EUROHOWL'96.

EuroHowl '96 was the first ever AHWw Howl Meeting to be held in Europe. This is all about what was involved, the preparations, and the Howl itself.

Howl History: Events Leading up to the Howl.
Howl Reports: Reports on what happened at the Howl.
Howl Photographs: Download various pictures taken at the Howl.
Howl Multimedia: Multimedia Software associated with the event.
Howl Organizing Tips: Tips on how to organize a Howl.

Howl History:

EuroHowl '96 was the first ever Howl event to be successfully staged in Europe. It was myself which started the ball rolling. Due to the small number of Weres in Europe, it was known that it would be tough to organize If more than three people were to turn up, people from other countries would have to attend the Howl.

First of all, being a recent cub to AHWw at the time, I decided to ask Asikaa, one of the ex-helpstaffers, and the only one in the UK, what he thought about the idea of a howl. Read that legendary first Email.

Once it was clear that things could proceed, it had to be decided when and where the Howl could be. Preferably as soon as possible! But I couldn't think of any place that the Howl could be held. So it was time to see who wanted in, and if they knew of anywhere. So the first EuroHowl article was posted.

At this point, the EuroHowl was called the "UKHowl", since it was doubtful at the time that anyone would go to the trouble of travelling any great distance to come. Fortunately I was wrong, and it soon became the "EuroHowl". (Besides, it sounded more catchy apparently.)

This first article received all of two replies. Not exactly the most stunning of turnouts, but it was roughly what I had expected. I thought two was better than none, so I carried on, Emailing any posters on AHWw who had European Email addresses and seeing if they wanted to come. A few more joined, and so a second article was posted on AHWw, the first EuroHowl Update. It was during the writing of the update, that I had the idea of holding the Howl in Aberystwyth, a familiar haunt of mine.

This second EuroHowl posting received a lot more response, a lot of lurkers had obviously missed the first thread. With renewed hope, I went about seeking accommodation at Aberystwyth, while trying to figure out how everyone was going to get there. The Easter Holidays proved the most hopeful, since there were two bank holidays available. This meant that students and employees alike could get the time off to visit. At last, things were forming. A mailing list was set up on my machine, and invited people to use it. Fortunately this mailing list was soon replaced with the automated server crucigera, at Warwick.

The final posting on AHWw was the second update, before everything shifted over to the new mailing list. While Wendy and Bleiddast found accommodation in Aberystwyth, I set about trying to get as many people there and at the right time. People were now travelling from as far away as Ireland and Germany! Things were getting hectic, but after many a lengthy phone call to both British Rail and National Coaches, everyone got together for the Howl...

Howl Reports:

So what happened at the Howl? Well look at a few EuroHowl Reports...

Utlah's Howl Report.
Megadog's Howl Report.

Or perhaps you'd like a more simple report on our insanity? In that case, also check out the EuroHowl psyche test results.

Howl Photographs:

So, you want to know what we all look like heh? From left to right in the picture, we have;

Fenris, Raukan, Cass, Megadog, Ka-qu'az, Utlah, Wendy, FaithChaser, Jim, Mandy, Ragtag, Arctic, Moonchild, and Laz y Fleiddast as a box of Bonios.

The full picture archive is accessable here.

Here are a few Howl memories for you to ponder...

Wood that be enough?: Raukan unloads the van of firewood for the bonfire.
Torture: While Utlah is distracted by beings from another world, Wendy tortures small bits of pork.
Jungle Cat: It's Ka-qu'az, well prepared to cope with any savage werewolf that comes his way.
Pack Snuggle: The pack begins to snuggle together in front of the fire.
The Pack gathers: The closest thing to a group photo. Everyone blurs in front of the fire.

Bring out the Bonio: The pack tuck into a nibble of the doggie kind.
Urban Camouflage: Utlah shows everyone the wolf's natural ability to blend with it's environment.
Megadog Mound: Megadog finds work as an undercover agent.
The Butt of Ut!: My infamous behind, unfortunately well hidden, but this is the best image around.
Man bites Dog: If a man is bitten by a werewolf, he becomes one, so what happens when man bites Were? Utlah finds out as FaithChaser tucks in.

Prehistoric Bus-stop: The pack wanders the Welsh hills, and finds a burial mound.
Weres in the Mist: No sign of Sigourney Weaver, but there's plenty of hairy things in the mist.
Mist me?: Megadog and Arctic get down and rock.

Steep!: Weres wander wayward, weary, weak, and wheezing up Devils Gorge, what whimpy wolves.
Sponge chase: Raukan and Ka-qu’az chase Cass the Werefox with sponges, along an empty beach. (How abstract can you get!)

Howl Multimedia:

Why not download Moonchild's "EuroHowl '96 Interactive Report"? It contains maps, all the reports, info about the howl, and even the resulting news threads that followed. It's zipped to 334K in size, and runs under MS-DOS.

Alternatively Mac users can download this REALbasic version of the EuroHowl '96 Interactive Report. This was kindly produced and supplied by Whitepaw, and while he was absent from EH'96 I hope he'll have the chance to attend a future Howl!

Tips for Howl Organizing:

Location is the key. Find a good location, and you're halfway there.
You want a large expanse of green, or even a quiet beach is fun.
You need to plan at least four months in advance.
Make sure it's cheap. A lot of Weres are just students, and don't have much money.
Keep in mind that people change their minds, so be flexible with numbers.
Good transport is essential. A van to carry everyone in is perfect.
A good source of wood helps, vans are good for carrying wood too.
Get everyone drunk on the first night, it's a great ice breaker!
...But limit the drink though. :)
Never forget the bonfire grub, not ever!
Make sure people can be on their own if need be, or on their own with others... ;)