All Fur Fun registration director KieferSkunk has stated what many suspected - that long-running furry convention Conifur Northwest has been permanently cancelled due to a lack of further interest from lead organizers Flinthoof and Tibo. According to KieferSkunk,

All Fur Fun received a generous donation from Conifur staff - basically all of their art-show panels, their registration desk, tons of supplies, a bunch of old equipment ... In the process, we got word from Canaan and Tibo that Conifur has been cancelled for good - they're tired of running it.[1]

Flinthoof and Tibo have been named as sponsors of All Fur Fun in return for their donation, along with a few as-yet unnamed Conifur staff.^[1][2]

Founded in 1998, Conifur Northwest was organized as a 501(c)(7) recreational club in the state of Washington.^[3] It ran a yearly convention until 2006, when the convention hotel was torn down and a replacement could not be found. An alternative conference, FurFest Northwest, was planned for later that year, but fell apart amid artist concerns.^[4]

Regular Canadian furry Halloween celebration Howloween saw a significant rise in registrations in 2006, which was attributed in part to Conifur's cancellation. All Fur Fun (to be held March 30-April 1 in Spokane, Washington) and RainFurrest (planned for August 24-26, 2007 in SeaTac, Washington) have sprung up to take its place.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Conifur Northwest discussion, KieferSkunk, WikiFur (February 18, 2007)
2. ↑ Special thanks to the former staff of Conifur! - KieferSkunk, All Fur Fun LiveJournal (February 12, 2007)
3. ↑ Conifur Northwest - Guidestar.com (free registration required)
4. ↑ Con Beware, Blueroo, artists_beware (July 16, 2006)