posted 11/21/13
Welcome! A group of IOOK'ers attended the 2013 Fort Wayne Hamfest!
Here's a portion of the hamfest brochure...
Here's a sample of one of their Vendor tickets...
This is their parking pass for Vendors...
Keith - WA8ZWJ and Marian - WD8CJD decided to eat lunch on
their way to Fort Wayne at Farmer Brown's in Arcanum, Ohio.
Here's the Comfort Suites Motel where Betty - KC8PCQ gets
us a special group rate for our rooms.
Several of us went to the Coliseum to drive the van inside
and off load the items for the flea market. Here's N0BIX and WA8ZWJ.
Randy - AB8CO take a photo of John - N5AAA and Keith -
WA8ZWJ unloading storage tubs.
Here's Randy's photo...
Flat KBob is watching over the activity...
Time to prepare the banner...
Randy getting ready to snap a shot from a funny angle...
Here's the shot!
Ah, the banner is in place!
Now to cover up the tubs for the night...
Bob - N0BIX and Randy - AB8CO prepare to take a group photo
of our setup team...
John and Keith are still covering up tubs...
More preparations...
Our group shot!
L to R - WA8ZWJ, Flat KBob, N5AAA, N0BIX, AB8CO
Back at the hotel we have some time to visit before
dinner. I think Dave is checking for dog poop on his shoe.
L to R - John - N5AAA, Jan - KA9VQS, Dave - W8TVC, Marian - WD8CJD, Keith -
WA8ZWJ,
Big Al - KB8FJB, Jean
Keith, Al, Jean
John, Jan, Dave
Time to head for dinner...
"VICIOUS GROWL"
"EVEN MORE VICIOUS GROWL"
To dinner we go....we walk across the parking lot to the
restaurant next door!
We typically eat dinner here on both Friday and Saturday
night!
Dave and Big Al contemplating the menu...
Guess who is taking MOST of the photos?
Jan and Marian...
Marilyn and Jean...
Bob - The Foto Guy!
Randy and John...
Keith, Marilyn, Jean and Bob...
Dinner is done and Big Al is having some fun with Flat
KBob.
Bob and Keith prepare to take the "Group Photo"
for this year's Hamfest.
We normally take this shot on Saturday night but Randy and Marilyn have plans
to eat with a cousin of Randy's Saturday night and will not be with the gang.
Still preparing...
Yes, an assortment of photos were taken. This is the
one I chose for the group.
It is too bad that Gary - WB9DIA did not see the memo about Friday night
dinner...
Here is the "official" group photo!
Time to visit some more...
Here's a rare shot of ZWJ with his cell phone out. I
think we were coordinating phone numbers...
Saturday, November 16, 2013
It is still before the official opening of the doors but we
are set up and ready for the pre fest sales!
Glenn - W8AK and his group are beside us, as usual.
Joe - KD8GIL and Glenn - W8AK
Randy takes another one of those unusual angle shots...
John and Keith
Getting ready to make an early sale...
Not only did the antennas sell but also a tri band Kenwood
and a dual band Kenwood and not all to the same guy.
Keith is recounting the money...
Here's Vice President Gary - WB9DIA
His tables are kind of behind ours...
George - WD8NHI and Mark - N8ME
Audrey - KC8DTM
Ron - W8ILC
Ah, the doors must be open because Big Al, Dave and Bob
have arrived!
Bob - N0BIX
00215 is a close as they come to any of our numbers for
door prizes...
Erv - N8YEA says he will see us again at Yuma in February!
Randy - AB8CO
Gary - WB9DIA behind his table...
Glen - W8AK
Dave - W8TVC
Big Al - KB8FJB
The flea market gets busy! Yee haw!
Keith is standing on a chair for these shots...
Gary gets in a big wave as Keith stands on a chair for this
shot...
N0BIXie has found a way to the balcony that overlooks the
arena. He has caught Dave and Big Al shopping...
Lotsa people from the balcony...
John, Gary and Keith chat behind Gary's table...
Randy is watching our store...
Behind the blue tarps are the hamfest tables for the
hamfest organizers...
One of the many video displays - this one probably in
the balcony area...
Keith spots N0BIXie on the balcony!
That is Audrey on Keith's left...
Randy, John and Keith pose for a balcony shot...
I thought I took a shot of N0BIXie up there but it must not have taken.
Big Al places his ticket in the prize drum...
N0BIXie, KB8FJB and W8TVC prepare to head back to the
hotel...
Keith takes a walk...
Here's Gaylen - WB0W...
Great shirt!
Another great shirt...
That is unless you open the switch!
Randy - KA0AZS
Randy and John chat while Flat KBob looks on. Notice
the flea market is thinning out...
Back at the hotel, here's John and Jan's new car!
Yep! We went back to the place across the parking lot
for dinner. Dinner Title Shot!
OK - this photo IS out of sequence - on purpose. Yes, those guys ARE
heading back to the hotel after dinner.
Keith at dinner...
John
Big Al
Gary
Marian
Jean
Jan
Dave and his "Goofy" smile!
Bob
I placed two of these end of table shots in here because
some folks are better in one that the other...
But neither shot was good of everyone...
Back at the hotel for more visiting...
Jan and John
Since Bob takes most of the snap shots, he gets left out of
many of them, so, John and Keith decide to try to even the score some...
Marian is having a great time! Look in the mirror...
Sunday, November 17, 2013
N0BIX missed photos of breakfast both days....breakfast is
complimentary with our rooms at the hotel...
Early Sunday morning in the flea market. With our
neighbors gone we expand to include 3 tables now.
Big Al and Dave elect to head towards home in Northwest Lower Michigan about this time to miss the incoming nasty weather that was forecast.
Pete, a buddy of Gary's has come up with an LED light that
is very neat...
He has a room steamer going so you can see the blue LED
light in the base shining up onto a special white disk that instead of blue
shows white light.
Keith and Pete...
Another look at the beam and light. Notice the meter
on the right. That shows the voltage and low power consumption of the near
40 watt equivalent light.
Pete and Gary
The light features a "touch on touch off" base.
"Touch Me Please!"
While the guys are at the flea market, Bob and the girls
are out shopping...
We have now expanded to 4 tables...
This car was parked beside Keith's van. The guy/gal
must be a cat lover!
Gary and Randy discuss juke boxes...
The hamfest is over. It closed at noon. We
headed south to Decatur, IN to the Back 40 Junction for an all-you-can-eat
buffet dinner.
Keith is in his van copying photos from memory sticks onto
his laptop.
Keith's first pass is to the salad bar...photos are copied!
Bob found this interesting display on the window sill near
our table...
Gary poses with our waitress.
He says "Looking
forward to a picture of me and the "Kellie Pickler look-alike".
I may have to go back every Sunday just to see her. She was cute!"
For those of you who are not familiar with Kellie Pickler, here is a Wikipedia link about her:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellie_Pickler
Randy's license plate...
Some of the folks traveling through Indiana had to take shelter during tornado warnings but all Keith and Marian had to deal with was some high winds and light rain.
Keith caught this rainbow out the driver side window on the
way home.
There are 146 photos in this collection. They were gleamed from 359 photos plus the scanned in items.
Photo contributors are: AB8CO, N0BIX, N5AAA, WA8ZWJ
It is too bad that Betty - KC8PCQ did not feel up to making the trip this year. Many thanks to her for securing our rooms. I understand that a block has already been reserved for next year.
We had a GREAT time! If you didn't get to attend this year, please put the Fort Wayne Hamfest on your calendar for next year!
Many thanks and best wishes to all!
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED
Best 73, Keith - WA8ZWJ
