Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival 2015

2015AUBURN CORD DUESENBERGFestival

Year of the DuesenbergSeptember 3-6, 2015

THE NEWS SUNTHE HERALDREPUBLICAN

k p c n e w s . c o mThe

2 Auburn Cord Duesenberg kpcnews.com • ©KPC Media Group Inc. September 3, 2015

AUBURN — In its 60th renewal since the beginning in 1956, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival still finds ways to get bigger and better.

This year’s festival adds a number of new and improved events, which are described on these pages in our annual guide to the classic car celebration.

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club is celebrating the Year of the Duesenberg this weekend. The festival poster features a rare 1923 Model A Duesenberg owned by John Bools of North Carolina, described on page 3 of our guide.

A Year of the Duesenberg, which occurs every five or so years, makes a great occasion to attend the festival, because visitors will see many more Duesenbergs than in other years. That will be evident during the Parade of Classics on Saturday at 1 p.m. and during what might be America’s best free car show, around the courthouse square immediately afterward.

The chance to see dozens of Duesen-bergs — America’s most famous blend of automotive luxury, power and style — in one place occurs nowhere else but in

Auburn on Labor Day weekend.The Parade of Classics and car display

afterward date back decades as the center-piece of the festival. Over the years, organizers have added to the fun that stretches over four days.

This year’s biggest changes will take place Saturday afternoon and evening, immediately after the parade.

Festival fans can watch the new Miss Auburn Cord Duesenberg pageant on the main stage at 4 p.m. Saturday. The winner earns the right to compete for the title of Miss Indiana next June.

The 21st century’s answer to the Duesen-bergs will take over the courthouse square Saturday at 5 p.m. in the new Fast and Fabulous car show featuring today’s exotic and luxury cars.

Saturday night’s free musical perfor-mances have been renamed the Fast and

Fabulous Concert, and at dark the musicians will take a break for the festival’s first downtown fireworks display before continuing the tunes until 11 p.m.

Sunday afternoon brings the second year of the Classic City Historic Home Tour, with a lineup of four classic Auburn homes worth seeing.

In the festival’s recent history, Friday evening has grown into a giant, crowd-pleasing event anchored by an all-day cruise-in around the courthouse square with hundreds of special vehicles of all eras. Best

of all, it’s free to spectators.Friday evening also brings the Cruise-in

Concert with three outstanding musical

acts, once again free. Downtown strollers can enjoy ice cream and the creations of several food trucks, along with a beer tent. Families with children can try the free Kiddie Cruiser Activity Area.

We hope you find our guide to the festival informative, but most of all, we hope you enjoy the festival activities.

Table of ContentsThe Car on the Poster ...........................Page 3Schedule of Events ................................Page 5Auctions America ....................................Page 6Worldwide Auctioneers ........................Page 8Classic City Historic Home Tour .......Page 9Cruise-in Cuisine..................................Page 11Downtown concerts ............................Page 12Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum ................................Pages 14 and 15Fast and Fabulous car show ............Page 16National Auto & Truck Museum .......Page 17Duesenberg Thunder Run.................Page 18

Classic car festival just keeps getting better

BY DAVE [email protected]

AUBURN — It came as a complete surprise to John Bools that his 1923 Model A Duesenberg is the poster car for this year’s Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.

“I didn’t know anything about it when they had the unveiling of that poster” in January, Bools said recently.

When people ask him how his car became the model for the festival’s annual poster, Bools answers, “The bottom line is luck.”

What it really takes is a car that catches the eye of Auburn artist John Souder, who has created every festival poster since the tradition began in 1980.

Souder first saw Bools’ Duesenberg in a trailer outside the home of the late Jack Randinelli, one of the festival’s founding

fathers, Bools said.When 2015 rolled around as The Year

of the Duesenberg for the festival, Souder remembered the car’s handsome lines and striking colors.

It helped that Bools’ car spends most of the year on display at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, where Souder could see it at his convenience.

For the poster, Souder paired the car with Auburn’s handsome courthouse

“It worked out so well, the car and that courthouse. It’s got beautiful colors,” Souder said of the Duesenberg’s green tones.

Bools bought the car in 2002 from the estate of an Ohio enthusiast, Bob Agle, who had started restoring it in 1990.

“I got it from his estate,” Bools said. “I

was just lucky enough to know him well enough to be No. 1 on the list” to buy the car.

