Indiana Swap Meet and Program
A letter from Blackhawk president Bill Molony...
Earlier this year (2020) Indiana Governor Holcomb issued a "Stay At Home" order for the entire state of Indiana, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That order required the American Legion Post in Griffith to completely shut down and required us to cancel our scheduled Spring Swap Meet.
Since then, Governor Holcomb has lifted his state-wide "Stay At Home" order, but has left some restrictions in place. American Legion Post 66 in Griffith has resumed most of their scheduled post activities, including hall rentals.
We successfully conducted our Fall Swap Meet there in October, and complied with the Post Commander's request that all participants wear face masks and that we limit the total number of people in their hall to no more than 75 at any one time. (The most we had at any one time was 67 people.) Most of the visitors were readily spending money, and all of our vendors were pleased with their sales.
While the COVID-19 positivity rate in Indiana continues to be higher than Illinois, the hot spots in Indiana seem to be Gary, Indianapolis and Ft. Wayne; most if the rest of Indiana seems to be doing relatively well.
I have signed contracts with them for our 2021 Swap Meet dates - January 24th, April 25th and October 24th.
Governor Holcomb stated earlier this year that he does not intend to issue another state-wide "Stay At Home" order, so I have to conclude that we will be able to proceed with our January 24th Winter Swap Meet. In the event that for some reason we cannot, I am sure that the Post Hall Rental agent, Michelle, will advise me of any changes.
All available vendor tables have been reserved - I even re-assigned the table that I normally take for myself. Unless you get a cancellation notice from me, we will be conducting the January 24th Swap Meet as planned.
Bill Molony
December 28, 2020
Since then, Governor Holcomb has lifted his state-wide "Stay At Home" order, but has left some restrictions in place. American Legion Post 66 in Griffith has resumed most of their scheduled post activities, including hall rentals.
We successfully conducted our Fall Swap Meet there in October, and complied with the Post Commander's request that all participants wear face masks and that we limit the total number of people in their hall to no more than 75 at any one time. (The most we had at any one time was 67 people.) Most of the visitors were readily spending money, and all of our vendors were pleased with their sales.
While the COVID-19 positivity rate in Indiana continues to be higher than Illinois, the hot spots in Indiana seem to be Gary, Indianapolis and Ft. Wayne; most if the rest of Indiana seems to be doing relatively well.
I have signed contracts with them for our 2021 Swap Meet dates - January 24th, April 25th and October 24th.
Governor Holcomb stated earlier this year that he does not intend to issue another state-wide "Stay At Home" order, so I have to conclude that we will be able to proceed with our January 24th Winter Swap Meet. In the event that for some reason we cannot, I am sure that the Post Hall Rental agent, Michelle, will advise me of any changes.
All available vendor tables have been reserved - I even re-assigned the table that I normally take for myself. Unless you get a cancellation notice from me, we will be conducting the January 24th Swap Meet as planned.
Bill Molony
December 28, 2020
Looking to expand our range of influence, as well as providing a much needed service, Blackhawk for several years has been holding swap meets in the railroading hotspot of Northwest Indiana.
We now hold these three times a year, in January, April and October, always on a Sunday. Go to our Schedule page for upcoming dates.
Meets are held at American Legion Post 66, 132 N Wiggs St, Griffith, IN 46319. The hall opens around 9 AM for vendor setup and opens to the public at 10 AM. Selling runs from 10 AM to 2 PM and then we offer a presentation on railroading, usually covering Indiana.
8' Vendor tables are $15 each, however the first table is FREE to Blackhawk members. Click here to join us.
TABLES SELL OUT QUICKLY. The size of the hall is limited, and our floor plan allows for easy movement rather than packing in as many tables as possible. We do maintain a waiting list, but for best results, order and pay for your tables as soon as you can.
Requests for tables should be directed to:
We now hold these three times a year, in January, April and October, always on a Sunday. Go to our Schedule page for upcoming dates.
Meets are held at American Legion Post 66, 132 N Wiggs St, Griffith, IN 46319. The hall opens around 9 AM for vendor setup and opens to the public at 10 AM. Selling runs from 10 AM to 2 PM and then we offer a presentation on railroading, usually covering Indiana.
