Shelby Hamfest - North Carolina - Every Labor Day Weekend!

2008 Brochure information - Posted 5/9/2008 - Updated 8/2/2008 - Changes and additions will be in RED.

NEW 7/27/2008 - GOLF CART INFORMATION - For Golf Cart information please contact - Philip Eisenhour Ph. 704-907-0495

From I-85 Take the 321 Exit, North on 321 for 2 miles, take ramp onto 279 towards Cherryville for 0.8 miles, parking at Gaston College.

TALK-IN will be on Shelby Amateur Radio Club's 146.880 repeater and on Gaston County Amateur Radio Society's 147.120 repeater which is located near the new location. Gaston County Amateur Radio Society has graciously offered the use of their repeater to Shelby Amateur Radio Club during the week of the hamfest. You will be able to find friendly amateurs on either frequency that will be able to help you out with directions.

The website will be updated continuously so please keep checking for changes.

LOCATION: Shelby Hamfest is moving to a new (and improved) location this year. Gaston county and park officials have been very cooperative and are diligently working to help make the 2008 Hamfest one of our best ever. Due to the confusion caused by the publicity that the Hamfest would be cancelled, we have had several handicaps to overcome in getting plans finalized. To help dispel some of these “rumors”, we are sending our brochures EARLIER this year so that our friends can begin to make plans to attend. We are still negotiating and finalizing plans as this brochure goes to press. We ask that you “KEEP CHECKING” our website (shelbyhamfest.org) for updates. As details become available, we will update our website.

FACILITIES: Air-conditioned building for new equipment dealers. Outside dealer and tent spaces available (rent your own tent). Ample space is available for all types of tailgating. Plenty of FREE parking outside the grounds.

Please note that to fish in the lakes you will need to acquire a NC Fishing License, no park permit is required.

REGISTRATION: $5.00 for pre-registration and $7.00 at the gate. All tickets good for both days. Children 12 and under FREE. Pre-registration ticket requests postmarked after August 22, 2008 will be held at the gate.

FREE PARKING: Parking will be available at Gaston College and in a grassy area just outside the Hamfest site. Handicapped parking will be available in a paved vehicle area just inside the park. (Handicap tag or placard required)

OVER-NIGHT CAMPING: Facilities will include power and water hook-ups. Check website as details will be posted as they become available.
$15.00 per day for camping with power and water
$5.00 per day for tent camping or self-contained units with NO hook-ups

MOTOR HOMES: If you plan to drive your motor home away from your site, please display a “Campsite Occupied” sign on your site.

Please note that to fish in the lakes you will need to acquire a NC Fishing License, no park permit is required.

FOOD: Most of Dallas and Gastonia’s restaurants are within a few minutes drive of the Hamfest site. Food will be available from several “on-site” food vendors, but NO FOOD OR DRINK SALES WILL BE ALLOWED WITHOUT A PERMIT FROM THE GASTON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT OR WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL OF THE GASTON COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.

FLEA MARKET: Will be available beginning August 24, 2008. Charges are $10.00 for each 10’X20’ space with a paid admission. (Your admissions ticket does not entitle you to a space) No more than 5 spaces may be reserved by any one person or vendor. Flea Market space is available on a first come basis and is not transferable. Any items left unattended will be at your own risk since the park will always be open to Gaston county residents. NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED TO RESERVE SPACES UNTIL MARKING IS COMPLETED ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 24. 2008 (APPROXIMATELY 3:00 PM). Please keep check on our website for updates.

GOLF CARTS: Operation of Golf Carts on the grounds will be restricted to drivers age 16 & older, and may be driven on the paved roads. ONLY HANDICAPPED DRIVERS WITH VISIBLE IDENTIFICATION WILL BE ALLOWED TO OPERATE GOLF CARTS IN THE OUTSIDE DEALER AND FLEA MARKET AREAS BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8:00 AND 4:00 PM ON SATURDAY (except for required SARC carts). No motor vehicles (including cars, trucks, and scooters) will be allowed to drive within the Hamfest area between 8 AM and 4 PM unless escorted by an official SARC Golf Cart. NEW 7/27/2008 - GOLF CART INFORMATION - For Golf Cart information please contact - Philip Eisenhour Ph. 704-907-0495

BINGO: 11:15 AM (immediately following Sunday School) at Picnic shelter #2. Bingo is for ladies and for children 12 years of age and younger. For the first time this year (since this is a public park), a paid admission ticket will need to be shown when entering the Bingo shelter, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. SARC members and their families are NOT eligible for any prizes.

SUNDAY SCHOOL: 10:00 AM Sunday morning in the chapel near the entrance to the park. (Transportation will be provide to the Bingo shelter for those attending Sunday School)

PRIZES: Pre-registration prize will be given on Saturday at 8:30 AM. Hourly prizes will be given on Saturday from 9 AM until 3 PM with the grand prize drawing at 4 PM. Hourly prizes on Sunday will be given from 9 AM until 12 Noon, with the grand prize being given at 1 PM.

FORUMS: Held in the Dealer Exhibit building at the Park on Saturday. Forums and times will be posted on the website when finalized.

