhon phone number as Roo and Halex may not have signal on site.
When you call Camp Arowhon leave a message and someone will be periodically checking the office to see if anyone called. Don’t be discouraged if no one picks up or it takes twenty minutes or so to get back to you. The camp is a very busy place. Arowhon staff will get the message ASAP and run it straight to Feral! staff, so:
Be detailed
Leave a return number to call
Let us know how urgent the situation is!
What to bring
A full list of our recommendations for what to bring to camp can be found on our what to bring page! It’s important that you review this carefully especially if you’re taking the bus. Feral staff will not have the capacity to take you to Huntsville (the nearest town) in the event that you forget something.
Please be sure to bring some cash with you as we do not have credit card processing machines and there is no ATM on site. Some workshops require payment and you may need some cash for the tuck shop or trading post.
Please DO NOT FORGET:
- bedding
- towels
- a pillow
- toiletries
- WARM CLOTHING (we have hit freezing temps at night in the past)
- A FLASHLIGHT
- any medication you may need.
Never underestimate the power of a comfy kigu at Camp Feral!
What NOT to bring
No Glass Bottles! Especially beer bottles. Wine, spirits will be tolerated so long as they are kept in your cabin and transferred to an unbreakable bottle to walk around with. If at any point a bottle breaks, in or outside of a cabin, mark the area it broke and contact Feral! staff immediately, even if you think it’s all cleaned up. We don’t want any kids getting hurt!
No Peanuts or Nut Products! They are banned from camp. Even a small amount of residue can make a kid very sick months later, so don’t bring any in!
No Weapons! You can bring a bow to use on the archery range, or if you’re a fencer you can bring your equipment…however you MUST let us know in advance, and your equipment will have to be stored behind lock and key at conops when you aren’t using it.
No Firearms! Not even airsoft. They’re banned in Algonquin Park.
If you want to perform at the musician’s circle this year, we will not be providing a PA system in Teepee Heights where the circle will be held. Please do not bring instruments that require amplification. Live that fully unplugged life!
Schedule and workshop fees
Our full schedule can be found on our schedule page. We also have a workshop schedule page you can check out!
Please remember that some of our workshops have costs associated with them beyond what your registration covers. Please see below for workshops that have additional fees.
Hydro dipping at the birthday party will cost $10
Coloring books at the birthday party will cost $10
Ear Costuming will cost $5
T-shirt crafts is “pay what you can”. The recommended contribution is $5 if you are not bringing your own shirt.
Puffy Paints is “pay what you can”. The recommended contribution is $5
Call for Volunteers
In recent years a lot of Canadian furry events and conventions have been struggling to maintain healthy staff numbers needed for things to run smoothly. The pandemic has taken a lot out of everyone, we understand, but having help from the community helps ensure that events like Feral can continue and as they say in Letterkenny, more hands makes less work.
If you have an interest in volunteering some of your time to help make Feral the amazing event that it is, please contact a staff member on site or reach out to us at info@campferal.org to let us know you’re interested. There is no minimum time requirement to volunteer. Even just an hour of your time can go a very long way and I assure you we will have a lot of appreciation for your assistance.
Questions?
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS don’t hesitate to contact us through social media or contact us via the info below!
Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/CampFeral)
Twitter (https://www.twitter.com/CampFeral/)
Website (http://campferal.org)
Email (info@campferal.org)