Let's start a discussion - where to hold the next FrankenFest?

I can't drive too far due to back problems, so I'm out if it's too far away from NH. One suggestion I'll offer. I used to do record shows at the Elk's Lodge on Route 110 in Chelmsford, MA. It burned down a few years ago and was completely remodeled. Easy access off of Route 3, plenty of parking and several doors to enter the room. I put in a call to find out rates and if there is interest I'll post the information here when they contact me. Here is their website.

http://www.elks.org/lodges/home.cfm?LodgeNumber=2310
This is way more convenient for me than Clinton. I'm glad I made the pilgrimage to Frank's once but it was a haul from ME!
 
Chelmsford is fine by me, too (FYI/FWIW).

NEARC ended up having the last big antique radio fleamarket ("RADIO XLVIII") at the Radisson in Nashua, just off Exit 1 of Rte. 3 (i.e., just across the line from The Bay State).
It seemed like a better than average venue from an attender ('exhibitor') perspective -- and they helped NEARC out, big time, when another hotel dumped 'em at the last minute due to a double-booking.

No idea how the costs were, but given the locale and the general Gestalt of the place, it may be affordable. It's big, it is easy to get to (by New England standards, that is!) and there are tonnes of parking.

Just a hop, skip and a jump from Chelmsford ;)

www.nearc.net
 
Clearly NEARC events have a much bigger budget.
At best we should want a site that charges about $300 to $500 I'd think.
Maybe that's unreslistic in which case we'll need to rethink this.
 
The "RADIO xxxx" (which they inherited from its earlier organizers) is a very big deal, indeed -- not sure how big the budget is; an e-mail to Bruce Phillips would probably answer that question. The cost per attendee is very modest. (and, presumably, smaller groups are readily accommodated by the hotel, presumably at lower cost).

NEARC's own, much more modest swapmeets are held at a slightly funky place* in Brookline, NH. Just a few miles from MA 111/Pepperell, MA (or a few miles from Nashua, NH on NH 130). Not exactly trivial to get to, but it's probably cheap. Not really good for multi-room setups, but plenty of space.

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* "Brookline Event Center-32 Proctor Hill Road, Brookline NH 03033" (More like an Elks' Club kinda place than an "event center", I'd opine).
 
Just throwing this out there, but it may be necessary to have two New England events, one north and one southwest. We have a fairly large and active region. We could consider southern NH or Rt 495 corridor for one, and Hartford area for another....?

Two times a year, with split locations might appeal to more people, tho attendance per event might naturally be capped for each.
 
Can someone plot a geographic center of the members in this region?
As a start, there's several of us that come up from NY, northern Westchester county, some from Orange county. Others come down from NH, CT, and I would guess from N.E. N.J.
 
As a start, there's several of us that come up from NY, northern Westchester county, some from Orange county. Others come down from NH, CT, and I would guess from N.E. N.J.
That's why my gut tells me that the Sturbridge area would be ideal.
 
Added my pin. As for where the next one should be, as long as it's within an hour or two, I should be able to make it. Clinton worked out well for me, since it was relatively close by (and I knew the area to some extent), but as long as I have an address I can point my GPS at, I should be OK. A location near I-84/I-91 would probably be rather of a haul for our northern brethren, methinks; there aren't many pins on that map yet, but the Worcester area looks like a good bet thus far.
-Adam
 
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