8' Vendor tables are $15 each, however the first table is FREE to Blackhawk members. Click here to join us.
TABLES SELL OUT QUICKLY. The size of the hall is limited, and our floor plan allows for easy movement rather than packing in as many tables as possible. We do maintain a waiting list, but for best results, order and pay for your tables as soon as you can.
Requests for tables should be directed to:
- Blackhawk Railway Historical Society
2009 Boehme St.
Lockport, IL 60441-4611
How Do I Give a Presentation?
Although we have an extensive collection and library to get presentations from, we really enjoy live presentations from engaging and informed railroad enthusiasts. If you have a program about Indiana railroads that we would enjoy, contact us and we will schedule you for an upcoming swap meet.
How long should a program be?
60 to 90 minutes in length seems to work the best.
Will I be compensated for my presentation?
No, the Blackhawk Chapter does not provide monetary compensation to presenters nor any reimbursement for expenses incurred. We will provide a one-year complimentary Chapter membership to non-members.
What type of presentation equipment is available?
We can provide a laptop computer (Windows), a digital projector and a large projection screen. Presenters may bring their own computer, but we normally run programs from flash drives or CDs provided by the presenter. We also have a Kodak 35mm Carousel slide projector available, but presenters should bring their slides in Carousel trays. We will not load slides at the meeting. A computer remote control with a laser pointer is available.
How should I present my images?
Some types of presentation software, like PowerPoint, are ideal but not necessary. We can run images from your files in File Explorer, but please save all the images you wish to present in one distinct file folder.
Time your presentation: Run your show and time it as if you would be giving your presentation. Practice the oral part of your show at the same time. You will probably find that you have more images than the 90 minute maximum allowed presentation time. You either need to reduce your image count or talk less about each image. You certainly don’t want to fly through your presentation, so think about editing down your image count. Pick your best images and don’t over focus on multiple images of the same thing.
Write it down: Improvisation may be great for comedy, but doesn’t work well for novice presenters. Write your dialogue down, your explanation for each image. Practice it without the presentation and see how well it flows, then practice with it. A well-paced presentation will keep the audience’s attention. Your images are only half the show, your dialogue and how you present it is the other half.
How long should a program be?
60 to 90 minutes in length seems to work the best.
Will I be compensated for my presentation?
No, the Blackhawk Chapter does not provide monetary compensation to presenters nor any reimbursement for expenses incurred. We will provide a one-year complimentary Chapter membership to non-members.
What type of presentation equipment is available?
We can provide a laptop computer (Windows), a digital projector and a large projection screen. Presenters may bring their own computer, but we normally run programs from flash drives or CDs provided by the presenter. We also have a Kodak 35mm Carousel slide projector available, but presenters should bring their slides in Carousel trays. We will not load slides at the meeting. A computer remote control with a laser pointer is available.
How should I present my images?
Some types of presentation software, like PowerPoint, are ideal but not necessary. We can run images from your files in File Explorer, but please save all the images you wish to present in one distinct file folder.
Time your presentation: Run your show and time it as if you would be giving your presentation. Practice the oral part of your show at the same time. You will probably find that you have more images than the 90 minute maximum allowed presentation time. You either need to reduce your image count or talk less about each image. You certainly don’t want to fly through your presentation, so think about editing down your image count. Pick your best images and don’t over focus on multiple images of the same thing.
Write it down: Improvisation may be great for comedy, but doesn’t work well for novice presenters. Write your dialogue down, your explanation for each image. Practice it without the presentation and see how well it flows, then practice with it. A well-paced presentation will keep the audience’s attention. Your images are only half the show, your dialogue and how you present it is the other half.
How To Get There
There are limited public transportation options to Griffith, Indiana. Ride-share services may be available.
American Legion Post 66 is near the famous junction at Griffith, Indiana and the Griffith Depot Museum.
American Legion Post 66 is near the famous junction at Griffith, Indiana and the Griffith Depot Museum.