ROOM	TOPIC	TIME	PRESENTER
ROOM 1	Basic SKYWARN	8 AM -10 AM	Bryan McAvoy, NWS
ROOM 3	*DStar**	10 AM – 12 Noon	Steve Koone, KA4YMY and Ken Johnson, KC4YOZ
ROOM 2	MARS Forum	10 AM	Reggie Faust
ROOM 1	Advanced SKYWARN	11 AM – 1 PM	Bryan McAvoy, NWS
ROOM 2	ARRL Forum	12 Noon	Patricia Hensley, Vice Director – Roanoke Division

VOLUNTEER EXAMS BY WCARS/VEC: No Pre-Registration – Walk-Ins Only
Saturday, August 30, 2008 at 2:00 PM and Sunday, August 31 at 1:00 PM held in the conference room in the Exhibit building. Applicants must bring original license and photo-copy of present license and any CSCE’s along with a photo ID, to the exam session. Make checks payable to WCARS/VEC for $10.00.

Hamfest Chairman	Robby Hamrick	chairman@shelbyhamfest.org
Inside Dealers	Barbara Elliott	insidedealer@shelbyhamfest.org
Outside Dealers	Ben Melvin	outsidedealer@shelbyhamfest.org
	Todd Vickery	outsidedealer@shelbyhamfest.org

An Approved 2A Fire Extinguisher is required in all tents as required by North Carolina Fire Code.

The SARC is not responsible for theft or accidents occurring at the hamfest site.

No member of the Shelby Amateur Radio Club or immediate family is eligible to win any prizes.

From the Hamfest Chairman - 4/22/2008

Hamfest Committee meeting will be on Monday, April 28, 2008. More details will be available after this meeting.

The new Hamfest location was voted on Friday night in order to be able to sell tickets at the Morganton Hamfest on Saturday. Although our Hamfest Committee is pleased and excited about the move to Gaston County, this move was unexpected and came about practically “overnight”.

Our committee is working with the Park, the Director of Tourism, the town of Dallas, and the membership of the SARC to get everything coordinated. There are many things to consider and options to explore before we make final decisions on anything. In order to provide the quality of Hamfest that folks expect from the SARC, we need TIME to make plans before we start trying to answer your questions. We are still trying to determine exactly what space and facilities are available and how to make the best use of them. Prices have not been determined for any spaces or facilities.

One thing that we DO know now is that sales of flea market spaces will begin on Sunday, August 24 (a week later than “normal”).

Letters will be sent to both the Inside and Outside dealers as soon as the information is available. Several have asked about camping, and again, we have no answers at this time. We are “working on it” is about the only answer we have for ANY questions right now. Please be patient with us, and know that we are not avoiding your questions or trying to keep you in the dark. After 30 years of “experience” in the same place, it is a daunting task to “start from scratch”!

Information will be posted on this website as soon as it becomes available. Please continue to check the website for updates. As soon as details are available, they will be posted. Not all details will be finalized at once, so it will be a continuous updating process. We appreciate your patience as we "rush" to get the information that you will need.

The new location is about halfway between Shelby and Charlotte and the closest motels will probably have a Gastonia address.

Please do not contact Gaston County Park to get information about the Hamfest. They will refer you to this website for Hamfest information.

The Hamfest is still on Labor Day Weekend as always! We'll see you at the Park!

The Shelby Amateur Radio Club will hold their 52^nd Annual Shelby Hamfest at Dallas Park in Dallas, NC. The Hamfest was first held at Shelby City Park and began as a one-day event attended by less than 100 people. The Hamfest eventually outgrew the City Park and moved to Brackett’s Cedar Park in Casar, NC. In 1979, we outgrew Brackett’s and moved to the Fairgrounds. We have grown from less than 100 in attendance to 8000 to 12000 over the Labor Day weekend.

The Shelby Hamfest has the distinction of being called “The Granddaddy of Them All” due to being one of the oldest and largest in the United States. According to amateur radio operators who have attended the Shelby Hamfest since it’s beginning, one of the major reasons for its growth and continued success has been the small town friendly feeling that visitors enjoy.

This year we have been forced to find a new location for our Hamfest. We want the citizens of Cleveland County to know that we are still going to be there for them during any emergency. An example of our willingness to help was demonstrated as recently as April 19, 2008. The Cleveland County ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) / SKYWARN group which is sponsored by the Shelby Amateur Radio Club, was notified by Emergency Management of Cleveland County that a tornado had touched down near Fallston. The ARES group immediately activated a net and manned their emergency radios ready to assist and spring into action if needed.

The Hamfest is our only support for keeping our emergency equipment up to date and operational. Since we can’t say no to our 10,000 friends who love to attend our Hamfest, we will be moving our Hamfest to Gaston County. Our move is necessary to be able to continue our ability to “donate” to local charities and to keep up our equipment for service to Cleveland County. We hope to enjoy a long and pleasant relationship with the Gaston County Department of Tourism who has been very gracious to us and our decision to continue our Hamfest over Labor Day weekend.

We, The Shelby Amateur Radio Club, would like to apologize to the many businesses of Cleveland County who will be the real LOSERS in this move. They had no voice in our fight to keep the Hamfest in Cleveland County so we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for 51 great years of their hospitality.