Guest SalG (Sal Grenci) Posted November 1, 2001 Share Posted November 1, 2001 Hi all, You can not blame the weather this year, or the lemon field mud keeping people away. Was it the economy? Was it the high cost of going, ie food, lodging, tolls? (Gas has been cheap lately.) Was it fear of terror from the skies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 1, 2001 Share Posted November 1, 2001 Sal ~ No excuse sir.<P>Well, maybe a weak one. There was no KK outlet on ANY of the fields. ~ hvs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordee9r (Ron Springstead) Posted November 2, 2001 Share Posted November 2, 2001 Hey Sal,<P>This year I couldn't attend due to a down economy and my independant repair shop had such a poor summer season that I couldn't afford to go outside of town... let alone shut my shop down for 3 or 4 days in Hershey.<P>By comparison, last year I had to miss Hershey because business was TOO good. Our work backload was so big that I couldn't consider shutting down!<P>When you're selfemployed, you have to make hay while the sun shines... and suffer when it doesn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BruceW Posted November 2, 2001 Share Posted November 2, 2001 I would never let any of those keep me from Fall Hershey.. and they didn't as you know Sal. I have attended all Hersheys since 1977..and this was one of the best I ever enjoyed.. in terms of weather... friends and a good time. A part of the good time was the get together at Ricks.<P>Speaking of gas...gas here has continued to drop since Hershey time and is now around $1.05. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novaman Posted November 2, 2001 Share Posted November 2, 2001 Gas has gotten down to 1.10 here. Diesel was down to 1.11 the other day but on my way home from school saw it was 1.17. Better than the 1.49 that I paid going to Hershey. Coming home had found a place with Diesel for 1.18.<P>I think the uncertainity of the economy had a lot to do with it along with the terrorist fear making people edgey.<p>[ 11-01-2001: Message edited by: novaman ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Stoneberg Posted November 2, 2001 Share Posted November 2, 2001 Distances make it hard for some of us. If I go to Hershey, it costs me a week and a half of work. Its a 3 day drive there and back.<BR>Thats still no excuse though. Hoefully next year.<BR>BTW, I paid 98 cents today for a fill up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SalG (Sal Grenci) Posted November 2, 2001 Share Posted November 2, 2001 Thanks for the feed back, my feelings were the the weak economy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rcirilli Posted November 3, 2001 Share Posted November 3, 2001 SALG, I heard a lot of foreigners didn't show, the hotels had vacancies for the first time in years. Personally paying $200.00 a night at the lodge is a real turn off. I heard a lot of people say they are cutting back on days or taveling a lot farther. Either way the cost is wearing pretty thin on some. If next year is down as much as this year I think it will reflect a real message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 3, 2001 Share Posted November 3, 2001 Bob ~ I have felt for years now that the Innkeepers of Hershey were killing the geese that have been laying the golden eggs. I hate to see "Hershey" suffer and grow smaller, but if it puts the bite on the local Jesse James's, that is a plus among the minuses. hvs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SalG (Sal Grenci) Posted November 4, 2001 Share Posted November 4, 2001 Next year we will be paying $119+ (1 to 4 people, same price) for a Comfort Inn 12 miles away in the Harrisburg area. When I was last in the Lodge it was $165+ a few years ago, but you could walk back from the field in the rain if you want. (I did it) The best thing to do is get several in a room, problem is with 4 grown men in a room it get tight.<BR>My estimate was 10% to 15% vacant spaces, anyone agree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 4, 2001 Share Posted November 4, 2001 Sal ~ My wife says she won't share a room with 4 grown men. <P>Seriously, when a couple goes to Hershey for 4 nights there is no way to dilute the room cost be it $119 or $200 a day. <P>You gotta sell a lot of fleas to cover that overhead ~ hvs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 4, 2001 Share Posted November 4, 2001 I think one reason that the attendance was down is that it sounds like the place was going to be a mess with all the construction and changes going on. I figure I will wait until they get the construction finished before I go back, it's a 12 hour drive one way, if it had been a five hour drive I would have been there. But last year the yellow field was a mess, that plus business has been off here at home, hopefully next year will be better. And yes Motel prices have gotten outrageous over the last few years.