[Boatanchors] Dayton Documents Arrived Today

[W4AWM at aol.com]

Hi Larry,

You are very correct on all the aspects of your post.  I have been going 
since I retired in 1999. Even if I didn't buy or sell anything, I would usually 
still go, however over the years, I have seen the motels (even the no-tell 
motels) conspire to put the screws to us with the restaurants close behind. If we 
pulled out of Dayton, they would wither on the vine.

I am also getting tired of the space police. If I take my full size station 
wagon, it will not legally fit in ant single space and if I pop the tailgate, 
oh my gosh!

Now along comes high gas prices and I am living on a fixed income. No, I am 
not crying poor, but there IS a limit and that is fast approaching!

I will be interested top see what the attendance is like this year. Used to 
be that you had to inherit a flea market space. The last few years, there were 
plenty available throughout the weekend. All the eastern hamfests are lacking 
attendees. What used to be a huge one in Timonium, MD was very noticably 
lacking this year.  The normally full outside flea market was just barely over half 
full on an absolutely perfect day and one of the buildings which was only 
half full last year was closed and locked this year.

The old Gaithersburg, now FARFest is no more. At least not this year. It 
moved from the fairgrounds due to the high costs and began operations at a 
baseball stadium. Folks bitched because there was no shade, the food was expensive 
and tasteless and there was no secure place for the commercial vendors to secure 
their stock overnight. About the only good thing was that the lots were paved 
so the gear that didn't sell came away relatively clean.  Attendance dropped 
noticably also. After a few years at the stadium, the FARFest was combined 
with another radio club's hamfest at a fairground in Howard County. Attendance 
was not that great either and after several years of that, a contract was again 
signed with Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg where it moved from 
because of high prices. Instead of having the whole fairground as in the past, 
the area was shared with a rummage sale and rodeo! Last year was the same 
story asnd when folks showed up for Sunday, they found that whey were being 
charged for parking by the fairgrounds. That in addition to flea market fees and 
normal hamfest asmission. Many turned around and went home.

I forsee the time in the not too distant future when there will be no more 
hamfests and all the buying and selling will be on the reflectors, eHam, ARRL 
and other web sites, plus those awful unmentionable auction places and Craigs 
List. It is getting close to that now!

73, 

 John,  W4AWM


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