Lamoureux Park had costumes and camaraderie, but this was no teddy bear picnic. Instead, it was the annual summer gathering of Furries, a unique subculture focused on anthropomorphic animals—creatures with human traits like speech, bipedal movement, and clothing.
Furries express their interest through various mediums such as costume creation and cosplay, artwork, storytelling, and participation in online communities and conventions like CAPE. The fandom spans diverse media, including popular titles like “Zootopia,” “Beastars,” and “Sonic the Hedgehog.”
“We’re just having an annual summer picnic for the local Fur community,” said event organizer Kevin Papineau. “That’s the fandom for anthropomorphic art and cosplaying because a lot of people havecostumes.”
Papineau noted the growth of the community: “It was a niche community say 30 years ago, but with the popularity of movies like Zootopia a few years back, we really see a huge increase in people who are justinto the art form and wanting to have fun with it.” The picnic provided a welcoming space for furries to connect and celebrate their shared passion.