<p>[ 11-04-2001: Message edited by: Bluesmobile ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 4, 2001 Share Posted November 4, 2001 I think Bluesmobile hit the nail squarely on the head! Those of us from far away took a wait and see attitude. <P>I'm considering buying a luxury camping tent and renting a porta-potty. If you do that, just remember to bring a couple of bales of straw to spread on top of the blacktop and an air mattress. <P>I believe it is legit to sleep in your space to guard your merchandise. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. ~ hvs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novaman Posted November 4, 2001 Share Posted November 4, 2001 You can stay on your site over night. What isn't legit. Is the using the space solely for the purpose of a parking space or just a campsite. If you're selling your fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bollman Posted November 4, 2001 Share Posted November 4, 2001 Been camping on our spot since we first had a spot in 72. We have moved from a 67 Ranchero with conduit bows and a leaky tarp to a 64 Rambler wagon with fold down seats to a 65 Ford Van with pop top (not a camper but we were in heaven) to a series of 8 foot slide in campers for my Pickup. The slide in seems to be the best setup for us, camper and truck is uner 20 feet giving us a 10X10 space for selling. I have 3 spaces that I share with my son and his wife and a friend from Ohio, this year we had 3 Pickups with slide ins with a small carpeted shared space between two for a social area and a 10X30 canopy to sell under. Has taken us a few years to get everything figured out to fit.<P>As far as attendance I noticed the empty spaces, I was guessing 10%, more in Yellow less in other places. I didn't notice much drop in buyers, we did very well. And the crowd at the show was the worst I've seen for awhile.<P>Jim... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccar Posted November 4, 2001 Share Posted November 4, 2001 We had numerous empty spaces in our row in the yellow. Next to us was one vendor in 6 spaces who did not show. Maybe he saw the drainage ditch running midway through his location. When a row appears to be mostly empty many "customers" opt to find a fuller row. I know I do!.. <P>Thanks to the ALPCA guys in a a huge tent across from us, they brought many persons to the area and most shopped at those vendors near buy. I thought yellow shoppers numbered fairly high, but, as always many just stroll the asiles without looking at the vendors awaiting their inquires. Certainly there were many more shoppers than last year in the yellow.<P>Agree that the show had more spectators than I can remember, and early too. The weather can be the main reason. Also thought the flea market fields, white in particular, had emptied out much earlier than ever. White was almost empty or closed by 1:30. Traffic was heavy at 2pm. Took 35 - 40 minutes to exit the "special" judges parking lot. I should have stayed in my flea space and driven out from there. <P>Overall a great week at Hershey. <P>Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted sweet Posted November 5, 2001 Share Posted November 5, 2001 sATAYED HOME, SPENT THE MONEY ON MY PROJECT 70 CHALLENGER R/T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 5, 2001 Share Posted November 5, 2001 It shouldn't be surprising that the Hersey meet activity was down somewhat this year. Several factors include the economic slowdown, 9-11-01, anthrax attacks and official government warnings to be aware of more terriorist activity. And folks flying commercial are finding out that the new airport routines are a real pain. My guess is that this time next year things will be improved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccar Posted November 6, 2001 Share Posted November 6, 2001 Ah the fences! So often at Hershey, entertainment includes watching the people. Remember the gentleman in the hubcap helmet playing the boombox as a guiter, singing and holding court with all the vendors? Usually early in the am..<P>This year I enjoyed watching the fence busters, mowing down the snow fence to get across from Brown to Blue. Cops coming from out of nowhere blowing their tin whistles!! Talk about keystone cops in the Keystone State!! The cops stayed for awhile,left, then another few fence busters arrived and it started all over again. Love It!!! Vendors in the old annex had a good view for this event... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted November 6, 2001 Share Posted November 6, 2001 Nobody mentioned the size of the fields this year, there is a lot more area to cover, and it takes longer to get from one field to another. The fences were reminiscant of the defenseworks around Petersburg during the Civil War. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted sweet Posted November 6, 2001 Share Posted November 6, 2001 point of the fences was? