Five things to know about Shelby's 67th Hamfest
An annual festival celebrating all things amateur radio is back for its 67th year this Labor Day weekend.
Shelby Amateur Radio Club will host its annual Shelby Hamfest from Sept. 1 through 3.
Shelby Amateur Radio club sponsors the event which is being held at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds. The club first began hosting Hamfest in 1957 at Brackett’s Cedar Park with about 300 in attendance until it outgrew the space and moved to the fairgrounds. It has attracted as many as 10,000 attendees during its heyday in the 1990s. In 2008, the Hamfest moved temporarily to Dallas and returned home to the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in 2013. While attendance has dropped in recent years, it is still considered one of the largest Hamfest on the east coast and is the largest in the ARRL Roanoke Division (North and South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia).
Here's five things to know about the Shelby Hamfest:
1. What is Hamfest?
Shelby Hamfest is an event where amateur radio vendors and manufacturers set up to show their latest products. There is also a flea market for people to sell their used equipment, antique radios, crafts, etc. Campers begin arriving a week ahead of time to visit and fellowship with each other.
2. When to go
Friday, Sept. 1
9 a.m. until 5 p.m. (buildings and flea market)
Saturday, Sept. 2
Gates open at 7 a.m. (outside vendors)
Inside vendor buildings 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 3
Gates open at 7 a.m. (outside vendors)
Inside vendor buildings 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
3. Admission
$10 at the gate and is good for all three days. Children 12 and under can attend free. At the Cleveland County Fairgrounds, 1751 E. Marion St.
4. Where do the proceeds go?
Some of the proceeds from the Hamfest go toward maintenance and upkeep of the club’s six repeaters. These repeaters are available for service to the Cleveland County Emergency Management and other served agencies such as the American Red Cross should a disaster occur in the county. Some of the proceeds are donated to local and deserving charities. Shelby Amateur Radio Club has donated to the Salvation Army, Cleveland Rutherford Kidney Association, Crossroads Rescue Mission, Life Enrichment Center , Cleveland County Potato Project and the ARRL Spectrum Defense Fund. The club has also donated a set of amateur radio books to the County Library.
5. Want to know more?
Shelby Amateur Radio Club holds its monthly meetings at the Red Cross Building, 1333 Fallston Road in Shelby on the second Tuesday of each month (except December) at 7 p.m.
For more information related to the Shelby Hamfest, please email chairman@shelbyhamfest.org or call 980-295-5151. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming part of this growing service, secretary@shelbyhamfest.org or go to shelbyarc.org or shelbyhamfest.org.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Shelby Hamfest back for 67th year
