ARCI honoring legacy of military radios during annual Radiofest
The 33rd Annual Radiofest event is scheduled for July 31 to Aug. 2 in Willowbrook, Ill. and the theme of this year’s festival calls attention to military radios, and celebrates the operators who manned the communication devices during various conflicts.
WILLOWBROOK, Ill. — The Antique Radio Club of Illinois (ARCI) will be holding its 33rd annual Radiofest July 31-Aug. 2 at the Willowbrook Inn Hotel & Convention Center, in Willowbrook, Illinois. The theme of this year’s show is “Remembering the War — the 100th anniversary of WWI and the 70th anniversary of D-Day.”
Radiofest, which attracts radio collectors of all interests, is one of the largest events of its kind held in the United States, and this year’s festival is no exception.
The popular radio auction, featuring top-of-the-line antique and vintage radios, rare advertising pieces, vintage television and phonograph items, will kick things off Thursday, July 31. Visitors are welcome to enter their radios in the auction for a nominal fee. The show continues with a jam-packed schedule on Friday, with doors to the flea market opening at 7 a.m. More than 200 dealers will be offering radios, phonographs, televisions, parts for restorations and, for many, nostalgic memories of the past.
In addition, on Friday Radiofest visitors will have the opportunity to have their radios appraised by a panel of experts. Collectible radio authorities will offer insight about condition, age of radios, suggestions for restoration and approximate value. Also on tap Friday is the unveiling of a temporary museum featuring seldom-seen antique and vintage military radios used by military personnel during WWI and WWI I.
Wrapping up Friday’s festivities is the musical stylings of the Legacy Girls. In the same fashion as the Andrews Sisters, tickets for the Legacy Girls are available until noon on Friday. The show concludes Saturday morning, Aug. 2, with another, smaller auction and flea market hours.
Additional details can be found on the ARCI website at www.antique-radios.org, or by calling the club at 630-739-1060.
