I think this was my 21st. Hamvention. First off, Saturday featured fabulous, sunny, very warm weather. It was beautiful. I applied 3 layers of sunscreen throughout the day as we were outside selling the entire time and would have been fried had I not put it on. I never saw the inside of a building on Saturday as there was a good crowd walking the flea market. I had a lot of tower accessories, but they just sat for the most part. Thrust bearing, plates, torque arms, even a flat roof mount. It seems nobody wants to lug that heavy stuff around, even to the pickup area. Other stuff moved though, and I did very well. Back to Friday..... Friday started dismal and it began to rain maybe before the event opened the gates. The rain turned the grassy areas around the selling spots into quagmires. I saw people walking around in muck boots as one slip would ruin a pair of normal shoes. I spent the entire morning in the buildings buying everything from my want list. The rain stopped early in the afternoon and it began to brighten a little. There was no more rain for the remainder on the Hamvention. My two buddies and myself had a nice time. We got later accommodations, and had to stay in Springfield, about 30 minutes away. The price of lodging is going through the roof...we paid $225 per to stay at a very ordinary Hampton Inn. We had a good time though.... K3GM
Glad to read you and your friends had a good time! I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone posted on here about how miserable they were because there was TOO MUCH SUN on Saturday. We humans are an odd bunch...
Friday was in fact a slogfest. I looked out my hotel at 6am that morning debating whether I wanted to sleep in just ride the shuttles or take my chances heading over. But I went...and I sold just about all the junk I brought with me that morning. A lot of it went before gates officially opened. I had a guy happily flip through all my laserdiscs while getting wet and take an entire box with him. I sold so much stuff that when I packed up on Friday I was done. I wasn't worried about selling the rest. I sold junk I didn't think would ever sell and gave away a lot of it. I just didn't want to take it home. When it's cold and wet...you can put things on to keep you warmer and drier. When it's hot and sunny...well you can only strip down so far before it becomes probation.
I tent camp for two weeks every September in the Adirondack Mountains, reserving a campsite nine months prior in December. Though there are always concerns how the weather will be, we campers resign ourselves to reality and make the best of whatever the weather may be. Some years it's glorious. Other years it's challenging. Other times it's a mix. One thing is for certain, though: regardless of the weather, those two weeks living, cooking, and all outdoors beats being holed up in an apartment or stuck on the factory floor!
