[K3PZN-List] Swordfish

[Steve Beckman]

Greetings Friends;

Yesterday was probably the most gorgeous day we've ever had for our 
hamfest! So many other events got rained on this year, and it looked for 
awhile like ours was going to be a wet one too. We were very lucky!

I got the impression that most attendees enjoyed the event. They should 
have especially enjoyed the tailgating section, which was one of the 
largest we've had. The crowds were thick enough that traversing the grounds 
was difficult -- reminding me of the crowds at Dayton. Al K3ZE was getting 
lots of positive feedback at the main gate. He had this running gag with 
everyone exiting just to deposit trinkets in their cars -- he told them the 
password to get back in was "Swordfish." He had just about everyone 
laughing hard over that one. Our hamfest probably left everyone with a good 
impression this year, which helps to draw them back next year.

The food vendor seems to be getting mixed reviews. His prices were very 
good. The food I had was good, but it appears he wasn't consistent in food 
quality, and wasn't ready for the crowd we gave him. Now that he knows what 
to expect, I bet he'll do better next year.

Tom KB3EMN spent most of the day out at the tailgate entrance (again!) He 
really put in a first class effort, making the hamfest a whole lot easier 
to keep the staffed. Some of the other MVP's: Nathan King, who worked both 
Saturday and Sunday helping our vendors (along with his brother Johnathan,) 
Al K3ZE who helped with setup on Saturday, and on Sunday kept watch over 
the main gate for a number of hours as our "WalMart Greeter," John W3JJH 
who also spent both days at the Ag Center taking care of table set-up, as 
well as vendor details on Sunday.

It's also great to have a working club station set-up at the hamfest. A 
number of folks contributed to that effort -- such as Clint W3ARS, Rob 
W3RAR, Mike N3VOP, and John W3ADC. This year that station made for THE 
PERFECT PICTURE -- so good it ended up as the top story in today's Carroll 
County Times! Nice job John W3ADC! While the rest of the event was 
certainly interesting to hams, that picture really made for an 
attention-grabbing image, to attract the rest of the non-ham population to 
our hobby.

We should have results available at the next club meeting. My guess is we 
did well. We've been holding the event for 15 years -- and we keep having 
good results while so many other events are seeing dramatic reductions in 
attendance. Our biggest factor in our success is that we keep trying to 
succeed.

Next year we will have more signs to put up along the route to our event. 
We are already working on having guest speakers to make our hamfest even 
more interesting. Along with the comments and ideas from other members, 
we'll keep improving our hamfest. Comments about what worked well, and what 
needs improvement, are most welcome.

On behalf of Carlos, this year's Mason-Dixon Hamfest chairman, thanks to 
everyone that helped throughout the year -- the flyer distribution, 
advertising, vendor soliciting, and planning all contribute to make our 
hamfest a success.

73; Steve, N3SB

P.S. Now it's time to have some fun! The November Sweepstakes Phone contest 
is coming up on the weekend of November 20, at the K3PZN Club Station. 
Plenty of food, drink, and war stories will be available. A "Clean Sweep" 
will net all participants the cherished "Clean Sweep Mug," a prize every 
Sweepstakes participant strives for, but few are fortunate enough to win. 
We got a Clean Sweep two years ago -- it's time to do it again!