Some guys go to casinos to spend their money trying to hit the big one. I go to swap meets. For me it's the thrill of the hunt. Sometimes you hit it big. The anticipation and excitement that it brings can't be measured in time and money. I have hauled so many items out of jefferson I can't even count. I have had sheet metal from a vendor in white field deliver it for free. Having it shipped by truck would have cost hundreds of dollars. I get a load of shop towels from towel man each spring and fall. I get other things I need through out the year. So even if I get skunked on finding parts I always make it worth it in other ways to go. You make it work for you.
I've been hearing that swap meets are a dying venue, maybe just a sign of the times but I doubt they will completely go away in most of our lifetimes. I too have acquired most everything I needed over the years from swap meets, many NOS items, yes, it took many outings and letdowns and when I finally found that "holy grail" part it had gotten crazy $$$, or so I thought as I would gladly pay again those prices from the 80's and 90's.
The Friday / Saturday no Sunday thing sucks . The gate used to be open at like 6AM Saturday and the early bird would get the worm. I have vendors who said they sold most the good stuff now on Thursday. I felt like I was going through the motions the last show. The spring I bought a ton . Can a non vender get in on Thursday now? 30 years ago it was guys cleaning out there garage and no internet to sell stuff on . The internet also gives guys a pricing guidelines so they know what it's worth. It's become a business for to many. I noticed the guy selling all the lights, bulbs, switches, wiring stuff, LED, at the south end was not there . I had a shopping list of stuff to get part of why I went.
Yea, they are sure trying hard to make it worse for people that have a 9-5 Mon-Fri job. My son took off work on Friday so we could get there (our weekend was booked). We got there about 9 am, it was pretty nice. There were several places offering the LED stuff, I think the guy that used to be at the south end was closer to the grandstand this year. All I bought was a brat & a soda, but the Jefferson experience still cost me $60 for the day. My son picked up some things he was looking for, so it was OK.
The Jalopy Journal
