CCARC’s first ever hamfest, dubbed “The Central Pennsylvania Hamfest” happened on Sunday September 14^th at the Clearfield County Fairgrounds. By nearly all accounts, this was a stunning success for a first attempt at an event like this, but multiple areas of improvement were identified for next year.

The hamfest was a group effort with a large majority of the membership pitching in to help or set up their spare gear for sale at tables. A special thank you is due to Mike WB3EQW and his wife, Caroline, for their exemplary efforts in organizing the food sales. As we started the process of organizing this hamfest we really had no idea how many people would actually attend. Nor did we know how many would buy food at the event. We made our “best guess” estimates and learned from the experience. In the end, there were 101 paid attendees with a number of others that slipped through the parking barricades before we had the chance to string up ropes to section off the area.

Our entire group should be proud of the 1^st ever Central Pennsylvania Hamfest. Looking forward to 2026 we anticipate an even better event with a better understanding of what to expect.