Shelby Shopper Shelby NC
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Page 10 - shelby shopper & info - 704/484-1047 www.shelbyinfo.com Thursday, August 25-August 31, 2022 On September 2 – 4, 2022 Shelby Amateur Radio Club (SARC) will host its 66th An- nual Shelby Hamfest. Shelby Amateur Radio club sponsors the annual Shelby Hamfest which is being held at the Cleve- land County Fairgrounds on Labor Day weekend! Shelby Amateur Radio Club began hosting this event in 1957. Shelby Hamfest is an event where Amateur Radio vendors and manufactur- ers set up to show their latest products. Camp- ers begin arriving a week ahead of time to visit and fellowship with each other. It is also a place where amateur radio op- erators who talk on the radio regularly are able to have an "eyeball qso." A QSO is a contact be- tween two amateur radio stations. There is also a flea market for folks to sell their used equipment, antique radios, crafts, etc. The hamfest will have several education forums for attendees to participate. There will be amateur radio license testing available through- out the week and on Sat- urday September 3. If interested in attending the hamfest this year, admis- sion is $10.00 at the gate and is good for all three days. There will be a Youth Scavenger hunt on Saturday for those younger than 18. There are lots of door prizes being awarded this year. Children 12 and under can attend free. The first Shelby Ham- fest was held at Brackett's Cedar Park in 1957 with about 300 in attendance and over the years it out- grew the park moving to the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in 1979. In the mid 1990's the at- tendance had grown into the 10,000s. In 2008, the hamfest moved tem- porarily to Dallas Park in Dallas, NC and returned home to the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in 2013. While attendance has dropped in recent years, the Shelby Ham- fest is still considered one of the largest hamfest on the east coast and is the largest in the ARRL Roanoke Division (North & South Carolina, Vir- ginia and West Virginia). Shelby Hamfest attend- ees come from all over the United States and the world each year and stay in area hotels and eat at local restaurants. The hamfest has drawn ama- teur radio operators from as far away as New Zea- land, Turkey, India, Great Britain and Sweden. Some of the proceeds from the Hamfest go to- wards maintenance and upkeep of the club's 6 repeaters. These re- peaters are available for service to the Cleve- land County Emergency Management and other served agencies such as the American Red Cross should a disaster occur in the county. Some of the proceeds are donated to local and deserving chari- ties. In past years, The Shelby Amateur Radio Club donated to Salvation Army, Cleve- land Rutherford Kidney Association, Crossroads Rescue Mission, Life En- richment Center, Council on Aging, ARRL Spec- trum Defense Fund and other organizations in and around Cleveland County. Shelby Amateur Radio Club holds its monthly meetings at the Red Cross Building in Shelby on the Second Tuesday of each month (Except December) at 7:00 PM. For more informa- tion related to the Shelby Hamfest, please email chairman@shelbyham- fest.org or call 980-295- 5151. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming part of this growing service, secre- t a r y @ s h e l b y h a m f e s t . org or see http://www. shelbyarc.org or http:// www.shelbyhamfest.org. Shelby Amateur Radio Club hosts 66th Annual Shelby Hamfest The 66th Annual Shelby Hamfest will be held on September 2-4 at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds. (Photos by Josh Melvin) Scenes from previous Shelby Hamfest. (Photos by Josh Melvin) Carolina Carolina CLASSIFIEDS .com Your Link to Local Classifi eds!