FYI Portland, Or Swaps rumors
- Thread starter Newc
- Start date
AbbottInstrument
Member
A change of date would be great, we got lucky the last 2 years or so with good weather but there have been years where it is absolutely miserable outdoors for the PIR swap
My brother always had a spot at the PIR racetrack. Whenever there was rain in the forecast he had a display of clam shovels and clam guns along with his early V8 parts. He also wore hip boots and, tongue in cheek, offered to sell shellfish and crab harvest licenses. A few years ago he died in a timber falling accident. I miss him.
Gene1949
Well-known member
My wife bought the ‘49 at the Portland swap meet back in the mid-80s. The kids were grown and I wanted to go back to the circle tracks. In my confusion while dealing on a sprint car she tricked me/caught me with my brains shut down. Only good thing about the car was the body and paint, rest of the car was junk. Through the years we bought many parts at the Portland swap meet for that car.
Later in the 90s the Portland swap meet was no longer a real swap meet but became a mall for professional vendors making a buck. That is when the committee contracted with PIR, that's where the real parts were. It was a great place and eventually we quit wasting our time at the main building altogether staying strictly at PIR.
I don’t mean to throw rocks at all the vendors; some were great and were enthusiasts themselves. However, there were many who were hustlers making a fast buck off our passion. Fer God’s sake, some didn’t even speak the language. The committee at the time went so far as to remove the car people from the west end and devote that end of the building to period clothes and memorabilia. That was the last straw for me.
Yes, PIR got muddy and it got wet, but it was a great place with real people. Real car people were cooking, camping out and partying for the entire 3 days.
Later in the 90s the Portland swap meet was no longer a real swap meet but became a mall for professional vendors making a buck. That is when the committee contracted with PIR, that's where the real parts were. It was a great place and eventually we quit wasting our time at the main building altogether staying strictly at PIR.
I don’t mean to throw rocks at all the vendors; some were great and were enthusiasts themselves. However, there were many who were hustlers making a fast buck off our passion. Fer God’s sake, some didn’t even speak the language. The committee at the time went so far as to remove the car people from the west end and devote that end of the building to period clothes and memorabilia. That was the last straw for me.
Yes, PIR got muddy and it got wet, but it was a great place with real people. Real car people were cooking, camping out and partying for the entire 3 days.