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 6, 2001 Share Posted November 6, 2001 This is probably in preparation for ADMISSION charges in years to come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 6, 2001 Share Posted November 6, 2001 I believe the fences, which have been installed for years, are for crowd control and safety to make sure that everyone uses the police staffed road crossings. Think of the ultimate ignominy - as a pedestrian, hit by a car at the Hershey Meet. Score: car 1; car geezer 0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 6, 2001 Share Posted November 6, 2001 There would be nothing wrong with an admission fee if your AACA membership card got you free admission and the AACA got the income. <P>I doubt there will be an admission charged at Hershey. Those fences have been around since I started selling in the old blue field in the late '60. For one thing, they are designed in some locations to keep distracted people from walking in front of cars. ~ hvs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BruceW Posted November 6, 2001 Share Posted November 6, 2001 The fences have been at there for many years. They are suppose to keep people from crossing at the corner of Hershey Park Drive and Route 39. As it is, the only way to get from Yellow and Blue Fields (and parking at the farm) over to Chocolate Field is to walk east halfway down White Field to the neareat crossover at the Hershey World entrance. And that is quite a hike just to double back westward and be almost where you started. I think they should just make it easier on themselves (and us) and have a fire police controlled pedestrian crossing at the intersection like they do further up the road between White Field and entrance to chocolate Field. It would save a lot of fence mending and prevent people from taking risks at an uncontrolled crossing.<P>If they did have such a crossing then they should open an entrance to Blue Field near the corner. This is another place that people usually try to cross the fence to enter the field or else they end up walking down along the shoulder of Route 39 to the split of Blue and yellow fields. There is plenty of pedestrian traffic going both ways on the shoulder with automobile traffic passing close by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bollman Posted November 7, 2001 Share Posted November 7, 2001 "Remember the gentleman in the hubcap helmet playing the boombox as a guiter, singing and holding court with all the vendors?"<P>We were luck enough to have a space directly across from I think the same fellow you described, for a couple of years in the old blue field. Only I remember him using an old chrome head light shell and playing the boombox as an accordian.<P>Seems to be plenty of new characters to take the place of the old ones. We had a fellow stop buy and chat with a hard hat with deer antlers attached. He had a foot operated starter button tied to the back for a counter ballance. His group had a silly hat contest that they all chipped in $$ for the winner. He won.<P>Jim...<P>Jim... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccar Posted November 7, 2001 Share Posted November 7, 2001 Jim,<P>You're right about the old headlamp shell verses my indicating a hubcap. Must be the same person. I remember him in the old white field before we went green. Then he performed for a year or two in the green.<P>Great stories from the past, we need to capture more for the enjoyment of remembering!<P>Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BruceW Posted November 7, 2001 Share Posted November 7, 2001 Ted,<P>I beleive that I heard a story about someone getting clipped by a car a couple years ago while crossing the road. From what I heard thids happened after dark after the vendors were closed up and there is no traffic control. Heard they wanted to sue Hershey Region... AACA... HERCO...the township od Darby..the free capitalist world....GOD...<P>Can anyone confirm this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novaman Posted November 7, 2001 Share Posted November 7, 2001 Bruce, I don't know if this is the accident you were talking about because it was better than 15 years ago (if I remember correctly I was still living in NY at the time.) Some Hershey teenagers that were out cruising around on Herco Property hit the guy. The guy was walking back from the showers when the car hit him on the service road BETWEEN the maintenance building and the stadium. As for the suing, I don't know what took place there. This guy was and I believe ( last I heard)still is messed up from that accident. I think he was in the hospital for about a month in PA before he was taken back to NY. I also believe he had I business that I think he was forced to close due to the continual problems from the accident. I was fairly young at the time and didn't know the guy really well but know him through the car clubs my parent belonged to at the time.<P>Thanks Jim. I thought I had seen “Chrome dome” (as my family nicknamed him) at Hershey a couple of years ago. We knew this guy from the car show in Macungie, PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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