Maybe 6 tables inside, about half selling non-ham stuff. 5 or 6 cars in the parking lot. The club that sponsors this one-day (4 hour, let's be real) hamfest seems to not care much about it. They don't do anything to promote it. Their website is years out of date, and the only mention of a hamfest is in last year's news. I emailed the club contact and asked if they were having the hamfest, and would appreciate any info he could give. All I got back was a curt, "Yes, we're having the hamfest." No dates, no hours, no location. Turns out, the whole affair is loosey goosey. By the noon hour, they were packing it in and calling it another "successful" year. There were more people at the gas station across the street. One fellow drove 80 miles to visit, only to find them closing up shop. His displeasure was met with hostility and verbal abuse; being told to not come back if he didn't like it. I'm sure he probably won't, nor will any of his friends. With these kinds of attitudes, it's no wonder the fest has such low attendance and participation. And more's the pity because the location is halfway between Lima, OH and Ft. Wayne, IN - it could be a great little hamfest if they played their cards right. But again, they don't seem to really care. It's like their private hamfest for club members only.
Last year they were in a huge building and there were only maybe ten vendors. It was raining off and on so I don't think there were any people set up outside, but even some of the usual inside people hadn't bothered to attend. This year I decided to skip it altogether, as it has just been getting smaller every year.
I see your Zed address is in Van Wert. Honest questions: What have you done to improve this hamfest and club? Volunteer to assist webmaster in updating the club's website? Get involved in the club's 2024 Hamfest planning?
