We are currently in the planning stages of the 2025 Shelby Hamfest. The Hamfest is always Labor Day Weekend! We will be making changes to the website in the next two months. Look for links on how to buy tickets online (beginning in Late March).
Information on this website is currently subject to change as we are still planning 2025 Hamfest.
Thank you for the patrons, vendors and newcomers for joining us this year despite several unforeseen challenges to our normal setup. We appreciate the support you give us for another great year. Thank you to the volunteers, club members & forum presenters. For those who have asked, the PA system was not working. We will be posting the winners of the Shelby Amateur Radio Club Sponsored prizes soon. Thank you to the companies who provided the door prizes. We hope you all will join us in 2025.
2024 Prize Winners
The following Prizes below are Sponsored
by the
Shelby Amateur Radio Club
Shelby Amateur Radio Club
You do not have to be present to win.
*Subject to change due to availabilty
Pre-Registration: Drawn Friday at 4 PM
AnyTone AT-778UV II
AnyTone AT-778UV II
Winner: N9LPT Bret Phillips, Spartanburg, SC
Saturday at 4:15 PM
Grand Prize: ICOM 7300
Winner: KW4HF Mike Murray, Durham, NC
Saturday at 4:00 PM
Second Prize: Yaesu VHF/UHF Mobile Transceiver
Winner: KO4TQF Tyler Thoreson, Hickory, NC
Winner: KO4TQF Tyler Thoreson, Hickory, NC
Saturday Prizes drawn every other hour
ALINCO Hand Held Radios
Winners:
KX4MA Andrew McCarter, Kannapolis, NC
Luke Tremblay, Gastonia, NC
Mike Shokley, Tobaccoville, NC
John Link, Snow Camp, NC
KO4GIA Chester Watson, McDavid, FL
NC4A Harry Woodworth, Boynton Beach, FL
KK4EMR Roxanne Hedrich, Smithfield, VA
N4XPQ J.W. Coley, Winston-Salem, NC
Please be mindful of Construction at Fairgrounds! Stay Alert as Entry Gates May Change!Please do not enter construction zones!We look forward to seeing everyone!
Hours of Operation
Friday August 29, 2025
9:00 AM until 5:00 PM (Buildings & Flea Market)
Saturday August 30, 2025
Gates open at 7:00 AM (Outside Vendors)
Inside Vendor Buildings 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday August 31, 2025
Sunday School at 10AM
Click Here for Brochure for 2025 Shelby Hamfest (Coming Soon)
Location of Fairgrounds
1751 E Marion St, Shelby, NC 28152
Approximately 35 miles West of Charlotte Douglas International Airport
Cleveland County, NC has several points of interest to explore while visiting our county. If you are planning to spend the week camping with us, you may wish to explore some of these interesting places. Click here to see area Points of Interest!
Parking Information
Parking will be behind the fairgrounds. Please turn on Kemper Rd off Marion St and take the First Right onto Ferris Wheel Blvd. You will be directed on where to park. There will be handicap parking available.
Mobility Options are available - Golf Carts are available for rent during the hamfest - Please click here for Mobility Options.
Buy Tickets
Tickets are $10.00 and all tickets bought in advanced will be will call only (meaning to be picked up at arrival at the event).
Prizes are yet to be determined. You do not have to be present to Win these club sponsored prizes. We will ship to the lower 48 states.
*Members of Shelby Amateur Radio Club are not eligible to buy tickets or win prizes.
VE Testing
VE Testing is provided by WCARS-VE, Inc.
Wednesday August 27, 2025 at 4:00PM at the (Location TBD due to Fairground Improvements) & Saturday August 30, 2025 at 2:00 PM at the (Location TBD)
Talk-In Frequency
Talk-in is on our 146.880 (-), 67.0 Hz Tone Repeater. While in our area check-in to our Nets! Shelby Amateur Radio Club VHF Emergency Net Mondays & Fridays on 146.880 at 8:30 PM; Good Ideas Net Wednesday 7:00 PM on 147.345 (+) & Sunday Night Prayer Net 8:00 PM on 146.880. Our Repeaters can also be accessed by Echolink Node KM4C-R
Indoor Vendor Buildings
Shelby Hamfest has several indoor vendor options. Goforth Hall & Weathers Arena are indoor options for exhibitors which will keep you and your items safe from weather conditions (Sun or Rain). If you would like more information regarding inside vendor options, please contact at Russell Hayes KE4GTQ or Chip Workman N4SOC click here or call 980-295-5151. More detailed information can be found by clicking here!
