Furpoclypse moves venues as Halloween convention's hotel became ghastly
Furpcolypse, out of Connecticut, has always been an interesting Halloween gathering for furries. To fit the season, the convention usually picks themes dealing with decay or a haunted vibe. Over the last few years when the hotel they contracted with fell under new management, one thing started to become perfectly clear. The venue itself was dressing itself up to the themes, and it would not back down from one upping the attendees themselves.
What was once known as the Radisson was now the Red Lion, but its foundation had not moved from its spot off the 91 in Cromwell. The venue's story is one which is cursed. Clearly the architect was mad, as they had adorned it with a lovely indoor pool, however placed it smack dab in the middle of a building that was not prepared for the maintenance and moisture that it brought with it. As a result the costs of upkeep was high, and apparently unmanageable by their owner. What followed was a game of hot potato with the ownership.
Meanwhile the building continued to decay to a point where it may find itself perfectly at home in a Dan Bell feature. Black mold spattered the ceiling, rust, decay, and boarded off rooms were plenty. Convention goers reported that they would be given keys to a room before being informed that they needed to trade it in since guests were no longer allowed in particular suites. One room seemed to have a hidden loft, which was explored. One cosplayer adorning a GhostBuster uniform may have been able to find a PK rating in the pool, which showed signs of organic growth within its waters.
It was known before the 2019 event that the soul of the convention would be set free to seek greener pastures, and it was announced at closing ceremonies that they found one, The Crowne Plaza in Stamford. One explorer indicated the hotel appears to be clean, modern, and spacious. Whatever next year’s experiences may bring, they certainly will not be able to top stories of the decaying zombie of a hotel from which they had come.
“Or can they?”, the reporter inquires with a crash of thunder and a mechanical laugh.
About the author
Sonious (Tantroo McNally) — read stories — contact (login required)a project coordinator and Kangaroo from CheektRoowaga, NY, interested in video games, current events, politics, writing and finance
Comments
With the new venue, will the attendance be capped around 1400-1500 like it used to be? At the time it was the right size for the venue, and for the number of volunteers they had to do the staffing, and the con had a good energy at that size - it was a pleasant state of equilibrium.
I managed to go back in 2011 (when it was FurFright), and yeah, the internal architecture was bizarre. I got the impression it was a gradual process - adding or merging with other buildings, ownershop changes, some part burning down in the past and then being re-built. With the end result that you could be sitting in a lounge/balcony in the big open area in the middle, near the pool, and you could see people gathering in another nearby part, but there was no direct way there, the sections weren't connected. You had to take a long circuitous route through the rest of the hotel to get there, and I've got a terrible sense of direction, so it was easy to get lost. Still, I had a good time, despite not really knowing anyone!
To travel to the convention, I think I took a plane to Newark, then took a short hop on a commuter train to an Amtrak station, then took Amtrak to Berlin, CT. Getting a taxi to take the final leg of the trip was the most challenging. I didn't have a mobile, and the station's pay phone was barely working. (Also I think Insane Kangaroo (?) had taken the same train as me, and I didn't want to hang around any longer than necessary.)
Stamford looks like it's on multiple train routes, so for those of us without cars, that's great!
I really hate myself sometimes...
And given the timing, I think we now have a good idea of where COVID-19's real origin was.
Post new comment