The first Frostfest was held on Sunday, January 15, 1978 at the Bon Air Community Center in south Richmond.  Over the subsequent 42 years, Frostfest grew to become the Mid-Atlantic region's largest winter hamfest - an annual tradition that thousands of people have enjoyed, spanning multiple buildings at the Richmond Raceway Complex.

The show has drawn thousands of attendees from several states and vendors from across the country.  Big-name commercial dealers such as Quicksilver Radio, KJI Enterprises, and Austin Amateur.  Ham World, Debco, EZ-Hang.  The Sign Man of Baton Rouge.  Manufacturer representatives from Yaesu, Icom, Flex Radio, and Hilberling.  Numerous mom & pops and flea market vendors.  Old vacuum tubes.  A few CB radios.  We had a guy selling some nice, thick socks a few years ago that people could not get enough of.  Many hundreds of hams have tested for a new license or upgrade at Frostfest.  Educational forums have covered countless ham radio topics from antenna basics to the latest digital modes

Frostfest has been on hiatus since the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our last show was in February 2020.  A Frostfest Committee met several times in early 2023 to assess the feasibility of a Frostfest in 2024, but it was determined that the club's limited manpower would be best directed to the other needs of the organization.  Frostfest 2024 and 2025 have been canceled.

After stumbling a bit from 2020-2023, the RATS membership headcount is again on a gradual increase, with improved recruiting of newly licensed amateurs through new outreach efforts.  Only time will tell if this "fresh blood" is able to rekindle the show in some form or another.  But rest assured, the Frostfest dream is not yet dead . . .

The RATS Membership, Board of Directors, and Richmond area amateur community sincerely thank our many vendors, customers, presenters, and volunteers who helped support Frostfest through the years.