Headed to Hershey on Wednesday Morning site C4E #28

[desoto1939]

Ok last time to let everyone know that if you need a rest stop if you are at the AACA Eastern Fall Meet in Hershey PA you can visit me at

Choclocate Field North  row C4E site number 28 we are near the light post 45.

 

My other partner is Mike. If you are in the field stop and say hello and sit down for a rest.

 

Cell phone 484-431-8157

 

Rich HArtung

Desoto1939@aol.com

 

[JohnS48plm]

I can't make Hershey this year. I put all my parts money into a rebuilt engine for the Barracuda. maybe next year. JohnS

[Chester Brzostowski]

Rich,

If I come up on Friday I'll stop by and say hello but it looks like a bit of rain on Thursday & Friday. So what else is new ? Not really looking for anything in particular, I was just going to check out the cars at the show.

Chet...

[Chester Brzostowski]

It's been raining here in Virginia non stop since yesterday morning and the weather forecast for Saturday is rain maybe clearing in the afternoon.  Hershey is forecasted the same.  Good grief,  the parking fields must be a mud track.  Oh well, maybe next year.  I'm going to pass this time.   Probably pick up some good deals under the tarps if you can find what you are looking for.  I feel bad for the people and venders who have been looking forward to this event, myself included.

 

LOL,  Chet...   >

[desoto1939]

Update:  Well Hershey was  basically a rain out.  It was overcast on Wednesday.  It started to pour on Thursday afternoon and continues all night and into Friday Morning.  We backup since it was called for 70% rain Fridays  and around 50% for Saturday.

 

A lot of the vendors left on Thursday evening.

 

Better luck next year.

 

Rich Hartung

[Skrambler]

Was able to do some rapid walking on Wednesday, and till about 2:00 on Thursday. The vending areas looked to me to be more of an area to park! than an area to vend. Not too many vendors this year. I noticed that "marked" prices were threw the roof on items too! Only folks I saw buying that stuff was the Swiss. Everything seems to be going overseas this year, with the Dollar being tanked, and the Euro being worth $1.36.... Tables are turned.

[desoto1939]

you saw correctly, a lot of spaces were empty this year.  Talked to a lot of vendors and they were also saying the same thing. Lots of lookers and most people not buying.  Yes prices will be high at Hershey. Figure a spots costs about 85$.  So we had two spots a porta potty for 140+$  travel costs and food and of coarse beer.  My budding travels in from St Lois so he also has extra trvel and gas fees more than I do since I am only about 2 hrs max from Hershey.  So two spots 170 + 140   eq 310  even before we sell anything, plus the food and the gas.

 

Now figure how far some of the venders come from and the vacation time or if they own a business and it s closed. So yes there is a lot of money spent to get there so they are trying to at lest break even and or possibly make some money.

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

[Skrambler]

Rich.

I agree with you. Vendors do spend quite a bit to reserve a spot, and it is a privilege to have your own, personal "pot" to use.

On the other hand, think of the buyers too. Same fuel, same time off work, hotel stay, food, even more beer (lots of walking) and no use of toilets since the rented ones are all under lock and key. Hard with all that extra beer  !!!  Then to spend monies if the illusive part is found at a King's ransom.

No happy medium for either sellers, or buyers. I really hate to see this happen. Hershey is an Institution that ALL Swap Meets are judged from (in my humble opinion).

I only hope that the decline in vendors, and quite frankly buyers too picks up.

Walking around this year, looking at the slim crowd of people there, I also noticed a whole lot of grey hair (myself included). For the old car hobby to continue, new blood needs to enter the hobby or the hobby will disappear like the car companies themselves.

 

I made reservations already for next year, and hope to see improvement on vending and attendance too! 

[desoto1939]

Skrambler:

 

I also see your point about the crowd also coming to the event to buy items.  But If you put a very respectable price on an items I have a complete set of  heavy duty truck sockets to be used to removed the axles nuts etc.  I put a price of $40 for the entire set then the guys come up and want to offer 20-25.  I already put a price that was a great bargin then they want it for less. This time I stood firm and got the 40.

 

So to play the game at Hershey you up the price by 20 so for this item you put sixty and then the guy offers 40.  But on the other hand the 60 will also price people away because they feel its too high. So you can not win either way.  I know I have also played the game of get the lowest price also.

 

Yes the crowd is the gray haired guys and yes we are not getting the young guys to come into the hobby.  Hershey is changing and has been changing over the past 25-30 years that I have been attending.

There were times when you would see suspension parts, shocks, rubber gas and brake pedals,  the 1$ tents with boxes of NOS items that you had to search through and you would also get some good buys.

 

But now we are seeing it turn in to the big commercial venders and the lillte guy is struggling.  Also the old parts are drying up and it is getting harder to find them.  The supply is getting scares.  We all and I have talked to a lot of the venders and they also are saying the same that your stating.  The young guys are not involved and these old cars are not what they want the want the High performance get in a go and do not care to look for parts and restore.  Buy and drive is the saying no a days.  The hobby will slowly change over time and Hershey is going to change over time all we can do is keep our fingers crossed and hope that there will be new blood to take over the hobby. 

 

Rich Hartung

Desoto1939@aol.com

[alsancle]

I have been going on and off since 1987 and religiously the last 13 years.  It is almost a lock that every third year is a rain out.  If you looked at the weather map on Thursday or Friday the entire eastern seaboard was dry except for a 50 mile square hurricane centered over Hershey.