With more than 15 inches of precipitation so far this year, there’s no doubt this spring will bring out swarms of mosquitoes, experts say.AUBURN – The Auburn Auction Park on Saturday bested its 2010 attendance total with more than 33,000 guests since it opened Thursday afternoon.
Last year’s four-day count was about 25,000 people, said Amy Christie, Auctions America by RM spokeswoman.
She attributed the turnout to a “strong stream of enthusiasts” who started pouring in as early as 8 a.m..
“We’re really thrilled with the attendance,” she said.
On the auction block Saturday, the highest bids belonged to a 1934 Auburn Twelve salon phaeton, which sold for $292,600, and a 1953 Cadillac Eldorado, which netted $280,500.
‘For everyone’
Worldwide Auctioneers continued its fourth outing in Auburn with its flagship attraction Saturday night, a catalog-only auction titled “The Main Event.”
Jo Snyder, the group’s director of public relations, hailed it as a “fantastic evening” for automobile fans.
“The best part about it is we are selling cars across the range,” she said. “There’s something for everyone.”
Snyder added the catalog sale includes an “exclusive number of very high-end cars,” such as a 1955 Hudson Italia GT Coupe, which sold for $352,000. Earlier in the day, a 1932 Duesenberg Model J drove bids up to a final price of $880,000.
Beyond Auburn
Despite the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival shining a yearly spotlight on Auburn, John Bry wants Hoosiers to know the creative itch exists elsewhere, too.
“It seems every community and county in northeast Indiana at one time had automotive” accomplishments, he said Saturday at the first annual Indiana Aviation and Autovation Fair.
As part of the new festival offering, the Kendallville Municipal Airport welcomed a vintage B-17 World War II bomber and a vintage C-47 cargo transport plane.
Bry, the executive director of the Noble County Visitors Bureau, said the mammoth aircraft represent the Midwest’s reputation for groundbreaking engineering still evident today.
For 86-year-old veteran James Neumann of Wolcottville, the innovation fair was a stark reminder of his days as a World War II B-17 navigator.
“I don’t feel I’m the hero,” Neumann said. “I feel like these guys who didn’t make it back or are now crippled are the real heroes. I’m just happy to be able to fly 35 missions and get back alive.”
