[W8MWA] NEW 2017 Dayton Hamvention Info

[Spence Graham]

Here is a video that shows the new site for Dayton Hamvention and early
overviews of whats coming next May.  I hope everyone will support the
Dayton Amateur Radio Association (DARA) efforts to take us into a new era
of Hamvention fun.  Many of us have been going to Hamvention for decades,
and I'll admit that even with all of Hara Arena's challenges over the
years, there is something special about the excitement in the words, "I'm
going to Dayton this year!"

Whether you wanted to see the new offerings from the MANY vendors or to do
"The Flea Market Crawl", there was always a day of fun in store for you
when you went through the gate!  I also think we need to understand that
DARA pulls it off (for more than a half century) because of its 600
volunteers... think about that.  An amateur radio club that can field SIX
HUNDRED of its own volunteers so that TENS OF THOUSANDS of us can have a
great weekend (regardless of the weather) enjoying something very special
about our hobby.

I am sure that the good folks at DARA have had sleepless nights and lots of
heartburn over the last few years trying to come up with a reasonable
alternative to the long downward spiral that Hara Arena was in.  (And in
all truth, Hara served us as best they could as Hamvention grew
exponentially over the last 50+ years but in the end the economics of the
situation were too much to bear.  Hara was originally a hockey venue but
Hamvention was their biggest draw.  I will always remember that Hara had
its own "charms" as I attended many Hamventions over the years.  In some
ways, I think I will miss it.)  It takes a lot of guts for DARA to make
such a commitment to keep The Dayton Hamvention alive for all of us to
continue to enjoy.  I am convinced there will be the usual hiccups to
overcome that an event of this magnitude will suddenly discover the first
time out of the chute, but I will make it a habit to compliment them on
their grand efforts when I get there!

Now... download Google Earth  https://www.google.com/earth earth then load
the address in the search line, scoot around the aerial view, zoom in and
out, and take a gander at the entire property.  Lots of possibilities to
consider.  The Google Earth address to search for is... Greene County
Fairgrounds, Fairground Road, Xenia, OH

I figure we will all get used to the new venue quickly, and it sounds as if
the parking (and even camping) will be much better.  With 108+ acres the
Flea Market might even be an improved experience... the broken pavement and
potholes gave me a twisted ankle years ago.  My assessment is that their
bigger challenges will be vendor-centric in that I am not sure the existing
Fair Ground physical buildings will accommodate the same number of vendors
as the Hara buildings did under roof... I have heard they might use some
big tent type thingys to work that out since Hara was composed of a
hodgepodge of interconnected buildings.  The annual Dayton Forums seem to
be a central focus for DARA, as they should be, since they are always a
major draw for the total experience and are usually standing room only
events that cover a vast number of topics around our hobby. It also sounds
as if the restrooms are much better and that there will be a far broader
selection of food vendors to select from when you need re-fueled for the
day.  The grandstands will probably overlook the Flea Market area, if they
choose to place the hundreds of Flea Market vendors around that large
track.  It appears the track straight stretches are about 1,000 feet long
on each side, so I would think that might be their logical choice.  (Having
spent my youth on a large working farm running cattle, horses, hogs and a
feed lot for the family's commercial slaughter house, and also attending
the Garrett County Fair every year; I venture a guess that the livestock
barns might not be an option for vendor stalls.  While I appreciate and
tolerate the many aromas of livestock barns, I doubt most others would.)

My prediction is that Year 1 will be fun and sort of a "Shake-Out Cruise"
for DARA's NEW and IMPROVED Hamvention event... and that by Year 3 people
will see Hara Arena as a nostalgic memory, yet appreciate a more "User
Friendly" experience at Hamvention V.2 in a new era.  Check out the links
below and let me know what you think:

Dayton Hamvention website... http://hamvention.org

DARA Website...  http://www.w8bi.org/index.php/about-dara

DARA and DX Engineering On-Site YouTube Interview...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXXl18G0QA0

Green County Fair Grounds website...
http://www.greenecountyfairgrounds.com/index

-- 
73,

Spence

*Spencer W. Graham, II*
*WT8WV*
*73 Crosby Road*
*Morgantown, WV 26508*

*2016 VP of Monongalia Wireless Association http://www.w8mwa.org/
<http://www.w8mwa.org/>*

*Check Out My Ham Radio Blog Site...  http://kb8fir.wordpress.com
<http://kb8fir.wordpress.com>*

*(ex-KB8FIR and ex-KA8LJO)*
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