MANASSAS — The annual fundraiser known as Manassas Hamfest returns on June 15 this year. This year’s Hamfest will be held at the Manassas Park Community Center from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Although visitors occasionally arrive asking for recipes, Hamfest isn’t about cooking. It’s the annual fundraiser for the Ole Virginia Hams amateur radio club.
There will be vendor tables offering a variety of electronic and computer components, kits, and test equipment for sale. And there will be several technical presentations, including one about assembling your own wireless weather station of interest to young students pursuing a STEM career path.
What is amateur radio? Radio amateurs or “hams” are known for their hobby which lets them communicate around the world without the Internet or infrastructure.
Hams also do a great deal of volunteer work providing emergency communications after hurricanes and other natural disasters. Club members can be seen training outside the county Emergency Operations Center or honing their skills supporting local events like TriItNow and the Manassas Christmas Parade.
Funds from Hamfest help the club purchase and maintain larger equipment such as emergency generators and a series of radio repeaters providing county-wide coverage. And, as a 501(c)(3) charity, Ole Virginia Hams awards an annual scholarship to a local high school graduate accepted into a university STEM curriculum.
