RARSfest™ It’s almost time for RARSfest tickets to go on sale! Check our website www.rarsfest.org on January 30th to purchase tickets, and to read about all the features that make RARSfest™ unique! · Ticket prices for individuals will be $10 before April 1st, $12 at the door. · Flea Market tables will be $23 before April 1st, $27 at the door. Flea market table purchase requires an individual admission ticket, sold separately. NO PHYSICAL TICKETS WILL BE MAILED THIS YEAR! Your email confirmation can be printed out or shown at the door for entry. New for 2023: We will be accepting credit/debit cards and Apple Pay, in addition to PayPal and checks. Those purchasing tickets before April 1st will be entered into a special raffle drawing for $100 cash! RARSfest features: Dealers of new equipment Over 230+ flea market vendors forums VE testing Cash door prizes Equipment demonstrations all in a single climate-controlled space, all on one day! There’s nothing like it anywhere! Saturday, April 8, 2023 8am-3pm Nancy KB2TNR Torborg RARSFest 2023 Chair rarsfest@rars.org
RARSfest in Raleigh North Carolina is at the NC State Fairgrounds in a 95000 square foot climate-controlled room on April 8, 2023. I made a 47 second movie panning around the room at the 2022 hamfest. https://rumble.com/v119nht-rarsfest-2022-quick-movie.html Shopper tickets are $10 advance on-line purchase http://rarsfest.org or $12 at the door. I'm curious to know if any other hamfest has a bigger indoor floor. Hamcation's biggest building is 36000 sq foot. Huntsville Von Braun hall is 89000. Dayton's Hara Arena and attached buildings had a total space of 165,000 sq feet, but that was broken up into several rooms. Jim Graham building at 380 feet by 250 feet is one huge 95000 square foot indoor air conditioned volume. Think large-poster at 15 feet. https://www.ncstatefair.org/facilities/images/Grahamfloorplan.pdf RARSfest lets you drive your truck+trailer up to your flea-market spot on Friday afternoon, and Saturday morning before the hamfest opens on 8am Saturday. All vehicles must be out at 7:30AM though. Then you can drive your truck back in after the fest, on Saturday at 3PM to load up. Because there are no cars at the flea market spots during the fest, the density of the flea market is pretty good but because there is room to drive up the isles to your table, the isle space allows for easy traffic. There is plenty of room for mobility equipment at RARSfest!! Note: RARSfest is making space for, and welcoming, demo-vehicles, ham+emergency vehicles, that are demonstrated for the entire event, for indoor display and show, by prior arrangement, and at the RARSfest's option. Send pic and description to rarsfest@rars.org. The RARSfest is open to shoppers from 8am to 3pm on Saturday-only so you'll see everything and sell/show everything in one day. Saturday April 8th, 2023 NC Fairgrounds is right off Interstate 40 in Raleigh. 150 minutes from Richmond VA. See RARSfest.org webpage for complete directions, especially regarding entry-gates and such. https://goo.gl/maps/x8nR5cRZitQR4Q4f6 Order flea space tickets and shopper tickets online. $23 per table (advance purchase) and $25 for power. (compare with Huntsville which is $50/table + $75 for power -- Hamcation was $70 for an indoor table, power not mentioned) Note: Outdoor Tailgate-style flea marketing is not permitted at the NC State Fairgrounds except in their general flea market which runs at the other end of the Fairgrounds. Sorry. RARSfest is offering free exhibit-only tables (ticket sales and membership sales only) for clubs and other hamfests, at the RARSfest’s option. Send a query to rarsfest@rars.org. Admission tickets are still required for your club representatives. For more info, check http://rarsfest.org or mail to rarsfest@rars.org Talk-in is on 146.64 no-PL, minus Split
RARSfest 2023 status: Ticket sales and table sales are going great. the dealers and organizations that are coming: https://www.rarsfest.org/vendors.php the expanded list of door prizes: https://www.rarsfest.org/prizes.php the final schedule of speakers: https://www.rarsfest.org/forums.php FCC license exams will be available. Remember, this is an all-indoor event (air conditioning!) with free parking, easy access from I-40 and I-440, and a food and beverage vendor onsite.
I am discouraged by the number of clubs in NC and nearby counties who are not having their hamfests this year. We need the hamfests. RARSfest is 2 weeks away. April 8th at 8am. Please support the fest by showing up or having a flea market table, or sharing this information. Right now it looks like we're at least as big as 2022 and nibbling on 2019, but we desire to be much bigger than that. The exhibit hall the entire hamfest is in is big enough for at least twice as many shoppers and flea tables. Let's grow this thing. We have the lowest price of pipe-and-drape booth of any hamfests east of the Mississippi (I'm running an NCPACKET demo booth on 3 10x10s in the Exhibitor/Vendor space) and also the lowest indoor flea-market table price. (All our flea market tables are indoors!). Plus, you can drive to your spot and unload or packup. Also the lowest price power for tables. (you can have power at your flea market spot!). We're inviting clubs who have a converted ambulance or other ham vehicle to make contact with RARSfest management. We're already bringing several such vehicles in for free. Is yours cool enough? Make contact. For more info, check http://rarsfest.org or mail to rarsfest@rars.org We're hoping to have attendance exceeding the past several RARSfests. Thanks for your help! The ham radio community really needs this.
RARSfest is underway until 1500 today. It's 100% indoors, so don't let the rain scare you away! Tickets $12 at the door, cash or card. Food and beverage concessions inside.
