The Shelby Star reports that after five years of being held in Dallas, N.C., the amateur radio festival will return to the Cleveland County Fairgrounds during Labor Day weekend.

“We are just tickled pink,” said Cleveland County Fairgrounds Manager Calvin Hastings. “We are very excited about it returning to the county for the community. People come from all over the United States and will bring in a lot of revenue to the county.”

The Hamfest is the oldest and one of the largest gathering of amateur radio operators in the United States, O. Max Gardner III, legal representative of the Cleveland County Fair, wrote on The Star's Facebook page.

“We are just tickled pink”

— Calvin Hastings, Cleveland County Fairground Manager

“I can confirm that the Fair has signed an agreement with this group to return the event to Cleveland County during the Labor Day weekend for 2013 and thereafter,” Gardner wrote.

“The Fair is grateful for the confidence the group has shown by agreeing to return. The annual Hamfest will bring thousands of consumers to Clevland County and will have a major economic impact.”

Read the full Shelby Star report - http://www.shelbystar.com/news/hamfest-comes-home-1.76544