posted 11/17/15
Hamfest Flyer...
Vendor parking pass...
Vendor ticket
Keith - WA8ZWJ and Marian - WD8CJD stopped at Farmer Brown's for lunch on
their way.
This poster was on display inside the restaurant.
This is Farmer Brown.
Marian plays bridge at church weekly and one of the regular bridge players
there is Farmer Brown's sister.
The gang begins to arrive at the motel in Ft. Wayne.
Then a small group of the guys head to the coliseum to
unload the flea market stuff from the van.
Ah, the banner is up!
Set up group shot - Bob - N0BIX, Keith - WA8ZWJ, Randy -
AB8CO and John - N5AAA
The set up group then heads back to the motel.
As the gang gathers prior to dinner, we are pleasantly
surprised to see Lou - N8KXM and Sandi! They have driven over to join us
for dinner!
L-R Sandi, Lou - N8KXM, Big Al - KB8FJB, Jan - KA9VQS, Marian - WD8CJD, John
- N5AAA, Randy - AB8CO
John - KF8KK has joined the gang! Lou and Sandi are
enjoying his story.
N0BIXie snaps a couple of shots of the sunset...
Then N0BIXis snaps a shot of the group from above...
Bob - N0BIX and Jean
Big Al - KB8FJB, John - KF8KK and Lou - N8KXM
Dave - W8TVC, Keith - WA8ZWJ, Big Al - KB8FJB, John - KF8KK
and Lou - N8KXM
Lou - N8KXM, Sandi, Jan - KA9VQS, Jean and Marian - WD8CJD
Sandi, Jan and Jean
On our way to dinner the gang is messing with Bob by
walking backwards down the hallway towards dinner...Jean chose not to
participate in our folly!
Look like Big Al is facing forward too!
OK - time to turn around...
N5AAA is still walking backwards...
We walked across the parking lot to our favorite local
restaurant...
Checking out the menu...
Checking out the menu...
Keith knows what he wants!
Jan and John
Jean, Marian and Sandi
As N0BIXie makes his way around the table he takes a shot
of Keith taking a shot of him.
Here's Keith's shot of N0BIXie.
Randy and Dave
Yes, Bob is still taking photos...
Sandi and Lou
John and Big Al
Bob got someone to take his picture with Jean...
Close up!
After dinner the gang assembles for the group shot...
Here's the official IOOK group shot!
Lou and Sandi will not be staying for the hamfest. They have a family event that conflicts with the hamfest. It is great they came up to Ft. Wayne for dinner!
First breakfast...7AM
John, Randy, Keith Big Al and Marian
Then the early hamfest guys head towards the coliseum - 7:30ish...
The first one we see at the hamfest is Audrey - KC8DTM
(Damn Tired Mom)
Joe - KD8GIL and Glen - W8AK - their table is next to
ours...
Back at the motel, Big Al has changed out of his swimsuit
after walking in the pool and has joined the breakfast gang.
We got word from Gary - WB9DIA that he would not be setting
up on his tables behind us to sell so we expanded our stuff to his tables.
Glen, Audrey and Joe and their two tables - one thanks to Gary!
Gary - WB9DIA arrives! He is pleased we were able to
fill his tables. John, Randy and Gary
Back at the hotel, John, Jan and Jean have joined the
breakfast group...
Gary and Randy chat - our table with the banner to Gary's
right and his table that we have set up on behind him on the right...
Glen and Audrey at their table - Glen doesn't like getting
his photo taken...
Gary's tables - the one with the sheet is the one we have
set up on and the one to the right is the one Glen has set up on...
Back at the hotel - a breakfast shot from above...
Big Al and Dave
Jan
John - KF8KK
Must be his "deer in the headlights" look! :-)
Marian and Jean
N0BIXie arrives at the coliseum...
Bob - N0BIX
Big Al - KB8FJB
John - KF8KK and Dave - W8TVC
Bob has gone up to take some photos of the crowd - he calls
the table on the radio to wave for a photo! Hi Bob!
Then Keith has Bob wave back and takes a shot...
