Luray Swap Meet

[Dan Hatch]

You guys are missing all the deals. Better hurry up and get here. Dan

[Tom Hicks]

Well you know some of couldn't make it the FIRST day. How are the crowds, how many vendors?

[Dan Hatch]

About 25 vendors here with a couple more saying they will be tomorrow. There will be deals tomorrow!!! Dan

[DanTreace]

Just uploaded on Fleming's facebook page, ah the fun of finding new stuff just in the pickup bed of that truck arriving......

Missing this year too dang it.

[Brian D]

Some photos

[Brian D]

Another

[Dan Hatch]

Better hurry and get here, you are missing the deals!

[Terry_007]

Just got home - a great event. Small, friendly, vendors came to sell, had lots of goodies, customers came looking and prepared to deal. Say vendors literally cleaning off the trailer and emptying the truck and people carrying away box loads of stuff. Next year I'll bring goodies and set up. It's gotta be the friendliest swap meet in the country! I certainly regret I didn't retire sooner so I could make the previous several events. I'll try and post a few of my own pics later when I get unpack and un-tired.
Terry

[Tom Hicks]

Agreed, great event! At Hershey it seems I have to walk forever to find someone selling T parts, here are many Hershey vendors, but you don't have to walk far to find T parts. All the vendors were friendly, and I suspect if you need a part that if you don't find it here you will find someone who knows where to get it.

I wish Hershey could put all the T and A sellers in one area.

Luray is a beautiful area, come for the scenery too. I hope the vendors did well enough to come back next year!

[wick]

I found the parts I was looking for and Alot of spare parts I like to keep around. I came home with a truck full of Model A parts. Great deals!

[Mike Lebsack-Iowa]

I attended the Luray Swap Meet over the past three days and I can enthusiastically attest to the hospitality of the local T and A men and women of Virginia. The VFW folks were fantastic hosts for the entire event. I am pretty sure I met every vendor as well as every shopper and the experience was memorable and pleasant to say the least, just real nice folks. I live in Iowa and the drive was around 900 miles each way but I avoided the shortest route and construction. I camped on the grounds in my tear drop camper and really enjoyed the peace and nature especially at night. Toilet and shower facilities were just right for the setting. I absolutely plan to attend next year and will encourage other mid westerners to come as well. Thank you Dennis Fleming and all the other local folks who made this happen!!! Mike

[Oldav8tor]

Out of curiosity, how many vendors showed up? Did a lot of people camp on site? My friend Brian Dowell is down there representing the MTFCI (and showing off his new '14 touring). Might be worth a trip from Michigan next year

[Mike Lebsack-Iowa]

Here is my opinion. The key to growing and making Luray a great swap meet is to determine what the hobbyists of the region need to progress on their various restorations of pre war projects. I personally heard that folks were needing and looking for various “ small parts”. I think things like the various gas tanks for Ts and As may be needed. This can succeed by making it a win/win for vendors and buyers alike. I know folks that have lots of good usable parts but they can not justify hauling a huge variety. The Luray setting is perfect, the local club is perfect and absolutely committed/ hospitable, the region has plenty of car folks who will attend and support if they know that there will be vendors with the right categories of parts. Luray can be the annual pre summer Atlantic region swap meet with mutual support from buyers and vendors. The “essential ingredients” are at Luray. It is great for a camp on site swap meet!

[signsup]

A maybe a little more publicity or word of mouth advance notice? I have several T's, A's and military vehicles. I didn't know anything about this swap meet until Dan Hatch's post on this forum. Perhaps a "who's going" and "what do you need" forum thread a few weeks prior to the event?

[DanTreace]

Robert

Been earlier posts on the meet, and its been on the club homepage of 'Events' for a long while.

http://www.mtfca.com/clubpages/events.htm

Like any swaps, if one needs some parts, there are swaps at a lot of places around, and with the internet, fairly easy to get the info.

