SMC Fest – The Society of Midwest Contesters

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SMC Fest 2026

October 10, 2026

SMC Fest will be at the Marriott in Bloomington-Normal on October 10, 2026.

Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
201 Broadway Avenue
Normal, Illinois 61761

The registration fee for 2026 will be $78 which will include continental breakfast & coffee, lunch, and afternoon snack.

Friday Dinner

As is tradition, we plan to have a gathering for dinner on the Friday evening prior to SMC Fest.

Dinner will be held Friday, October 9th, 6:30 PM at

Location:
Rob Dob’s Restaurant & Bar
801 North Hershey Road
Bloomington, IL 61704
https://robdobsbn.com/

If you’re interested in joining us for dinner, please indicate as such during registration.

Room Reservations

There is a block of rooms reserved for SMC. Reserve your hotel room for SMC Fest at the at Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel & Conference Center using the below link.

Book your room here

Should you need to cancel your hotel reservation, you must do so directly with the hotel.

Program

While the schedule is still being finalized, a list of programs currently on the agenda include:

  • LAA Update and Awards Presentation
  • Championship Medals – Presentation of Medals
  • Presentation of Gold-Silver-Bronze Awards
  • Leaderboards Top 10
  • Contest Advisory Committee Update – K9WX
  • A presentation on WRTC 2026 From the Perspective of a Referee – K9CT
  • A Presentation on Field Day, the Blazing Paddles have won 1A in 2024 and 2025 (and probably 2026) – AB9YC
  • High Speed CW Search and Pounce – A Technique for Assisted Operation – K9WO
  • Low Band RX Antennas for all Yards – W9XT
  • Cycle 25 and 6M contest Propagation Update – K9LA
  • A presentation of the Development of Flex Client, AetherSDR – WT2P
  • Wires/Verticals Contesting presentation/panel – WB8BZK, N9EP, N9OK
  • SMC Club Contest Results from 2025-2026 and the 2026-2027 Focus Contest

Registration

SMC Fest Registration

Please fill in all blanks to complete form. You will be taken to the PayPal page to complete your registration. Guests are welcome to attend SMC Fest. All guests must be a registered attendee. Please fill out an additional registration for your guest.

  • If you are a guest of a member, or do not have a callsign, just enter NONE
  • Would you be interested in gathering for dinner on Friday evening? No current commitment required.
  • Donations help make sure that SMC Fest remains at minimum a cost neutral event. Any excess funds help build the treasury to cover costs of special programs such as Lifetime Achievement Awards, Championship Medals, and WRTC sponsorships.
  • $78.00
    Please register and pay for any guests as their own separate registration.

Registration is currently open.