Thanks to the Central Dakota ARC for hosting another great hamfest! The weather was great and there were some pretty good deals to be had by those who attended. The ARRL Forum was well attended and could have gone longer - lots of good discussion. The CDARC hams not only have a good lunch, but have breakfast as well. Of course it's good to have a belly full of pancakes, eggs, and sausage to start off the day with! Lynn Nelson WØND (ND SM), Kris Stalkamp, WØADZ (SD SM), Matt Holden, KØBBC (Dakota Div, Vice Director), and I had a great time, thanks all!
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The St. Cloud ARC hosted their 100th Year Anniversary hamfest on February 18th in style. Located at a different and beautiful venue, The College of St. Benedict, saw lots of things to do for attendees. A well-stocked breakfast buffet keep hams fueled to roam the hamfest floor or to attend the many breakout sessions held throughout the morning. The weather was unseasonably warm in the 50s which made travels easy for those who attended. Thanks to the hard working folks in the St. Cloud ARC whose great hospitality made their event fun!
The Red River Radio Amateur's (RRRA) hosted another great ND Section Convention. Although outside the weather was very warm, humid, & muggy, inside the spirits were high and "treasures" were passing from one ham to another. Of course everything needed to keep you going (in the food category) was available - doughnuts to brats and the best home-made bars. Since we're closing in on the US Senate's potential voting on HR-1301, Matt, KØBBC, Lynn, WØND, and I helped those who hadn't had the chance to send their Senators a letter requesting their support. We're not sure on the count, but the seat never got cold and we had a pretty constant line of hams wanting to do their part. Thanks to all the hams from the tri-state area as well as our Canadian friends who stopped by the booth to say hi and/or send a letter. Thanks also to the RRRA who again did an outstanding job! Alex Muggli, WØZTL, an 80+ year ARRL member sending his Senators a request to support HR-1301 Matt, KØBBC, helping a ham send off yet another letter. Just after the doors opened. Lynn, WØND, Kent, KAØLDG, & Matt, KØBBC @ the ARRL booth Matt, Skip and I along with a great showing of ARRL volunteers attended the Northern Plains Regional Radio Club hamfest in Worthington, MN on the 17th of August. Despite the fog and drizzle, we all had a good time visiting with hams from around the region. Coffee and doughnuts kept us all fueled for the event. Thanks for the warm welcome and hospitality and hope to see you next year!
The Arrowhead Radio Amateur Club Hamfest - aka: Duluth Hamfest, even though it's held in Superior, WI, was a great success. The weather was picture perfect to be in the twin ports of Duluth/Superior for their annual hamfest. Lots of good ham camaraderie and eyeball QSOs were happening throughout the day while all kinds of interesting buys were to be had at some of the tables. The club also had their signature BBQ sandwiches and other goodies to keep everyone fueled up for the day. We talked to a lot of hams at the ARRL display about quite a few topics. There was a lot of interest with the National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) special event going on throughout the year. Following the hamfest, I drove up to Grand Portage and activated the Grand Portage National Monument (MN-42)for NPOTA. Thanks to all the members of the Arrowhead Radio Amateur Club who made this hamfest another great reason to head up to Lake Superior! Manning the ARRL booth from L to R: Dakota Division Vice Director, Matt Holden, KØBBC, Minnesota Asst. Section Manager, Brian Mc Inerney, NØBM, Minnesota Section Manager, Skip Jackson, KSØJ, Dakota Division Director, Kent Olson, KAØLDG, Wisconsin Section Manager, Gary Sorensen, W9ULK, & DXCC Card Checker, Mike Cizek, WØVTT. Saturday April 16th was a great day to hit the road and go to Brainerd. The weather was great and the crowd was too. The BARC once again hosted another great hamfest which included tasty homemade chili! Lots of local and quite a few non-local hams attended this year and attendance was up. Of course there were good deals of all sorts to be had at the swap tables. ARRL International Affairs VP, Jay Bellows, KØQB and ARRL1st VP Greg Widin, KØGW joined MN Section Manager Skip Jackson, KØSJ, Mike Cizek, WØVTT, Bob Meyer, WØLAW and myself at the ARRL booth. Lots of hams stopped by to say hi and get the latest update from the ARRL. Thanks again to all the BARC hams who held another great hamfest.
You would never know it was winter at this year's Midwinter Madness hamfest. With temperatures in the 50s and no snow on the ground made travel for the region's amateurs easy this year. The crowd was good and with spring in the air bargains were getting purchased. There were even young adults walking around the hamfest selling cinnamon rolls and later lunch for those of us too busy to make it over to the food area - great idea! Mike Cizek, WØVTT, was kept busy checking DXCC cards and had his first 2 meter DXCC ham stop by with cards. Next year we're being warned to wear warm footwear as the ice will be taken off a few days prior to the hamfest. Thanks to the Maple Grove Radio Club for putting on another great hamfest and thanks to all who stopped by the ARRL booth to say hi.
The weather cooperated and great fun was had by all at the Bismarck Hamfest which was hosted by the Central Dakota Amateur Radio Club. Attendance was good as I'm sure the weather helped. The club put on a great breakfast and lunch so if you left hungry, it was your fault. Lots of good discussion surrounding the National Parks on the Air operating event during the ARRL Forum. Chris Stallkamp, WØADZ, Section Manager from South Dakota made the trip up as well. Thanks to the hams from the Central Dakota ARC for putting another great event! L to R: Kent Olson, KAØLDG, Dakota Division Director, Lynn Nelson, WØND, ND Section Manager, Chris StallKamp, WØADZ, SD Section Manager, & Matt Holden, KØBBC, Dakota Division Vice Director. ARRL Forum hosted by Lynn Nelson, WØND, ND SM
A chilly morning brought lots of hams out to the "Cabin Fever Reliever" again this year. I left Fargo with -20° on the truck thermometer to see it reach a balmy -14° by the time I made it into St. Cloud. The St. Cloud ARC had hot coffee ready for all the bargain shoppers when the doors opened. The club also had great chili and chili dogs to keep the stomachs full. Attendance was very good and a lot of hams dropped by the ARRL booth to visit. Thanks to the St. Cloud ARC for putting on yet another great hamfest (sorry, I lost my photos or I would have posted them)!
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