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More
and more car enthusiasts and new Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club members are expressing interest in
attending the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club (ACD) National Reunion and ACD Festival in Auburn. Hopefully
this page will answer some of your many questions. You will want to
make it an annual pilgrimage as so many others do each year! It's that
much fun!
Planning your first trip to a big car show can be a little overwhelming.
When should we plan to arrive and leave? What should we bring? Where will
we stay? Where do we eat? What will the kids like doing?
WHAT IS IT?
The ACD National Reunion and ACD Festival are now world-famous and attract
several hundred thousand visitors each Labor Day Weekend. The multi-day
event could not happen without the cooperation of three separate entities.
The ACD Club National Reunion is hosted by the ACD Club in Auburn, Indiana
each Labor Day Weekend. It gives the Club Members a chance to get together
and show off their cars. You can buy and sell parts, learn restoration
tips and enter your car for certification and judging.
The ACD Festival runs concurrently and is hosted by the ACD Festival
organization. It promotes the event and plans a number of family-oriented
activities including the world famous ACD Parade.
The ACD Museum is ground-zero for the weekend event. It's a beautiful and
historic museum that is your link between today and yesteryear.
WHAT TO BRING
Bring comfortable casual clothes. The weather is generally very nice.
Sometime there is rain, but there is a Walmart nearby with lots of
umbrellas. Don't worry about Saturday. It never rains on our parade ...
really!
If you are an ACD Member, bring your name badge. Don't have one? You can
order them from Ro Bogart. Her info is in the newsletter.
Bring a camera. If you have small children, bring strollers, etc. Bring
some folding chairs if you can, and bring the most comfortable shoes
you've got. (I suggest CROCS!) Bring business cards with your contact info
because you are going to make a lot of new friends. Bring your checkbook!
You never know what you'll see at the Auction or parked downtown.
If you plan to attend the Ladies' Tea, bring period clothing and a great
hat! If you plan to go to the Award Luncheon on Sunday, its a nice banquet
and Award Ceremony so a coat and tie is preferred for the gentlemen.
WHEN
The Reunion and Festival are held each Labor Day Weekend. The dates may
change, but the activities are very consistent during each day of the
event. Here's a detailed list of events:
Thursday - Club Members and guests start arriving in Auburn. Many will
arrive in time for the Kickoff Luncheon held at the Museum. Tickets are
required. Thursday afternoon, the ACD cars will start gathering in the
North parking lot next to the Museum. Trailer storage is available in
designated areas near by. Multiple Collector Car Auctions and two Swap
Meets take place nearby. Thursday is a day for catching up with old
friends. There are a number of restaurants around town for you and your
friends to have dinner and reminisce.
Friday - Plan to get up early and attend the Swap Meet held in the south
parking lot of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum. Enjoy a Pancake Breakfast
while at the Museum. Concurrently there are antique shops open,
quilt shows, museum tours. ACD Junior Members' activities at the Museum.
The Ladies’ Tea is held at the Museum Friday afternoon. Cars undergo
certification exams all day. Judging takes place. Tech talks and seminars
are held in the Museum. Multiple Collector Car Auctions take place nearby. Friday night is
Steak Fry night at the Country Club, again tickets required. All the cars
are on display at the Country Club. Later that night, all of the cars
gather downtown around the square and on 9th Street. Music, food, fun,
cars and other car enthusiasts all create a festive atmosphere than can
last well into the wee hours of the morning.
Saturday – This is the big day! All of the cars
that will be in the parade gather in Eckhart Park. Photos of each car are
taken as they enter the park. A box lunch is served around noon, again,
tickets required. The parade begins at 1PM and lasts 90 minutes. All of
the cars end up in downtown around the Courthouse and remain on display
until 4pm. It's wall to wall people as they view the cars in their very
best condition! A very nice Club BBQ is held Saturday night. The actual
location changes periodically. After dinner, the cars gather downtown for
a final reunion. Multiple Collector Car Auctions and two Swap Meets take
place nearby throughout the day.
Sunday – The Awards Banquet. If you have had your car judged this banquet
is a must. If not, it’s still a great meal and lots of Club activities
take place. Definitely worth going to. The Banquet wraps up around 1:30
pm. Club Members start leaving throughout
the day. Multiple Collector Car Auctions and two Swap Meets continue
nearby throughout the day.
