Rocky’s Roastery (Furrydelphia 2018)

Furrydelphia 2018, also known as Rocky's Roastery, was a convention run by Furrydelphia. The event took place in August of 2018 and was the second installation of Furrydelphia, following 2017's Heist of the Century. Two guests of honor were in attendance, those being apparel designer Hyena Agenda and Colorado-based artist How Bout Meow.

Venue

Following 2017's Heist of the Century, Furrydelphia remained at the DoubleTree Valley Forge hotel in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. This would be the last time the venue would host the convention, as Furrydelphia would relocate about three miles west to the Valley Forge Casino Resort the following year.

Theming

Furrydelphia 2018 was officially referred to as "Rocky's Roastery," themed around a fictional coffee shop of the same name, named after Furrydelphia's mascot. As with Heist of the Century, all promotional materials, including the official website, were themed around this.

The convention's theming proved to be successful among attendees, with many praising the idea for years to come. In 2023, Furrydelphia staff formed a new company under the Rocky's Roastery name, serving as a real bagged coffee distributor to this day via their website.

Promotional Materials

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  "Rocky's Roastery" registration advertisement
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  "Rocky's Roastery" Dealers Den map
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  "Rocky's Roastery" pre-reg lunch advertisement

Signage

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  2018 signage (photo by Douglas Muth)

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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  "Rocky's Roastery" hoodie
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  "Rocky's Roastery" mug with stirrer
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  "Rocky's Roastery" shirt, designed by Hyena Agenda
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  "Rocky's Roastery" battery bank
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  "Rocky's Roastery" thermos
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  "Rocky's Roastery" lanyard
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  "Rocky's Roastery" mousepad
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  "Rocky's Roastery" shot glass
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  "Rocky's Roastery" drawstring bag
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  "FD" badge clip
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  "Rocky's Roastery" baseball cap
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  "Rocky's Roastery" beanie
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  "Rocky's Roastery" backpack
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  "Rocky's Roastery" apron
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  "Rocky's Roastery" french press

Final Product Photos

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  "Rocky's Roastery" shirt (designed by Hyena Agenda)
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  "Rocky's Roastery" shirt (designed by Hyena Agenda) under blacklight

Attendance

The official 2018 fursuit photo

Rocky's Roastery was attended by 903 guests, nearly a 26% increase from Furrydelphia's inaugural year, a trend that would continue for the foreseeable future.

Charity

Furrydelphia once again chose Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue, a local pit bull rescue serving Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, as the charity of choice for Rocky's Roastery, following a successful run of donations in 2017. Attendees raised $5,300 for the charity, over $1,000 more than the previous year.

Dealers Den

Main article: List of 2018 Dealers Den Vendors

The 2018 Dealers Den hosted forty individual vendors, including tables for both Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue and Hyena Agenda, the charity and one of the Guests of Honor respectively. The Dealers Den was held in the Jefferson Ballroom on the lower level of the DoubleTree Valley Forge hotel.

Board of Directors

The following list was adapted from the Furrydelphia website as it was published in 2018 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