[vcf-midatlantic] VCF East Swap Meet - Save the Date - Saturday November 7 (Rain: Sunday November 8)

[Tony Bogan]

> I was right about that, and I was right about hamfests. How many families and kids excitedly go to a hamfest? Swapmeets are incestuous, and that makes communities wither and go extinct.

Same with “flea markets” etc. 
This is something that caters directly to the membership and less to the “general public.” But it can also attract others from the hobby who may not have as yet been involved. Many of us remember the electronics swap meets and flea markets fondly, and having separate events focused on those people just makes sense, while not detracting from the “really big shoe” as you so correctly pointed out could happen if done at the same time.

> You're able to have a swapmeet this year only because management is not bogged down running the real show.

Actually, no. Had the “real” show happened either in April or October, this event was already a foregone conclusion as it would not interfere in any way, shape or form with VCF East because it would be happening a month or months AFTER VCF East was over, and many months before the next VCF East. The decision was made months ago, only the dates were in question.

The idea is to increase events involving membership participation beyond just workshops and the yearly VCF East, and this is a first step.
Hopefully it becomes a regularly scheduled event happening once or more a year. And perhaps in the near future it can be indoors and thus somewhat weatherproof!! :-)

> VCF's success is because of my earlier decisions, not in spite of them.

And we hope to continue to build upon that success and see it continue to thrive and expand.

Tony