[CQ-Contest] Dayton flea market mud

[Ron Notarius W3WN]

 The rain, and the resulting issues with mud, were unfortunate and disappointing.


But let's keep things in perspective.  This was the first time that DARA used this venue for Hamvention.  It was too much to hope for that everything would work out perfectly, and in two aspects -- the traffic on Friday, and this -- they didn't.


The traffic issue was resolved.  I've learned that the problem was that certain officials would not agree to making the main 2 lane road in one way for the morning on Friday; that changed on Saturday, alleviating the issue.  


The flea market issue won't be so easy to solve. Personally, I think they would have been better off putting the spaces, or at least many of them, around the track, not in the infield -- that would have permitted vehicles to use the track for access, which meant that when the rains came, vehicles would be on the hard surface, not chewing up the mud.  There are other alternatives as well.


It was unfortunate, but I don't believe it's fair to start writing off Hamvention in the future because they didn't score a perfect 10 on their first year in Xenia.


Now, that said, if DARA doesn't learn from this year and make adjustments, I'd have a different opinion next year.  Let's give them a chance, first.


73, ron w3wn
 

On 05/23/17, Jeff AC0C wrote:

What has historically set Dayton apart from the rest of the big hamfests is that monster sized flea market. So the decision of the organizers to put it in the center of a dirt horse track on grass seems like a big gamble that there would be no serious rain. Unfortunately this year they won the prize for a lot of rain on that weekend. And that rain turned the race track and everything inside into a massive mud mess.

Hope the organizers find some solution to that problem. Because the persistent mud makes the flea market a pretty unpleasant experience. Makes me wonder how many guys come to Dayton primarily to poke around in the market – and how many will be back if it’s going to be the mud mess it was this year.

73/jeff/ac0c
www.ac0c.com
alpha-charlie-zero-charlie

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