So, I'm making the drive out to Hershey tomorrow to see what all the hub-bub is all about. I plan on leaving early(ish) to see if I can snag some cool parts, etc at the swap meet. I'm also gonna bring the camera rig to cover the event. Any recommendations or suggestions for me? Do the vendors only take cash, etc. I have a Dakota so unless I end up buying a bike (pre-unit Triumph, fingers crossed!) I'll have some room to bring stuff back to south Jersey for people if they need help. I don't have any HAMB gear but I'll have on my Church louvers shirt and my Deadbeaters club jacket if it's cool out. Say hi.
Ahhhhhh. yea, I woulda been pissed if I drove 2 hours out there for no swap meet. I could have gone on the Factory tour for some free chocolate though. HA! Guess I'm just anxious.
I can't wait either .I missed it last year and couldn't get off of work.I drove up friday night and the vendors pulled out saturday.Go figure,No rain
You scared the **** out of me there for a minute! Here I've been planning my trip for months and got the date wrong?! Wait... no it's not me it's you. Whew!
If you've never been you have no concept of how huge this is. When you buy those goodies you will carry, drag, push, roll it a half mile back to the car. Then walk back for some more. I had a pedometer on my belt last year. Walked 10 miles the first day and 10 miles the second day and more on the third day and still didn't see it all. Most Hamb guys will let you stash stuff at thier spot. I have a hand cart all rigged up just for hershey. Venders will not accept credit cards, personal checks, bank checks, travelers checks, pesos, yen, monopoly money, iou's or promises. Bring lots of CASH.
That's what I thought, I didn't want to put it out there that I had a wad of 20's in my pocket even though I could probably choke out or break most peoples limbs at will
There is more money floating around the grounds than a lot of countries have. The guys with the big rolls carry heat.
Couple things here. Hershey's Blue Laws won't let the show run Sunday. Saturday afternoon is when the actual judging and show is and a lot of the vendors want to see that so they close up. Plus if there's no rain, a lot of guys have likely sold most of their stuff by then. You really have to decide show or vendors or go more than one day. Oh, and don't dress as, or tell anyone you don't know is a HAMBer, that you are a hotrodder. Prices go up and stuff goes away.
For sure, No hotrod shirts or hats. Talk a lot about your wood spoke wheels. If you see a Stromberg 97 don't ask him if he has two or three. Remember, this ain't a hot rod show.
Here are some tips to remember: 1 - Go for at least three days. At least you will leave feeling like you saw about half of it! 2 - Bring cash and cash only. As much as you can afford without losing the house! 3 - Wear the most comfortable shoes you have. 4 - Do not wear anything hot rod related at all. I always wear a plain t-shirt or sweatshirt or something not even car related. The stories of die hard restorers not selling to hot rodders might be far fetched, but I'm not going to take the chance of missing out on a part I really need because some old guy doesn't like hot rods to find out if the stories are true! 5 - Travel light. I see you are planning on bringing a camera. Make sure it is small and light. The last few years I carry a small point and shoot digital with me since there is stuff at Hershey you won't see anywhere else. The first year I went, I snagged a license plate out of a $1 pile I needed for my collection. By the time I made it back to the truck I would have sworn the tag weighed 100 lbs! 6 - The most impotant tip of them all, don't go a week early! HAHA! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)
Just got back from Hershey a couple hrs. ago....not as many dealers as last year but lots of parking spots......WHAT !!...... NEXT WEEK ????..... Oh! **** !!!! Carey Just kidding !!! ( I went to a swap meet in the wrong town years ago....Damn ! those towns names sounded a lot alike.......)
ebay has killed the swap meets, nothing good will be found, everything will be overpriced.. your feet will hurt and your feelings will be bruised. SORRY.. just preparing for the post carisle / hershey posts..
Bring a hand truck with a milk crate and a hand full of bungee coards, makes for great shopping. If nothing else you can pack cloths and camera gear in it, along with water/soda. Get the map Megan is putting together and print out the list of HAMB swap meet spaces, buy a program it has maps of all fields and a vendor index. Stop by and say hello.
oh come on, theres still cheap **** at swap meets, i still find some goodies here and there, not as much as before but still good deals. JEFF
jeff surely you sense the sarcasm in my statements above.. I've never met a swap meet I didnt like.. somehow I know someone will be on here post hershey /carlisle complaining about something being wrong with the swap meets.. were lucky to live in a area where 2 large events run back to back.. for me.. the trek starts friday..
7- Dress for rain, snow, AND 85 degree weather. It's been in the 60's and LOW 70's the last week BUT look out next week. 8- Make sure you get the pizza, just inside the Chocolate field by the crossover.
Do not feel badly. A fellow I know drove 700 miles ( from South Florida to Hershey ) to go to the AACA Hershey fall meet. He went 1 week too early and ended up going to Carlisle swap meet instead. For a LOT of folks ... this would not have been a real tragedy but the fellow was looking for Br*** era parts for his pre 1916 car collection. He made the BEST of it, stayed in the area until the NEXT weekend and then went to Hershey.
The past few years there have been more "Any part for $1.00" piles than in the past. Even if you can't use the stuff you can double your money without much effort.
Ya I just got back from Hershey too, not as many vendors , but parking was great and they didn't charge.
The forecast is for torrential rains and severe winds with temperatures well below normal. Do not believe weather.com. Don't even bother coming. Just stay home. I will be more than happy to brave the elements for you and buy the parts you really didn't need anyway. Oh, and it's really the week of the 19th.
The Jalopy Journal
