EVENTS

The following are special ARF sponsored events. If you would like to come, shoot us a howl
and we'll see about helping out with transportation and other such things.

Murrrdi Gras 7
February 20- 22, 2004
St. Louis, MO


Party Time, Furry Style!!!     



Well it's that time again!!! Time for Murrrdi Gras VII! This year we have another full weekend planned for everyone with lots of activities. Some of last year's events put a whole new spin on fun!
This year's theme is:


Celebrate St. Louis

Time to get your reservations in for Hotels and events. email Tyger Cowboy at furtravel@hotmail.com so you don't get left out!

Thanks to all the artists that sent us this year's button art! Afriti, Bailzzararco, Ryngs Raccoon, and Stridor Orion all sent in some really great art...all on a DAY'S notice too! We're going to make some buttons of each, and hand them out, instead of having our normal contest! You can see all the buttons here.

What is Mardi Gras?

The Term "Mardi Gras" means "Fat Tuesday" (ahhh...the French really know how to live it up! :) ), but in general use, Mardi Gras is a celebration, a final party to get out all urges before Lent starts. Carnivale is the actual name of this party, and it is always starts on 12th Night, the 12th day after Christmas, and ends on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Because Easter always changes, so does the date of Mardi Gras. Sound Interesting? There are lots of traditions to the celebration as well, and you can find these, and more about the whole event here.

The Plan for the Weekend

Friday February 20, 2004
Dinner at Chris" starts at 7PM (Great food, with very reasonable prices), then on to bowling at Sunset Bowl for FURRY COSMIC BOWLING from 9:30pm to Midnight.
Yes, bring out your best fursuits, ears and tails for this fun evening! Approx cost: $10 per fur We'll have a great time bowling, dancing, and causing general havoc (in a nice way). Please, respect the Bowling alley, and its management. They really like to host us for fun ...in other words when we're done, find them and thank them for letting os bowl! The cost is for bowling only; snacks and drinks are extra.
The usual room for us to change into our fursuits will be made exclusively available for those with fursuits. And since the other bowlers LOVE to dance with all the fursuiters, don't be shy about bringing and wearing them there.....)

Saturday, February 21, 2004
It's up at Crack O' Dawn to head down to the Saint Louis Mardi Gras Parade
http://www.mardigrasinc.com for MARDI GRAS:

Assembly will be between 6am and 8:30 AM at the party staging area,
http://www.soulard.com/features/SoulardCoffeeGarden.html.
we can park right acros the street from the Farmer's Market: $10-15 per car...AND WORTH EVERY PENNY!
Oh, and yes, WEAR YOUR EARS AND TAILS....GET MORE BEADS!! Note: We WILL be able to suit up, but we may have to let the Parade Security search our suit boxes for bottles and such. However, there are no rooms for us to suit up.
We will shuttle furs to the coffee house between these times from the BBH, however the last group
MUST BE READY TO LEAVE BY 8:00 SHARP (NOT FURRY STANDARD TIME!!), or get there on your own! Those who can drive a few at a time, please let us know beforepaw.
ALL ROADS CLOSE AT 9AM!!!

Some useful information:
This is an outdoor event! Please dress accordingly--it MAY be cold (Hey, it is February!).
Also, if you need to, bring a folding chair with you; altho we can use the coffee house, you'll miss out on the beads if you go inside!
If you have an FRS, it would be a great idea to bring it; our Channel of the day is Ch. 7
The coffee house is 3 blocks from the parade route, so if you need to get in out of the cold, you will be able to do it away from the crowds.
Don't forget to bring some $$ if you need to eat anything!

Parade starts @ 11am.

Then, we will have a few hours to crash, explore the city, or just chat...until:
Dinner at: Imo's Pizza (corner of I-64 and Hampton). Let's all get there by 6:30, so we can eat and still have plenty of time to get to the: City Museum in St. Louis.
This is a really neat museum...lots of things to do, see the old unique architecture of the city, watch a shoelace being made (you won't believe how much machinery it takes to make one!)...and climb around in the HUGE maze and the BIGGER Slides!
Knee pads are recommended (and worth every penny) and they do rent them out. Approx cost: $7.50 per fur, but if we get 15 or more, we get a BIG discount!
Here's a link to their map, so you don't get lost: City Museum directions.