Looks like a good sized crowd...
John's on the phone...and watching the store...
Big Al, John and Dave
The hamfest booth
Randy and John visit while minding the store. Keith
must be out shopping...
Bob ventures out for a parking lot shot of the coliseum...
Here's Bill - N8TQ!
Ron - W8ILC
Keith climbs up on a chair to take a few crowd shots...
Jim - WB8VSU
It is nearly noon. Dave, Big Al, John and Bob prepare
to head out for lunch on their own.
John - W9KD
John and John are friends from back when John and Jan lived
in the Indianapolis area...
Audrey takes a shot of Gary, John and Keith.
Here's the lunch. Hmm, Bob has ordered his usual
desert lunch!
Bob takes a shot of our hotel. Yes, the weather is
beautiful!
Jan, Jean and Marian return from their shopping spree...
Back at the hamfest it is time to close up the store for
the day...
The gang is assembling for their pre dinner visit
time. Gary, Dave, Keith, Marian and Big Al
Bob and Jean join the gang...
Hmm - some deep thought about something that was
said! Marian, John and Gary
Pre dinner gathering grows...
John is not happy about yet another snap shot! Har!
Heading to dinner...Keith, walking backwards turns around
for a hot of Bob...
We are a bit earlier for dinner this evening and the sunset
is just now happening as we walk across the parking lot towards dinner.
Decisions being made...
Keith is first to order this evening...
John snaps a shot of Bob taking yet more shots of the
gang...
Big Al has ordered the meatloaf. This picture does
not really show how HUGE the meatloaf portion is on his plate! He is ready
to dig in!
Big Al managed to eat the WHOLE thing! Now he is ALL
FED UP! :-)
After dinner back at the hotel, Gary and Big Al get into a
deep conversation...
The gals...Marian is really happy about yet another photo!
John and Dave visiting...
Thanks to John - N5AAA for having an adapter that both
Keith and Bob forgot to bring, we are able to copy photos for each other off of
our camera memory cards.
Bob snaps a shot of Jan relaxing after dinner...
7AM breakfast!
It's 8AM and the early gang are back at the coliseum...
Today we will expand to all four table since Gary and Glen will not be here
today!
Set up and ready to sell! Side one...
Side two...
Back at the hotel, Bob and Jean get ready to head towards
Indianapolis to meet a relative for lunch. Here's Marian, Jean and Jan.
Big Al wins a hourly prize of a Raspberry Pie computer board. Good thing he gave his ticket to Keith.
Randy is looking up stuff on his phone about the Raspberry
Pie board.
Randy thinks he may be able to set up the board to run EchoLink and with a bit of luck we could interface it into the 442.850 repeater and get EchoLink on the repeater again. It turns out Big Al has no interest in the board so he donates it towards the EchoLink project! Thanks Big Al!
Later Keith wins an hourly prize. It is an ARRL 2016 calendar!
These shots are taken from the prize booth. Notice
all the empty tables and lack of attendance. Of course, that makes what we
have out to sell more prime objects for shoppers to look at!
Can you spot our banner on the table in the upper middle of
this shot?
It's 12:30. We have closed up our shop and are
getting ready to head out for lunch.
Loading the van!
Randy is helping...John is taking shots...
All packed up and ready to head out!
John and Jan will not be joining the group for lunch
today. They have family plans.
Decatur, Indiana - home of the Back 40 Junction!
There is lots of train memorabilia here!
Randy, Marian, Susan (Gary's girl friend) and Gary
Susan and Gary
This is on display in the restaurant...
After our all-you-can-eat lunch Gary and Susan check out
the caboose on display at the Back 40 Junction!
It was a FUN weekend! The weather was GREAT! Incredible weather for November for sure!
We sold very well on Saturday and sold enough on Sunday to make it worth our coming back.
The time sure went by fast! Thanks to all for making it a memorable weekend!
Photo contributors are: Bob - N0BIX, Jean, John - N5AAA and Keith - WA8ZWJ
Respectfully Submitted by Keith - WA8ZWJ
