We live on 5 acres with plenty of room for towers, antennas, etc but also with plenty of room to
host a large gathering. 2005 and 2006 saw a large increase of newly licensed Hams in our area. So we decided to
host an area wide Ham Radio picnic especially to welcome new Hams. But it turned out to be much more than that. The
first picnic, over the 4th of July weekend of 2006, was a hugh success with over 60 Hams, relatives and friends coming to
have a good time and part-take of Tom's Texas style BBQ brisket. We even had Ham musical entertainment. What a great
get-together it was. A big social gathering similar to a Hamfest but without dealers and displays. We got to yak and yak,
renew old acquaintences, make new ones, and basically just have a good time visiting with one another. That event set the
stage for what is becoming an annual event with some coming from over 100 miles away. The 2nd picinic was again over the July
4th weekend in 2007. This time we had 83 Hams here and 41 vehicles parked in our yard with room to spare. But
because summer heat had been so hot in 2006 and 2007, we decided to move the 2008 event to Memorial Day weekend.
While the weather cooperated with cooler temps, and professional Karoke Country music entertainment was provided, attendance
was down to the low 60's. The problem: many had to attend graduation events! Lesson learned. Even so, we had a really
great time to include a walking fox hunt with lots of prizes. Following are pictures from the last 3 picnics. If
you have any pictures of the picnics you'd like to share, send them to me and I'll get them on the web site.
We hope to be able to have a bigger and better Ham Radio Picnic in 2009 and hope you will plan to attend.