Who, if anybody, is going to Aberdeen this year?

[rickf]

Is anybody bringing M37 manuals?

 

[reset2]

Visited the rally for the first time on Thursday. Typically visited on Friday but traveling through from Ocean City MD it worked best to stop by on Thursday.
Many vendors and bought several things (Jerry can, receiver hitch, spray lube, magazines (to read not to shoot)).
Stopped by Scroungers site for a tour. Very friendly guy. Also met the steak cook ZiggyO. Had to stay for a steak dinner it was great.

 

[rickf]

Well, For the first time in many years I can't really give a comprehensive report on Aberdeen since I only went down for the afternoon this year due to Dr.s appointments. Scrounger did in fact save me and the misses steaks! Thanks from both of us Scrounger!!
The turnout was very disappointing, many more empty spots than full. And to make matters even worse there was talk of rain even though the weather was as nice as it ever gets for Aberdeen and as soon as someone said rain the few vendors that were there started packing! This was 3:00 in the afternoon. I had covered about half the place since they were so scattered and I gave up because the last two I visited were packing all the stuff in their tent and zipping it closed even as I was in there. I looked around and everybody was doing the same so I went and got my steaks from Scrounger and said my thanks and goodbyes to him and Ziggy and headed off home. Traffic was a freakin' nightmare going home! Now I remember why I always left on a Saturday at lunchtime!!!!! 3 hours to get home for a hour and 45 minute trip.

I took my camera but I did not take any pictures this year since I just did not want to lug the camera around, Had a hard enough time lugging ME around!

 

[nickd]

I stopped in briefly on Thursday afternoon with the mule to pick up some pre arranged parts. Came back on Friday around 8 in the morning with the mule and my grandson along with all his support gear. The day started out cloudy some very light drizzle followed by sunshine. Packed up and on the road by 3pm. Many empty spaces this year but my grandson enjoyed riding on the mule all day. Not many display vehicles this time but there were 3 mules on the ground. Looking forward to Findlay!

 

[rickf]

Our area was sold out when we tried to get a few more spaces next to us, something like 350 spaces sold in advance registration, seems like more activity on the social media pages. Looking for hmmwv seat cushions if anyone on this thread have some let me know your soaces

We just finished loading, will be there with some HMMWV parts, a USMC M416 trailer and usual military stuff surplus stuff. Happy that they sold most of the spaces this year, tried to get 2 more but my row was sold out., poor planning on my part. Happy the National is in York this year and then a month later up at Gilbert Redball show, always a good one too.

It is a shame that this information is put out like this. I will bet there were no more than 100 vendors there on Friday. The worst part was I got there at 11:30 and by 3:00 they were packing up!!!! What good is that? To me that was 5 hours of wasted driving if I was only coming to the show to see at least the 350 vendors advertised. I mainly went because I was meeting someone coming from the other direction with parts for me, and they were not even a vendor. I am not sorry I went, I got to see and harass Dave Pizzoferrato, John Murray and a few of the others I don't get to see any other time. But the show is just a shadow of it's former glory. I would say 2012-2013 were the last good years where the lot was full. The year they decided to have Findlay and Aberdeen on the same weekend seems to have been the deciding year. Things have never really recovered since. A lot, Most in fact, of the bigger vendors never came back. The only big vendors here now are the local guys and they have scaled back.

 

[art]

Most everyone packed up early Friday because at 1600hrs a major storm with high winds hail and heavy rain was aiming for Aberdeen. Thankfully it did not.
I came back for Saturday
I still had a great time, got to see a lot of good friends and met a lot more.
Hopefully Aberdeen will change for the better and return to its glory, you can’t change the Aberdeen weather.
I still enjoy it and will be back next year.
Thanks to all involved
Art

 

[Scrounger]

I think the weather spooked a lot of the vendors this year. When I looked at the vendor map there were a lot of spaces that were sold, and the vendor didn’t set up. Out of the 600 spaces available I would guess over half of them were sold. Now, remember that doesn’t mean 300+ vendors, as an example I have six spaces at this show.

The past couple of years the weather has caused more than its share of problems for the vendors. This year if one looked at the weather forecast all one would see was rain. As luck would have it there was some lite rain on Thursday morning and clear sun Thursday afternoon, all of Friday and Saturday morning, I have the sunburn to prove it.

The vehicle display was down this year. Then after the coast was clear, meaning rain, the “jeeps” were driven from their trailers for display and judging. There weren’t many big trucks there, again not many want to drive in the rain. Perhaps it has something to do with many drivers in this area having a 50-point drop in IQ when it rains.

