Hershey RV Show

bobsallyh · August 27

Largest RV Show hits roadblock in attempt to exit Giant Center - pennlive.com

jamescapes · August 28

Wow, thanks for sharing. They seem to be facing some zoning challenges when finding a new home. I hope they can work with the township to approve their preferred property.

lappir · August 28

I agree with the township and the need to protect the farmland. There doesn't need to be a new place, the two groups just need to agree that one cannot survive without the other and come to an agreement.

Kirk W · August 28

As one who grew up on a farm, I think that the county is doing the right thing. One of the biggest problems for farmers today is that land is being priced such that farming there isn't practical. When land valuations increase, so to do the taxes on that land. Single family farms are already operating on a narrow margin and that kind of change would drive others out because it would not stop with just one zoning change.

Chalkie · August 29

It bills itself as America's Largest RV Show but it could be held in a venue outside of Hershey or the Hershey area. Why are they not looking in areas that are already commercial and with better infrastructure? in a word, money. All that would cost more. I agree, keep the land agricultural and let them find a place elsewhere or fold.

Truckman · August 30

Many years ago it was held at the Harrisburg Farm Show complex, was no where as nice and they seemed to simply out grow it. I am not sure of any other venue in that general area that already exists that would be capable of hosting a show of that size.

dblr · August 31

I also used to attend when it was in Harrisburg and the Farm Show complex, you would get lost in all the different buildings, I agree not sure where else they could go for their size. I am sure the cost to hold it where they are now is not cheap, I even heard they pay per day per unit to have electric for the units.

bobsallyh · September 1

Truckman and dblr, your posts bring back memories about the Farm Show Arena. We lived approximately 50 miles from that facility. Many years ago, they always had some high-profile high school basketballs games there. the heating for the arena was amazing. The seating rows were heated by a heat pipe alternating between rows. So, if we were sitting in a row with the heat pipe under our seat, we were hot. The folks sitting in the row in front of us and likewise the row behind us were frozen. The court was raised several inches off the dirt floor. So, when the basketball it went out of bounds it would roll thru dirt. The ball boys were kept busy cleaning the basketballs.

Then in about 2003 when we went fulltime, one our stops was the Hitchhiker fifth wheel manufacturing facility in Chanute, KA. Took a tour of the plant and prior to the tour, we all had coffee in a hospitality area. The CEO whose name was Mike, I can't remember his last name, but sure was a nice individual. He proceeded to go around the room asking all of us where we were from. When we told him, he never even paused. "Isn't there any other place to hold that show". I just busted out laughing. Know where you're coming from, Mike. I told him not really but there was York Fairgrounds but so many things there are grandfathered in and probably would not be big enough. Of course, before it moved to Hershey it was during the winter months at the Farm Show Arena. The parking facilities were absolutely terrible. Snow piles laying around, potholes that were frozen over and virtually impossible to see. And inside the building, I won't even get started on that! My favorite saying is in 1972 when Hurricane Agnes came thru and flooded the whole joint, it should have taken down to the Chesapeake Bay. But the problem with that would have been Maryland would have filed suit against PA. for pollution.

The Hershey deal is kind of hard to figure out. Just out the road from the stadium and arena is the headquarters of the Antique Car Club of America. They have their huge show and parts market in parking lots and other areas in October. Certainly, the powers to be could work something out. But then again, the hierarchy of Hershey Choclate hasn't been able to reach the top rung for a number of years.

dblr · September 2

12 hours ago, bobsallyh said:

The Hershey deal is kind of hard to figure out. Just out the road from the stadium and arena is the headquarters of the Antique Car Club of America. They have their huge show and parts market in parking lots and other areas in October. Certainly, the powers to be could work something out. But then again, the hierarchy of Hershey Choclate hasn't been able to reach the top rung for a number of years.

I think Lux usually sets up at the car museum while the rv show is in town, mentioning the Hershey car museum and the York Fairgrounds brought up a thought of another location which is the Carlisle Fairgrounds but with all the car events already held there probably not a time slot available.