Celtic Knights (Furrydelphia 2019)
Furrydelphia 2019, also known as Celtic Knights, was a convention run by Furrydelphia. Taking place in August of 2019, it was the first iteration of Furrydelphia to not be held at the convention's inaugural location, the DoubleTree Valley Forge hotel, instead being held at the Valley Forge Casino Resort. The convention hosted two guests of honor, writer and illustrator Rukis and author Kyell Gold.
Venue
Following the completion of Rocky's Roastery, Furrydelphia sought a new venue due to rapidly increasing attendance. Remaining within the area of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, the convention decided to relocate to the Valley Forge Casino Resort, announcing the change in a social media post in October of 2018. The new space would go on to host one additional iteration of the convention, that being Back to Con in 2021, following the all-virtual convention held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Theming
Furrydelphia 2019 was officially named "Celtic Knights," being themed around the culture of the Indo-European people known as Celts. Promotional materials for the convention, including graphics featured on the official website and subsequent social media accounts, displayed imagery based on traditional Celtic art and motifs such as swords, spiral-centric designs, and dragons.
Promotional Materials
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"Celtic Knights" promotional poster -
"Celtic Knights" Dealer's Den map
Convention-Exclusive Merchandise
The following merchandise was available for individual purchase and/or was included in certain pre-registration packages.
Concept Photos
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"Slay Every Day" tank top design, created by Lydiarts (now Camp Howl) -
"Celtic Knights" shirt, designed by Rukis
Attendance
Celtic Knights was attended by 1,332 guests[1], marking the first year the convention achieved a gross attendance exceeding 1,000.
Charity
Furrydelphia continued to support Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue, a local pit bull rescue serving Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, as the charity of choice for Celtic Knights, following two successful years of donations. Attendees raised $4,260 for the charity, a noticeable drop from the previous convention. This is the only time in Furrydelphia's history that a deficit in donations has occurred from year to year.
Dealers Den
The 2019 Dealers Den hosted 44 individual vendors, including tables for both guests of honor and the charity. It was located in the Independence Ballroom on the lower level of the Valley Forge Casino Resort.
Board of Directors
The following list was adapted from the Furrydelphia website as it was published in 2019 and reflects the Board of Directors at the time of this event. A current and up-to-date list of Furrydelphia staff can be found here.
- Drayne the Wolf - Convention Chairman
- Higgawits - Vice Chairman and Secretary
- Fray the Husky - Public Safety Director
- Yuukari Shishome - Director of Attendee Services