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

[Joshua Abraham]

>> 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.

I couldn't help but weigh in on this. Before making snide remarks such as
these it may help to make sure you have actual data to back that up.
Hamfests can be rather small and boring but others are MASSIVE coordinated
events with large attendance. Most notably, the annual Dayton Hamvention
which had an attendance of over 32,000. This event is to hams what VCF is
to us vintage computer enthusiasts. The event is hugely successful and they
have a full on flea market to go along with it.

Closer to my neck of the woods is the annual Shelby Hamfest, an event
that's well more than a few decades old and boasts several thousand in
attendance and even offers campground space for the folks they know are
traveling far and bringing families along.

Based on these events alone I'd say ham is alive and well and far from
extinct.

Personally I think the swapmeet is a fantastic idea and has much potential.
-Joshua A