NEAR-FestXXXIII will be held on April 28th and 29th 2023 not its traditional date

[ScanBoston]

Here's a message from Mister Mike regarding a date change for the spring NEAR-Fest in Deerfield, NH:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEAR-FestXXXIII will be held on April 28th and 29th 2023 and not on its traditional date which always has been the first weekend in May every year since 2007. NEAR-Fest XXXIV scheduled for October 13th and 14th 2023 is NOT affected.
Last month the Deerfield Fair Association informed me that they booked two events, the NH Farm, Forest and Garden Show and the NH Arabian Horse Ass’n Show at the Fairgrounds for May 5th and 6th 2023 which is the weekend before Mothers Day. We were told we were welcome to hold the NEAR-Fest at the same time with the two other shows but there would be a “few small changes” to the parts of the Fairgrounds that we would be allowed to use.
Ben, KB1NZN, and I attended a meeting on Thursday December 15th with the DFA Directors and officers and were told that we would have to move what we consider the central part of the flea market to a remote area of the grounds to accommodate the horse show. Two of our food vendors, Patty and Angelino’s, would also be affected.
This is what the grounds would look like if we agreed to share the grounds. The red space is where we would be restricted if we shared; the black and red area shows what we usually use but we can easily expand out of that if need be.
Regretfully I decided the best course of action is to take a chance on the weather one week earlier and change the date. My team agrees with me. It’s the best way to deal with it. We have full use of the grounds with no stinking and noisy horses and outsiders to bother us. I resisted it at first but changed my mind after discussing it with my colleagues who run the fester with me.
Is this a one-time thing or is it permanent? Depends on if the horse show comes back next spring. We could co-exist with the Farm Show but it is the horse show that causes us the problems because we use part of the grounds adjacent to the Horse Show ring and bleachers.
I still don’t like it but I know it is the right decision. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause anyone.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year my friends.
73,
MisterMike, W1RC

NEARfestmap.jpg (562.48 KiB) Viewed 936 times

[wltrsf]

Thanks for the update, added to my smartphone calendar

[Scott]

John, I've been meaning to ask you...

...is this optional?

[ScanBoston]

Scott,

It appears I was completly wrong.. Hell they cancelled it for Covid. I'd say the best we can muster now is that "attendance will be taken" and "you could earn special credit!"