Ham radio operators from the Middle Peninsula Amateur Radio Club will demonstrate their communication gear from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Abingdon Park in Hayes.

The event commemorates the 410th anniversary of the capture of Captain John Smith in December 1607 by the younger brother of Chief Powhatan. According to Smith’s account, Pocahontas, who was 12 at the time, prevented her father, Chief Powhatan, from executing Smith by placing her head upon Smith’s when her father raised his war club to execute him. 

The public is invited to meet and talk to the ham operators as they set up antennae and radios, and then get on the air. Using emergency power supplies, they will communicate with hams throughout the U.S. and abroad who want to know more about Gloucester’s early history. A postcard commemorating this event, called a QSL card, is sent to each contact. The demonstration is also designed to show that ham radio operators are able to send messages...