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2024 Camp Plymouth Military Vehicle Show & Swap Meet in CA - Largest Annual MV Event in the WEST!

Major Asstyrd

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Here is what you have been waiting for - the official SS announcement of the 2024 Camp Plymouth Military Vehicle Show & Swap Meet in scenic Plymouth, California! Official days April 17 through 20, 2024. Yes, through Saturday. We want an excellent show on Saturday to work for the folks who can't take weekdays off, or they are new to this event and don't yet know there is a LOT to see, buy, and sell by Wednesday. So we moved two of the three themed MV showcases to Saturday, and moved the annual raffle and dinner party from Friday to Saturday evening. As usual, Sunday is a pull out day, not a show day.

Below is the current flyer as of 3/25/2024, with new prices for the Saturday evening dinner with raffle. We added a MV excursion plus a M274 Mule Seminar Friday evening. It is not at the Mule display Saturday morning because Phil Kern apparently has a PowerPoint presentation that requires the screen and power in the Rec Hall.

New people please note the event venue is two-sided separated by a fence, with MVs, camping, and swap/vendor spaces on BOTH SIDES. RVs, travel trailers, rental cabins are at the 49er Village RV Resort. A tent and truck campground, display arena, visitor parking lot, and trailer storage is at the adjacent Amador Fairgrounds. This is a large venue, so plan to bring walking shoes especially if you like to see what's new each day. Or better, a jeep or Mule to putt around on. Note there is very little parking in the campgrounds proper, other than in your rented site or at a pre-approved MV display site. But a small jeep, Mule, or golf cart is usually welcome for short term parking at someone's site, while you shop or socialize. Ask them.

The promoter of this, the largest annual MV event west of the Mississippi, is the Military Vehicle Collectors of California. It's been happening in April since the late 1970s. More event details are up on the website www.MVCCNews.net, including the Daily Briefing activities schedule. We will publish flyers for each showcase display as they are created. Themes this year are:
  • Big Trucks and Service Vehicles (big means CCKW and larger. Service means any sized work vehicle)
  • M274 Mules
  • M38 and M38A1 Jeeps and Variants
Flyer as of 3/25/2024:

Event Flyer 032524 small file.jpg
We have placed two display ads in the MVPA member magazine. Full page color like the flyer. And two smaller ads in Military Trader-Vehicles Magazine (the new, monthly, combination publication). This now has many militaria collectors, sellers, and living historians reading our ads and calendar listings. If you have non-MV related military collectibles to sell, bring them to this event.

Note the FREE ADMISSION and NO VENDOR FEE. Sellers must rent a camp space.

Also on the website are the camping/space reservation form and details about the golf cart rental program that is returning. At this time they must be rented ahead of time.

Camp Plymouth participants again get a 20% discount on rental travel trailers or RVs through Advantage Caravans in Sacramento. See the info on our website. They will deliver, set up, and pick up a unit for only $150 round trip, plus the daily rental! Just tell them your site number at the 49er Village RV Resort. Also we mention other options for renting RVs and trailers, including the broker websites.

You will note we are inviting military living historians and reenactors to set up an encampment and displays in the display arena by the tent village and visitor parking lot. Some do every year in the campground, but this is a way to get FREE CAMPING! This is the place where the three MV showcases will be for a couple hours each. It would be great to see a bunch of OD tents and troops in the background when photos of the MVs are taken. MVCC Secretary and Editor Johnny Verissimo is the person to contact if you want in on this. He is at istanbull@sbcglobal.net.

Please pass the news to others in these hobbies.
 
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Major Asstyrd

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We added some things to the activities schedule 3/25/24, including a change in the pricing for the Saturday evening dinner with raffle. Also see some edits on the original post plus an edited event flyer.

Here is the updated Daily Briefing:
Daily Briefing with graphics 032524 small file.jpg

Note the MV excursion to Knight Foundry in Sutter Creek on Thursday morning. This will be a scenic drive, not a long one, to a 19th century water-powered machine shop and foundry. This is a private tour. Let the POC John Gillich know you will be attending. They have two docents scheduled but if our numbers are 50 or more they will have to add another docent.

A M274 Mule Seminar has been added on Friday at 6 pm. It will be in the 49er Rec Hall because I hear the POC will be doing a computer presentation and/or video.

The raffle and dinner will be Saturday evening at the fairgrounds in a building. It should be much larger than the one last April.

Look closely at rest of the schedule. Feel free to copy this and the event flyer and forward to anyone you think might be interested to attend.

If you want a campsite for camping, vending, or display, send our registration form in to get a spot. Find it at www.MVCCNews.net on the events tab. The fairgrounds campground will probably get very full and the discounted block of RV sites we have at the 49er Village need to have a deposit on them ASAP. Soon our camping coordinator will turn back any unreserved sites in our discount block. And regarding pricing, confirm exact pricing. I just paid A MUCH LOWER PRICE. After Jennifer assigns you a site number and tells the 49er office, you should contact them to make a payment and the first thing you should say is you are coming for the military vehicle event, and ask the price.
 
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Major Asstyrd

Active member
313
100
43
Location
CA
To the folks who would normally leave Saturday morning April 20, note that we have beefed up the Saturday activities by moving two of the three themed MV showcases from Friday to Saturday, and the annual raffle and dinner party from Friday to Saturday starting at 6 pm. This will be in a fairgrounds building next to the tent campground. So consider departing Sunday. We want to make the event great right up through Saturday for the people who arrive Friday afternoon or Saturday. Like those who can't take many weekdays off, maybe with children in school, or they are new to the hobby or event and don't yet realize how much there is to see and do from mid-week on. We need new and young people in the organized MV hobby.

When people show up on Saturday morning and see participants leaving, it can be depressing. We understand some of you have a long drive home, even with an overnight somewhere along the way.
 
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Major Asstyrd

Active member
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This is a reminder that there is no vendor fee for putting merchandise out for sale or trade, or for displays. Just rent a space at the fairgrounds campground or the adjacent 49er Village RV Resort. The event is at both places. See details on the flyer or on the event listing at www.MVCCNews.net. There is also a Basic Training doc published there with rules and many details not published elsewhere.

If you have militaria that is non-military vehicle related, consider bringing those items to sell or trade. This is always a good place to buy and sell uniforms, radios, tents, equipment, insignia. What is different is we placed two display ads in the recently combined Military Trader-Vehicles Magazine. In the past we advertised when it was MVM only. When they combined it with Military Trader last year it greatly increased the readership. Trader is read by militaria buyers and sellers, living history/reenactors, and historians. So there might be more militaria shoppers and sellers there than normal.

In addition, our event is listed on three event calendars on their website. See them at https://www.militarytrader.com/calendars
They have separate calendars for vehicles, militaria and relics shows, and reenactments. Each listing was customized for those readers. Note the reenactment listing is for a display. We invited reenactor groups and individuals to do special displays in the practice rodeo arena where we do the Friday and Saturday MV displays for a few hours each. Living historians and reenactor units will get free camping there if not cluttered with "civilian" things. If someone wants their red ice chest and Camaro at their display, they can rent a numbered campsite. The contact for the display arena is the MVCC Editor and Secretary, Johnny Verissimo. His contact info is at istanbull@sbcglobal.net
 
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