This swap is nice that has mostly T parts too

[Terry_007]

There was good info posted in area T clubs and was also well advertised in AACA. Magazine ads,etc are expensive I'm sure but it still showed up in the major hobby publications. The forums are a great resource but I think the best advertising is the wrap up posts we see like these. That's what will get folks back every year.
Terry

[Jeepbone1]

As mike said, I was able to find all of the "small stuff" to finish my speedster build plus some sparky goodies from him. The gem hiding was jay Mader with his slew of new "small" parts. It may have been small but that in fact helped me. It was big enough to attract a good crowd but small enough that nobody was fighting over stuff and my budget build can still stay within its budget. The generosity of some of the vendors there was like none other too. I'll definitely be returning next year with plans to sell and stay longer than just a few hours.

[TMiller6]

This was my first year for Luray and I'll probably go back next year. I had a few specific items on my want list and I found them there. My friend John, a Model A guy, was somewhat disappointed that there wasn't more A-Stuff available. But, he did find a few good items and even instructed me to buy some headlights and a gas tank spark arrestor for my son's '29.

I got to meet Dan Hatch face to face and true to his word, he had a lot off good stuff for sale. The award for best shelter goes to R V Anderson. He was set up under a wood and steel picnic shelter. I didn't catch the man's name but his daughter is Katie, the lady who created the Ocean to Ocean DVD. He had a very nice '15 Touring that I assume was sold by Saturday.

I was only able to be there Friday and I left as more vendors were coming in. The last guy I saw there had a forties GM sedan project sitting on a flatbed at least a foot higher than the frame below it. So there were guys selling stuff other than Ford.

Since John and I were travelling with our wives, we were instructed to devote equal time at a ribbon warehouse near Hagerstown where my wife spent almost as much as I did at Luray.

[Dan Hatch]

Maybe a forum about EVENTS would help this get the word out about swap meets, tours and other things. We have forums here for OT, art, lost dogs so why not one for events? That way if you were looking for events you would not have to dig past everything else. Dan

[Tom Hicks]

Maybe a forum about EVENTS would help this get the word out about swap meets, tours and other things. Dan

Great idea! Even events far in the future could be listed, it would be like a calendar for reference. Dates, events, websites, and description of swap meet (pre-war etc) could all be in one place and easy to find.

[Steve Jelf]

There is an Events page on the website.

http://www.mtfca.com/clubpages/events.htm

It wouldn't hurt to also have it as a forum section.

[Dan Hatch]

Yes that section is for events, but read what you have to do to post there. Stand one your left leg and say “mother may I “ 3 times. If we have a forum about Grandma’s clothes, why not one where I could post about a swap meet or cruise in that is happening in 1 week from when I hear about it. Maybe than we could have more people at swap meets to buy the stuff.
Thanks, Dan

[Tom Hicks]

There was a lot of Model T (and A) stuff at Luray. If you want T stuff, I feel that Luray pre-war beats Hershey because there is not a lot of other stuff to walk by. Hershey is fun, but for Model stuff we need to support Luray.

Plan it out, figure on going to the swap meet, but also drive down the Skyline Drive. The last time between Luray and Afton Mountain I saw three black bear. It is a leisurely drive, expect to take your time.

I find the famous caverns at Luray a bit tacky and commercial, but interesting. The Carriage and Horseless Carriage Museum is good, one can see how the automobile developed.

I encourage everyone to make an attempt to go to the Luray Swap Meet next year, if we support it big time as buyers we can expect more vendors. It is a symbiotic relationship. And consider bringing a trailer load of your old stuff, someone can use what you don't need.


And yes, it would be nice to have a separate section of this forum where it is easy to post events.

[Terry_007]

I agree that a separate forum tab for Swap Meet or other "event" reports would be great. I suggested that several years ago for the AACA discussion forum and it was added. Post event reports are spotty but it's proven to be a great place for info including photos taken at the events. It lets you know what to expect for next time and has been great in helping decide where to go.

Agree Luray needs to be supported, not just for Model T stuff but any any early auto stuff including automobilia. I'm a big collector of things like spark plugs (as you are all aware) but also early accessories, brass lamps, and things like sheet music, signs, advertising trinkets, etc for early autos. There wasn't so much of that at Luray this time, but I know several different sets of aftermarket accessory shocks were purchased, and there were a lot of other items including a neat brass dashboard oil level indicator, misc aftermarket timers, license plates, tools, and at least one neat counter-top apple cider press that found a new home. So-next year I'll most likely take a space there and will bring some "assorted" stuff, not just T parts.
Terry

[Terry_007]

Here are a couple of my pics.