Now for the BIG SURPRISE:
We can fursuit there as well!
The staff has been talked into letting us wear our ears, tails, paws, and full suits there, as long as we promise to have fun there ;). The museum is open til 1AM, and we can do whatever we can while in suit or tails. Just don't blame them if you get stuck on a slide or habitrail in suit ^.^

Sunday February 22, 2004
Its off to the Hardees on the corner of I-64 and Hampton (NOT the one by the hotel!)
Let's all get there around 10AM.
Breakfast normally runs around $5-10.
Then depending on the weather, it's off to the St Louis Zoo, the best Zoo in the city (OK...best in the area). Cost is ...Nothing! Yes, it is a free zoo, but they charge $8 to park, which helps them defray the cost of the zoo itself. We can get bites to eat and drink there as well
If the weather is bad, we can always hit the Science Center, which is also free, and just 3 blocks from the Zoo. They have an Imax theater, as well as a TON of interactive exhibits and such.

PLEASE RSVP IF YOU ARE COMING!!!!
Contact Tyger so that he can get a good estimation of the size of our party. EVEN LOCALS SHOULD LET HIM KNOW!!!

We have a NEW hotel this year...........
The Best Western Kirkwood,
1200 S Kirkwood Road
Kirkwood, Missouri, United States, 63122
Phone: (314)821-3950
Hotel link

The Best Western hotel is located off of Highway 44 and Lindbergh. This is a newly renovated hotel, and is promised to have MUCH more comfy beds than the last one we've used. Rooms are $69.99+ tx. per night (comes out to about $80 per room night). And I believe it includes Continental breakfast (rolls, coffee, etc.). It is right next to a Chili's, a Wal Mart, and a fabric store too.

We have a discounted hotel room block reserved, e-mail Tyger Cowboy at furtravel@hotmail.com for more information.


Important Stuff to know:
    As per tradition of the St. Louis Mardi Gras, The Captain Morgan Parade will start @ 11am at Busch Stadium, heading south to Sidney street onto 7th street.
    This year, we will have just a Parade view gathering.
    The gathering will be held as close to the Coffee garden as we can get.


More useful information:
    Main Mardi Gras page


How to get there!


Warning: We have yet to get full confirmations on street closings due to the parade. More info will be posted when available, so there is a slight chance of getting lost IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL. You have been warned.

A map of the Soulard area in PDF format.



ARF Staging Address:
Soulard Coffee Garden.
910 Geyer Ave
St. Louis, Mo 63104
(314) 241-1464


Other Addresses:


Fursuit Bowling:
Sunset Lanes:
7777 Watson Rd.
Webster, Mo.
tel: (314) 961-2777


City Museum
701 North 15th St.
St. Louis, Missouri 63103
tel: (314) 231-CITY


From East:
  Take I-55 south, I-64 east, or I-70 west.
  Cross the Mississippi River (Popular Street Bridge) and exit I-55 south.
  Stay in far right lane 0.4 miles and exit at 7th Street.
  Turn Left on 7th street and continue 3/4 mile. Turn right onto Geyer, and SCG is on the right, 2 blocks up.

From South:
  Take I-55 north. Exit at 3200 So. Broadway.
  Continue north on Broadway for 1.75 miles (Broadway changes to 7th street.)
  Turn left onto Geyer, and SCG is on the right, 2 blocks up.


From Southwest:
  Take I-44 east to junction with I-55 north. Exit at 7th Street/Park Ave. Exit.
  Turn right on Park Ave. Go half block to traffic signal.
  Turn right on 7th Street and continue south 3/4 mile. Turn right onto Geyer, and SCG is on the right, 2 blocks up.


From North/Northwest:
  Take I-70 east downtown past the Arch (the Big Roundish Thing).
  Continue on I-55 south 0.3 miles past Popular Street Bridge. Exit at 7th Street.
  Turn left at 7th Street and continue south for 3/4 mile. Turn right onto Geyer, and SCG is on the right, 2 blocks up.
  (Must go to end of median and make U-turn.)


From West:
  Take Highway 40 east (I-64 east). Exit at Broadway (Last Missouri Exit).
  Turn right on Broadway and continue south 1.75 miles.
  (Broadway changes to 7th Street). Turn right onto Geyer, and SCG is on the right, 2 blocks up.






In case of getting lost, a few good landmarks to use:

  Cross streets on either side of the Coffeehouse are 9th on the east, and 10th on the West.
  Geyer St. is 2 blocks SOUTH of the Farmer's Market (which is on 7th and Lafayette)

  Soulard Coffee Garden is a brown brick building with a blue awning. The name is on the front awning with white letters.







Rules to keep in mind for the Party and Parade:
In addition to what rules there are for Mardi Gras:

1.) We are using the parking lot and building of Soulard Coffee Garden with special permission, which means we are guests, and should be on our best behavior.

2.) We will be restricted to using only the main restaurant, upstairs, and restrooms of the building.

3.) Drink responsibly, drink smart. Some attendees are underage.
No glass bottles, or coolers. Throw your trash in the proper cans or dumpsters.