WHERE TO STAY
Getting a hotel in Auburn can be very tough. Thousands of people flood
Auburn each year for this event. The following is a list of places to
stay. Make your reservations up to a year in advance. We also suggest you
visit
Google Maps - Hotels near Auburn
AUBURN - INDIANA MOTELS
HAMPTON INN
DAYS INN
SUPER 8
LA QUINTA
COMFORT INN
QUALITY INN
AUBURN HOTEL (Right in the heart of downtown Auburn. This is a hotel
that is undergoing restoration and is a favorite with many long-time Club
members. Sure, the bathroom is down the hall, the floors creak and every
room is different, but this is the only place where you can truly get the
feel of a 1930’s hotel.)
BED & BREAKFASTS (A number of residents open their homes up to
visitors during the Labor Day Weekend).
FORT WAYNE - INDIANA and other surrounding cities. (These towns are all about 25
minutes away, but this is about as far out as you will have to say.)
WHERE TO EAT
If you are a Club Member, then you will receive a registration packet in
one of the Newsletters that will arrive in the spring. You will have the
opportunity to buy meal tickets for Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Sign up for as many as you can. The food is great and you
will be sitting down with your friends and other Club members amongst the
cars. There are places to eat in Auburn but they are all small and
sometimes its hard to get a place to sit.
If you are not a Club Member, then the restaurants and fast food chains
are your best bet.
WHERE TO PARK
Each night, most members leave their ACD car and their regular car at
their hotels. During each day’s activities there are places to park all
throughout the town. Parking is naturally hard to find during the parade.
Get there early to park your driver near downtown. Eckhart Park is only a
few blocks away. All of the ACD cars will be there all Saturday morning on
display.
WHY
Because it is fun! Everyone likes to show off their car and meet
others with similar interests. There is so much to do, it can take 3 or 4
repeat visits to take in all of the activities.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KEEP IN MIND
There are deadlines to register for the event and the Club is very
consistent when it comes to allowing cars in the Park and the Parade.
Please do not wait until the last minute, you won't get in.
Don't delay on getting a place to stay unless you don't mind a 30 minute
drive several times a day.
In the past, it has been Members Only for the Eckhart Park exhibition on
Saturday morning. Only Members and their families and registered ACD cars
have been allowed in. New for 2009, the general public will be allowed in
Eckhart Park to view the exhibited ACD cars. There will be an admission
charge. There is No Charge if you are a Club member. If you are not a Club
member, don't delay! Join the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club today. ACD car
ownership is not a requirement.
A RECAP
TUESDAY-THURSDAY NOON
Optional HOOSIER TOUR. Separate sign up required. Contact Jack "Hoosier
Daddy" Randinelli to sign up. Sometimes there is a waiting list to get in.
It’s like a Regional Meet. The Tour rolls into Auburn Thursday at Noon
just in time for the Kickoff Luncheon.
THURSDAY
ACD Club Members arrive around Noon
*
ACD Club
Kick Off Luncheon
*
ACD Automobile Museum Tours
NATMUS Automobile Museum Tours
ACD Club
Private Dining for Dinner
*
Collector
Car Auction
Giant Swap Meet at the RM Auction Park
FRIDAY
Breakfast at the ACD Museum
ACD Parts Swap Meet
ACD Automobile Museum Tours
NATMUS Automobile Museum Tours
Quilt Show
Antique Show
ACD Certification
*
ACD Judging *
ACD Car
Tech Talks *
Collector Car Auction
Giant Swap Meet
at the RM Auction Park
ACD Club Dinner *
9th Street Festivities
SATURDAY
Club ACD Car gathering in Eckhart Park
Festival
Parade of ACD cars
Downtown ACD car display
ACD
Automobile Museum Tours
NATMUS Automobile Museum Tours
Antique Show
Collector
Car Auction
Giant Swap Meet at the RM Auction Park
ACD
Club Dinner *
9th Street Festivities part two
SUNDAY
ACD Awards Brunch
*
ACD
Automobile Museum Tours
NATMUS Automobile Museum Tours
Multiple
Collector Car Auctions
Giant Swap Meet at the RM Auction Park
*ACD
Club Members only
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
ACD Clubs Event Web Page for Details:
http://www.acdmeets.org
ACD Festival Web Page:
http://www.acdfestival.org
ACD Automobile Museum Web Page:
http://www.automobilemuseum.org
ACD Club:
http://www.acdclub.org
RM's
Auction America:
http://www.auctionsamerica.com/
World Wide Auctions:
http://www.worldwide-auctioneers.com
"What, Where and When..."
was originated by
William Cord Hummel. William is the Grandson
of E.L. Cord and is a very active member
of
the Auburn Cord
Duesenberg Club. Thanks Bill!
2016 Revision
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