Editing Anthrocon (section)

==Background and history==
Anthrocon was founded in 1997 as '''Albany Anthrocon''' (AAC) in [[New York (state)|New York state]], with a membership of about 500. The convention was renamed to 'Anthrocon' and moved to [[Valley Forge, Pennsylvania]], in 1999 and 2000; then to a larger hotel, the Adam's Mark, on the outskirts of [[Philadelphia]] in 2001. Attendance grew each year, Anthrocon becoming the largest furry convention in 2001 with an attendance of 1,457. In 2004 it had climbed to 2,404 attendees in its final year at the Adam's Mark.<ref name="patternffc"/>{{rp|18}}

Due to the unforeseen sale of the Adam's Mark Hotel in November 2004, Anthrocon chose the Wyndham Franklin Plaza in Philadelphia as the site for its 2005 convention. Attendance that year dropped to 2,373. In June 2005, a contract with the Westin Convention Center Hotel in [[Pittsburgh]] was signed, and Anthrocon was scheduled to be held at the adjoining [[David L. Lawrence Convention Center]] between June 15 and 18, 2006. Despite concerns that the move to Pittsburgh would decrease attendance, it rose to 2,489, enough to ensure the future of the convention in Pittsburgh.<ref name="patternffc">{{cite book |last1=Pattern |first1=Fred |title=Furry Fandom Conventions, 1989-2015 |date=3 January 2017 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=9781476663814}}</ref>{{rp|22}}

In 2007 Anthrocon was featured in the [[Guinness World Records]] (2008 Edition) as the "largest furry fan club" in the world. In 2008, Anthrocon became the first furry convention to have an attendance exceeding 3,000 members, the official count reaching 3,390.<ref>{{cite book |title=Guinness World Records 2008 |date=7 August 2007 |publisher=Guinness |isbn=978-1904994190 |page=222 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=keCMNVyeroYC&q=anthrocon |access-date=16 October 2022 |archive-date=March 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308214230/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Guinness_World_Records_2008/keCMNVyeroYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=anthrocon |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2009, attendance rose 11% to 3,776, and the Fursuit Parade count jumped to 640—a 41% increase.<ref name="patternffc"/>{{rp|18}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://anthrocon.livejournal.com/692864.html |title=Anthrocon 2009 &ndash; A Final Look Back |date=July 7, 2009 |author=John Cole |website=Anthrocon |via=[[LiveJournal]] |access-date=July 14, 2017 |archive-date=June 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620051827/http://anthrocon.livejournal.com/692864.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://anthrocon.livejournal.com/683660.html |title=A Bunch Of Anthrocon News Coverage In One Convenient Post! |author=Karl Jorgensen |date=July 6, 2000 |website=Anthrocon |via=[[LiveJournal]] |access-date=July 14, 2017 |archive-date=September 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924052055/http://anthrocon.livejournal.com/683660.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Anthrocon 2009 brought approximately $3 million to the Pittsburgh economy.<ref name="tribune08">{{Cite news|last=Brandolph |first=Adam |title=Furry Convention $3 Million Cash Cow for City Businesses |publisher=[[Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]] |date=June 28, 2008 |url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_575023.html |access-date=April 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414201132/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_575023.html |archive-date=April 14, 2009 }}</ref>

Anthrocon 2010 had an attendance of 4,238, the first furry convention to exceed 4,000 members; and by 2012 saw 5,179 attendees, with a Fursuit Parade exceeding 1,000. The admission price was also set overall at $60 for a four-day pass, though pre-registered attendees paid $50.<ref>{{cite web |title=Are Furries Really So Bad? |last=Notopoulos |first=Katie |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/are-furries-really-so-bad |website=[[BuzzFeed]] |date=June 20, 2012 |access-date=June 21, 2012 |archive-date=June 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622034053/http://www.buzzfeed.com/katienotopoulos/are-furries-really-so-bad |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2017, Anthrocon lost the title of "World's most attended furry convention", as [[Midwest FurFest]] in [[Rosemont, Illinois]], claimed the title with an attendance of over 8,700.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/how-will-you-react-when-a-loved-one-tells-you-they-are-1823227647 |title=How will you react when a loved one tells you they are a furry? |last=Purdom |first=Clayton |website=The A.V. Club |date=February 22, 2018 |language=en-US |access-date=2019-01-28 |archive-date=January 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129010635/https://www.avclub.com/how-will-you-react-when-a-loved-one-tells-you-they-are-1823227647 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The chairman of the convention since 1999, [[Samuel Conway]], oversees the operations of Anthrocon with the assistance of convention staff and [[Volunteering|volunteers]] who donate their time and energy throughout the weekend to assist the multitude of small tasks which arise. Since 1997, Anthrocon has raised more than $200,000 for animal-related charities.<ref name="ACHistory">{{cite web |title=Anthrocon History |url=http://www.anthrocon.org/history |website=Anthrocon|date=March 29, 2006 |access-date=April 14, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070404162720/http://www.anthrocon.org/history |archive-date= April 4, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Fernando's Café ===
Since the convention's presence in [[Pittsburgh]], Fernando's Café, a fast food restaurant located near [[Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh]], is one of several restaurants that cater to furries during Anthrocon weekend.<ref name="Fernandos"/> However, in 2012, Fernando DeCarvalho, the owner of the restaurant, called Conway informing him that he had gone into debt as a result of the [[Great Recession in the United States|Great Recession]]. In response, Conway initiated a fundraising campaign which resulted in the restaurant receiving $20,000, a move [[HuffPost]] reports would "alleviate some of [DeCarvalho's] debt and allow him to keep his doors open long enough for one last Anthrocon."<ref name="Fernandos">{{cite web|title=Anthrocon Furries Aid Fernando's Cafe in Pittsburgh|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/17/anthrocon-furries-fernandos-cafe_n_1603768.html|website=Huffington Post|date=June 17, 2012|access-date=August 21, 2017|archive-date=July 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701211825/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/17/anthrocon-furries-fernandos-cafe_n_1603768.html|url-status=live}}</ref>