There are two things that caused a dramatic drop in participation for this show. The first was when the price of diesel went over $4.00 a gallon. That year the number of big trucks coming to the show plummeted, and it hasn’t recovered. The second was the year that the Aberdeen and Findley shows stepped on each other’s toes.

When I attend these shows I try to see the glass as half full. The days of going to a show and finding the rare, unavailable part are long past, one can thank the internet for that. I may find something that I need, if not I’m not going to sweat it.

I like to meet fellow enthusiasts and look at the vehicles. These events also provide an opportunity to meet up with others that bring stuff that may be to costly to ship.

 

[Capehenery]

Many thanks to those that did come out! It was my first time and I almost did not come due to the forecast. I had parts to deliver and made the trip. . I'm glad I did, I got to meet several folks I have only talked to on line and I scored some parts I have needed.I also donated to the club because without the show it would have cost me a bunch to ship the parts. Id go again, and if the fellow I spoke to can make some of the improvements that were talked about it could be a bigger show.

I think the biggest issue is there needs to be some innovation and willingness to change, sometimes just because it is not broke does not mean it does not need to change with the rest of the hobby.

 

[BKubu]

Many thanks to those that did come out! It was my first time and I almost did not come due to the forecast. I had parts to deliver and made the trip. . I'm glad I did, I got to meet several folks I have only talked to on line and I scored some parts I have needed.I also donated to the club because without the show it would have cost me a bunch to ship the parts. Id go again, and if the fellow I spoke to can make some of the improvements that were talked about it could be a bigger show.

I think the biggest issue is there needs to be some innovation and willingness to change, sometimes just because it is not broke does not mean it does not need to change with the rest of the hobby.

What improvements were mentioned?

 

[Capehenery]

What improvements were mentioned?

Since I am not a member of the club and the gentleman was clearly asking for input and suggesting some thoughts that he had had I do not think it is my place to comment


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AndyC]

I think the weather spooked a lot of the vendors this year. When I looked at the vendor map there were a lot of spaces that were sold, and the vendor didn’t set up. Out of the 600 spaces available I would guess over half of them were sold. Now, remember that doesn’t mean 300+ vendors, as an example I have six spaces at this show.

The past couple of years the weather has caused more than its share of problems for the vendors. This year if one looked at the weather forecast all one would see was rain. As luck would have it there was some lite rain on Thursday morning and clear sun Thursday afternoon, all of Friday and Saturday morning, I have the sunburn to prove it.

The vehicle display was down this year. Then after the coast was clear, meaning rain, the “jeeps” were driven from their trailers for display and judging. There weren’t many big trucks there, again not many want to drive in the rain. Perhaps it has something to do with many drivers in this area having a 50-point drop in IQ when it rains.

There are two things that caused a dramatic drop in participation for this show. The first was when the price of diesel went over $4.00 a gallon. That year the number of big trucks coming to the show plummeted, and it hasn’t recovered. The second was the year that the Aberdeen and Findley shows stepped on each other’s toes.

When I attend these shows I try to see the glass as half full. The days of going to a show and finding the rare, unavailable part are long past, one can thank the internet for that. I may find something that I need, if not I’m not going to sweat it.

I like to meet fellow enthusiasts and look at the vehicles. These events also provide an opportunity to meet up with others that bring stuff that may be to costly to ship.

Yes I believe the dates with the Findley show have a huge impact with the Aberdeen turnout.

 

[rickf]

Well, I can tell you what did it for me was when they took our spots away in the back row. Which they did with zero notice. Just did not send out a renewal form and when I inquired about I was told the spots "were no longer available. No explanation, nothing. They eliminated the row "for traffic control". While they did offer to relocate us one row over I did not see how that was going to work since that row was fully occupied and none of us wanted to be the reason others also had to be relocated so our entire group said the **** with it and stopped coming as far as vendors. The very next year what do I see but a half million dollar RV parked across all of our spots! Yea, traffic control alright. I have pictures of it if there is any question. Even the first year there was no traffic control, on main vendor who I will not mention just spread out and when I got their with my trailered M-151 I had to weave all through the entire place to get to the parking area. NOW, I see that the guy who had the corner spot in the back row who was the main blockade for traffic, is back in his original spot. So does that mean we could all have our original spots back? There was no getting past him since he had all of his personal vehicle parked all around his area and in the driving lane. I would love to see some improvements but they have a lot of making up to vendors that were burned before they are going to get a lot of them back.