Outdoor Vendor Space
Shelby Hamfest outdoor vendor spaces are available. There are areas designated as Outdoor Commercial Vendor spaces. These are ideal for those vendors who want to be positioned between the indoor spaces and the Flea Market areas. If you would like more information regarding outdoor vendor options, please contact at Russell Hayes KE4GTQ or Chip Workman N4SOC click here or call 980-295-5151. More detailed information can be found by clicking here!
Outdoor Covered Option
Shelby Hamfest has another option for those who want to be able to reserve spaces which will be covered. The Covered area is attached to the Weathers Arena. If you would like more information regarding this reservable alternative to the first come first served outside flea market area please contact at Russell Hayes KE4GTQ or Chip Workman N4SOC click here or call 980-295-5151. More detailed information can be found by clicking here!
Flea Market Spaces
These spaces are not reservable and are available on a first come / first serve bases beginning the Sunday prior to the Hamfest. These spaces are located throughout the fairgrounds and surrounded by the buildings and camping areas of the hamfest. There are plenty of spaces available and are usually plenty of spaces to choose from throughout the event. If you need information please contact at Russell Hayes KE4GTQ or Chip Workman N4SOC click here or call 980-295-5151. For more information click here!
Food Vendors
There are several food vendor booths who are open on the fairgrounds with a wide variety of breakfast and lunch items along with standard county fair staples like funnel cakes and Orangeaid/Lemonaid vendors. If this type of food is not what you are interested in then try one of our many restaurants in Shelby. All are just a short ride from the fairgrounds. To learn how to become a vendor please contact at Russell Hayes KE4GTQ or Chip Workman N4SOC click here or call 980-295-5151.
RV Camping
One highlight of the Shelby Hamfest is on-site RV & Tent Camping the week of the hamfest. Campers enjoy fellowshipping with other campers and amateur radio operators and are able to explore the many places of interest in Shelby, NC and he surrounding area. Contact Lynn Winkelman for more information on camping (RV, Trailer & Tent). To request information click here. For more information click here!
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
2025 Shelby Hamfest Brochure (Coming Soon)
Ticket & Space Reservation Request (Coming Soon)
Accommodations
If camping at the Fairgrounds is not your idea of a good nights sleep, then there are a variety of Hotels & Motels to choose from in Cleveland County and the surrounding area. If you are planning to come out to the hamfest for more than one day, you'll want to make reservations at one of the area hotels.
Click here for a list of some local hotels.
Golf Carts & Mobility Info
Do Not contact the club for Golf Cart Rentals Click Here for more information. Please watch and yield to pedestrian traffic. Wheelchairs and Scooters can be used at anytime for handicapped individuals. You can bring your own golf cart but will be subject to the same rules as the rental carts. Golf cart driver must be at 16 years of age and hold a valid state-issued drivers license.
** Golf cart drivers observed operating unsafely will be asked to park their cart for duration of the hamfest.
FORUMS LOCATION CHANGE NOW IN DORTON HALL
Forums (Saturday)
LOCATION CHANGE - Due to Construction Work at the fairgrounds, and potential rain, forum presentation this year will be conducted in the SW corner of the Dorton Hall Building aat the top of the Fairgrounds.
Look just above the Goforth Hall Building for the one that runs parallel to the roadway. Enter through the lower doors, turn left down the aisle to the lower aisle and turn right.
Forums are Saturday Only - These will be updated closer to hamfest
Sunday School (Sunday) Will be held in same place as forums.
Each year at the Shelby Hamfest, hamfest attendees, campers and vendors are given an unique opportunity to attend Sunday School. Our Sunday School Teacher Daniel Edmonson KG4GRN has taught and touched lives for nearly a decade. Be sure to attend Sunday School at 10:00 AM. Same location as the Forums.
