It’s Not About Hara





This article originally appeared on Radio Artisan.


7 thoughts on “It’s Not About Hara

  1. This was my first year at Hamvention. I enjoyed myself immensely. But, having been involved with many conference and show venues in my professional life. I understand your sentiments. If anyone attends the Huntsville (AL) Hamfest at the Von Braun Center, with the Embassy Suites Hotel connected via a bridgeway, they will understand your views. There may be many others like this too.



  2. I went to Hamvention in 1985 and 1986 at the Hara Arena. 30 years later, I was quite amazed to find that the Arena had finally been closed down. Seeing that the place was an arena since the mid-sixties, I was amazed to hear that it had been around for so long. Most arenas and sports domes only last for about 30 at best, are torn down and rebuilt, (usually elsewhere due to urban sprawl), and become too expensive at first to rent for a decade or so. Yes, the Hamvention is held in a different place now and no it’s not ideal, but it’s still Hamvention.

  3. “…the Hamvention powers that be should seek a better venue for Hamvention and not settle for Xenia.”

    I completely agree, but the available choices will be limited due to:

    a) the hundreds of local volunteers required to run the event tend to live near it, so moving it to the larger nearby city of Cincinnati (for example) is probably off the table due to the volunteer issue,

    b) even though it might make economic sense to consider changing the date to a week or two later (which would free up many college locations around Dayton to host the event once school is out for the summer), Hamvention staff has been nearly always fought that suggestion tooth and nail. It might be easier in the Dayton area to move Christmas vs. Hamvention weekend, and

    c) The Hamvention staff hasn’t shown a great deal of foresight in the past (regarding locating the premiere event involving ham radio), so there is little to suggest they will move it’s new location until those buildings are falling down around them as well and they are forced to, just like at Hara.

    Meanwhile, other events in AL, FL, and TX continue to grow in size and stature, which strongly suggests that both vendors and attendees want better facilities than what the Dayton club is able to provide with either the Hara or the newer Xenia locations.

  4. Dallas Ft Worth should be a good place for the hamvention, its about midway of north, east, west of USA. Lets do it.

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