4.) No public:
  A. Yiffing. Save it for later.
  B. No nudity.
  C. No flashing of various body parts to get beads--this is unfair to some of us lesser endowed furries.
  D. Despite the fact some of us are canids, there is no marking or "Public Urination"

5.) If in doubt about something, ask yourself this: "Will the Police pick you up and arrest you?"
  If the answer is yes, then don't do it.
  If not sure, then don't do it. Furries are not always easily amused.

6.) USE COMMON SENSE!!!

7.) Do not use the phones in the building unless you ask for permission.

8.) If you're assigned to a job, you'd better do it!

9.) Keep things clean, including floors, ground, building, and language.

10.) If someone in authority asks you to do something, please do it with minimum grumbling.

11.) If you see something that could be done, ask if it needs to be or not. Surprisingly, it might need to be done.

12.) No "technicolor howling, or meowing."

13.) The more helping paws, the less work for all.

14.) USE COMMON SENSE!!! Have to say it twice!

15.) This is a mostly free event that many have contributed to, and have helped make happen. It would be appreciated that you be sure to thank everyone, or help out as well in anyway possible.

16.) No throwing of cans, bottles, heavy items, papers, garbage, food, or anything not beads.
  If this happens, we will be not invited back to the parade next year.

17.) No promoting of nudity, or getting anyone to flash. The Mardi Gras officials will be watching.
  If this happens, we will be not invited back to the parade next year.

18.) And despite the tyrannical rules, have fun!!





MORE INFO TO COME!!!!!



Wrap-Up Report from Murrrdi Gras 3
March 3 - 5, 2000       St. Louis, MO




First off, on behalf of the Murrrdi Gras 3 organizers and all the members of ARF we want to thank everyone that participated this year. I think that by the response we have gotten so far, this will be a weekend not soon forgotten.

Friday
Everyone arrived throughout the day, Rapid T Rabbit had come in the preceding Sunday. It was wonderful seeing how well everyone got along. No matter where everyone was from, we were a furry family! We had furs from all 4 US borders come in for MG3. California, Texas, New York and Illinois were all represented.

After the group gathered at ARF Central we were off to Happy Joe's for pizza, salad and ice cream. I'm not sure what everyone thought with all the tails and collars as we came in. But we had several other couples that were eating there, flying paper airplanes and joking with us. From there we went to Ted Drewe's for a St. Louis tradition of frozen custard. Then we were off to the bowling alley for the rest of the evening to Rock N Bowl. what a time it was. We had about 30 furs all bowling, sketching, chatting and just having an all and all good time. We were all exhausted by the time the alley closed at 12:30am!!!

Saturday
Up bright and early to head down to the parade site. Was a fantastic day! Sunny, yet still a little cool. Perfect for fursuiting!!! We think the count with all the film crews and furs and friends were somewhere in the 40's. It was a blast seeing the crowds’ reaction to the fursuits. We threw over 2000 strings of beads to everyone in the area and if you ever want to see a sight....just watch those furs battle for the thrown beads! I think everyone had at least a handful if not a neckfull! The film crew from UK Channel 4 was overwhelmed with the welcome they got from the furs. It looks like the piece they are doing is going to be probably the most positive look at furry to date (I actually think a couple of the film crew were closet furries)

From there it was back to ARF central to drop off all the gear and take a quick breather before heading down to Union Station for dinner and shopping. The only bad thing was with the crowds from Mardi Gras (estimated about 500,000) and the big basketball tournament that was in town, a lot of the places at Union Station were literally out of food. But we all were able to find something to fill our empty tummies!

It was back to ARF Central then where for those still conscious Rapid T Rabbit showed several of his shows including his recent 17th Anniversary show!!! Thank you Rabbit for sharing those with us!

Sunday
We slowly all drag our furry butts out of bed and head off to the St Louis Zoo. We had yet another wonderful day. We couldn't have asked for better weather for the entire weekend. We met up with the UK film crew at the gate and then headed off to the children's zoo to start our tour. All the animals were pretty active and the crowds were so small everyone was able to see with out having to fight for a place. I know I'm repeating myself, but it was really great seeing how well everyone bonded this weekend. Many new friendships were formed and I think a lot of furs are already looking forward to next year. We wandered the zoo for several hours. Was really interesting seeing the look on people's faces as this group of about 30 furs was wandering though the zoo in tails carrying lots of puppets being followed by a film crew. We ended our time at the zoo with a nice lunch at the Lakeside Cafe. From there we were off to St Louis's Faust Park so Rapid T Rabbit could see one of the historic carousels that we have in the city. We think we set a record for the most furs on a carousel at once!!!! After that is was time to start saying good-byes. This was such a great weekend and all the furpile hugs that happened really was just the icing on the cake!!!