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RATFEST PHOTOS!
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2008 Roster
View the 2008 Photos!
Cathy -- Gales Ferry, CT
Jessica -- NYC
Laurey and Jon -- Uxbridge, MA
Jane -- NYC
Dru and Matt -- NYC
Raquel -- NYC
Heidi -- MA
Tony and Barbara -- CT
Chris -- Vernon, CT
Melissa and Wayne -- RI
June -- NH
KC -- CT
Judy and Kristi -- NH
Branwen -- MA
2008 Recap
Another successful RatFest! Can you believe it was our SEVENTH year?
We had a smaller turnout than usual but that turned out to be a GOOD thing because, for the first time in our 7 year history, it RAINED! We started out on the deck, had all the tables set up -- a big table with the raffle items, a huge table just loaded with prizes, some tables where people were selling their wares -- and then it started getting darker and darker. We finally decided to bring all the tables inside... Even though my living room is fairly big, we were REALLY crowded with the tables and all 17 of us in there! It's a good thing we moved inside because it POURED -- and we still had lots of fun!
We had our Yankee Gift Swap and it was pretty vicious this year, with LOTS of stealing! There were several items that were stolen again and again, including a lovely painting of 2 white rats done by Dru. As always, the creativity and generosity of rat people was apparent in what they brought to give away!
We had a HUGE raffle this year, with many wonderful donated items. We raffled off jewelry; a big assortment of Ratatouille stuff; a set of Dapper Rat hammocks and play sacks; a package of greeting cards (which I won!) that were designed by Dru and Matt; a gorgeous and much coveted Year of the Rat coin; a wonderful duffle bag made from material with a RAT print; a fully LOADED cage and LOTS of other great items. Everyone was SO happy with what they won! Plus, we raised $120 for Kim's Ark Rodent Rescue!
We also had our usual Photo Contest. As always, voting was VERY hard! Every picture was great. We had 5 categories -- Cutest, Funniest, Most Rat-Like, Best Whiskers and Best Overall. My Spike won for Best Whiskers! It's so enjoyable to see pics of everyone's babies.
Several people brought things to sell. Chris set up a whole pet store! Laurey sold gorgeous rattie jewelry and June had a variety of hand stitched items for sale. Jessica did rat portraits from photographs -- very nice!
The food this year was FABULOUS. We ate non-stop all day! We had pasta salad with tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil, we had baked ziti with cheese sauce, we had veggies and dip, chips and dip, strawberries and CHOCOLATE dip (whoever decide that strawberries and chocolate go well together was a GENIUS!), we had Sweet and Sour Kielbasa (to die for!), gazpacho, stuffed mushrooms and all sorts of deserts. It was all just so YUMMY!
Speaking of desserts -- I wish you could all have seen the INCREDIBLE cake that Jessica made this year. She worked on it for HOURS.
We held a drawing for the Grand Prize and Dru won it this year. The Grand Prize was a bag just FULL of great stuff. Lots of holiday items -- rattie things for Halloween and Christmas plus a lot of things celebrating The Year of the Rat. There were a few items dealing with First Aid and other cool stuff.
The rain stopped and it was so much cooler that we all moved outside again to play Rationary. As always it was a VERY spirited game, led by the strict Jessica, Mistress of Rationary. My team won but not by much! It was SO much fun!
We also all took time to sign a Get Well card for Dr. Ann (of Andover Rattery) -- who'd recently had a very serious accident when she fell off a horse. We all wished her well.
After Rationary, we had a nice dinner of KFC chicken and potato salad, donated by Jane. Plus more of the Pot Luck! We didn't go hungry... LOL!
Some people had to leave after that but those of us who stayed enjoyed a great fireworks display and Sing-Along. Then we moved back inside and had another RatFest First -- we watched a movie! (Mark and I have recently gotten a big screen HDTV and I guess it was just calling to people....LOL!) What did we watch? Ratatouille, what else!!! We had fun and all the rats joined us, relaxing onto shoulders and into shirts. Awwwww!
Speaking of the rats -- they were simply EXHAUSTED that night! They were cuddled and played with ALL DAY. They were also given treats -- and treats -- and MORE treats! I think they were happy...
We cleaned up a bit then fell into bed -- the weekend wasn't over yet!
Ten of us went to Brunch at a very nice restaurant. As always we had a great time, laughing and discussing All Things Ratty. Then back to my house for a full day of visiting and sharing stories of our rats. We watched an educational video and talked a lot about health issues in rats. Conversation is NEVER boring at RatFest!
The last guests left at 6 PM and it was all over for another year. Except for cleaning up...THAT would last me a few more days!
Many of the people who attended have been to past RatFests, but we did have a few new faces. It's always lovely to meet new people! Everyone who attends helps make RatFest such a fun weekend.
Thank you to everyone who donated items for the Raffle and Prize table! Thank you to everyone who brought food for the Pot Luck! Thank you to everyone who helped set up and CLEAN up! RatFest is not a one person job -- it would not happen without all of YOU!
I sure hope to see everyone again -- and more NEW faces! -- at the EIGHTH
RatFest next year!
Cathy and the 'kids' -- Whimsy, Cloud, Jet, Spike and Ghost
RIP: Sandy, Tippy, Kissabelle, Ziggy, Misty, Jazzy, Spark, Whisper, Dandy, Isabeau, Breeze, Viv, Pepper, Frizzy, Bizzy, Smidgeon and Snippet
Connecticut, USA
Contact Cathy for more information.