Going to Hershey in Oct. for the first time,..what do I need to know?

[KYBlueOval]

I'm going to attend, for the first time, the Hershey Swap Meet in E. Oct.. Have a room. What suggestions do you have for a Hershey Neeebie, besides the obvious............bring a lot of cash? Will be there for two days, Thursday and Friday, departing sometime Saturday. Do's and Don't? What do I need to know?
Thanks
John

[Jeff Norwell]

Bring cash and a good pair of walking shoes.. it's huge.

[Ford Blue blood]

and a wagon to carry stuff.

[Lou]

What you should know is you will not cover all the flea market in 2 days, and you will love it. Go real early, traffic is crazy. Make sure you take some time to look at the show field, it is considered the best car show in the world, you will see why.

[Zapato]

Same recommendations as for Portland Meet except we always advise packing rain gear regardless of forecast.

Zap -

[BP57CUSTOM]

Rain Gear for sure , I went once and it rained all 3 days. But it was great!

[KYBlueOval]

What you should know is you will not cover all the flea market in 2 days, and you will love it. Go real early, traffic is crazy. Make sure you take some time to look at the show field, it is considered the best car show in the world, you will see why.

Lou........thanks for your reply...........now can you tell me please what your definition of " Go real early" is? The Hershey site says it opens at 7:00A.M........... based on your experience, what time are you recommending we be there?
Many Thanks
John

[Lou]

Get into town by 6:15 am, by 6:30 traffic will be backed up.

[KYBlueOval]

Get into town by 6:15 am, by 6:30 traffic will be backed up.

Thank you Lou! We'll be in Hershey by 6:15.
John

[Lou]

There is a Friendly Ice-cream shop on the west side of Hershey, don't go there, slowest service in the east. Denny's on Union Deposit Drive in Harrisburg is good.

[KYBlueOval]

There is a Friendly Ice-cream shop on the west side of Hershey, don't go there, slowest service in the east. Denny's on Union Deposit Drive in Harrisburg is good.

Thanks again Lou........our hotel is in Harrisburg. In your opinion, to arrive in Hershey by 6:15 A.M. how much time should we allow to travel from Harrisburg to Hershey.I know it is not that far, but all descriptions of this event ( yours included ) say the morning traffic is a bear. Is this a 30 minute drive or an hour?Trying to eliminate as many newbie mistakes as we can..
Thanks again
John

[BWhitmore]

Having been to The Hershey Swap Meet while staying in Harrisburg, the drive to Hershey is around 30 minutes.  In times past a lot of the swap meet was held in cow pastures, and if it rains (more than likely) you will need some good high top rubber boots along with a high wheeled wagon. 

[KYBlueOval]

Having been to The Hershey Swap Meet while staying in Harrisburg, the drive to Hershey is around 30 minutes.  In times past a lot of the swap meet was held in cow pastures, and if it rains (more than likely) you will need some good high top rubber boots along with a high wheeled wagon.

Thanks Bill. The rain and mud seems to be a re-occurring theme. We'll be ready.
Thanks
John

[KYBlueOval]

Having been to The Hershey Swap Meet while staying in Harrisburg, the drive to Hershey is around 30 minutes.  In times past a lot of the swap meet was held in cow pastures, and if it rains (more than likely) you will need some good high top rubber boots along with a high wheeled wagon.

I've got another newbie question , for someone like yourself that has " Been there Done That". The brochure for this event says there are 9000 vendor spaces, which is over whelming to think about. Is there any consolidation ( if that is the correct word ) of say Ford Parts vendors in a particular field and say Chevy Parts vendors in a another field, etc.?
Thank
John

[RICH MUISE]

I've never been, and never checked into it, but I always thought events at Hershey were Brand oriented....ie Chevy week, Ford week, Mopar week, etc.
Funny about the 9000 spaces....I just read a thread on the Hamb about the Pate swap meet, and one of the directors for that meet said they annually sold 9000 spaces.....which I thought was really high.