Jerry Smith of Booneville in southern Indiana helped Bools finish the restoration,

September 3, 2015 ©KPC Media Group Inc. • kpcnews.com Auburn Cord Duesenberg 3

THE CAR ON THE POSTERArtwork celebrating Year of the Duesenberg enshrines Carolina collector’s 1923 Model A

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

John Bools of North Carolina holds a trophy won by his 1923 Model A Duesen-berg, which is featured the 2015 poster for the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.

SEE POSTER, PAGE 4

completing the job in 2010.“It’s a fun car to have. I’ve taken it to a number of

concours,” Bools said.“The A Duesenbergs are really unusual. There are very

few of them,” he said about the car’s appeal. Model A’s were built by the Duesenberg brothers — Fred and August — before the Auburn Automobile Co. bought the brothers’ company and began producing the more massive and expensive Model J and SJ Duesenbergs.

“They have unique features,” Bools said about the early Duesenbergs. “They were racing people, so they incorporated racing stuff into the car.”

The Model A Duesenberg could boast of being the first U.S. car with an overhead-cam, straight-8-cylinder engine. It also was the first car sold to the public with four-wheel hydraulic brakes. Competitors, who had only two wheels with hydraulic brakes, criticized the Duesenbergs as dangerous, Bools said.

“It’s a great, fun car to drive,” Bools said of his Duesen-berg.

In 2010, his car was the only Model A to participate in the “Duesenberg drags” speed exhibition at the Kendallville airport. It couldn’t match the speeds of the more powerful, later Duesenbergs, however.

“It’s probably a 100 mph car if you’re downhill with the wind,” Bools said.

“I don’t know any real history of the car,” Bools added. He can trace it back only as far as the two previous owners. Before Agle, it was owned by a man in Minnesota who drove it often, Bools said.

Bools traces his own romance with automobiles to when he was 7 years old and his older brother started collecting cars.

“I really fell in love with the L-29” Cord, built in Auburn by Auburn Automobile Co., Bools said. He bought his first classic car, a 1933 Auburn Speedster, at an auction in 1992. He also owns an unrestored Cord.

He took his Model A Duesenberg to a concours at Pinehurst in North Carolina this spring. But driving a show-quality car requires too much cleaning, he said. That’s why his Duesenberg spends most of its days in the Auburn museum.

“It’s such a great museum,” Bools said. “I’d just as soon have it here in my garage to stare at,” he

added, but then concluded, “The idea of sharing it is really nice.”

POSTER: Model A Duesenbergs included racing-inspired innovations

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Artist John Souder used John Bools’ 1923 Duesenberg as the model for his poster commemorating the 2015 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.

AUBURN — From now through May 2016, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum is hosting an art exhibit in partnership with the League of Retired Automobile Designers.

The exhibit features renderings of imagined, modern and futuristic Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg automobiles.

The League of Retired Automobile Designers is an informal group of mostly retired automobile designers. Founded in 1997, it conducted its first exhibi-tion in 2006. The members’ design and styling ability has been honed by years of professional experience in the automotive industry.

The designers featured in this exhibit have worked with large companies such as General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, but they have also created renderings for a wide range of marques from Studebaker to Ferrari. The League of Retired Automobile Designers creates the renderings to exhibit their passion, enthusiasm, energy, and ambition to continue designing vehicles. They also wish to show that all automo-biles are open pallets from which to create future designs.

The exhibit will be displayed in the Gallery of Classics through Labor Day. The pieces then will be divided between the Gallery of Classics and the museum’s Sandra and Gene Davenport Gallery of Fine Art and Archival Treasures until May 2016.

Automotive art displayed at museum

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

The League of Retired Automobile Designers created imaginative designs for Auburns, Cords and Duesenbergs.

FROM PAGE 3


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AuctionsAuctions America — Auburn Auction

Park, $50 for full weekend, $15 for daily admission. Bidding starts Thursday 1 p.m., Friday 9:30 a.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m., Sunday 10:30 a.m.

Worldwide Auctioneers — Preview Day Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. Auction Saturday 6-10 p.m., National Auto & Truck Museum., 1000 Gordon Buehrig Place, auction and museum admission $8.

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum Events

If These Cars Could Talk Tour — Thursday 10 a.m., Friday 4 p.m., Saturday noon, Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automo-bile Museum, $20 per person or $40 per family.

Docent-led Tour — Thursday noon, Saturday 10 a.m., Auburn Cord Duesen-berg Automobile Museum, $20 per person or $40 per family.

Kickoff Luncheon — Thursday noon, Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, $15 per person.

Collection Highlights Tour — Thursday 2 p.m., Friday 10 a.m., Saturday 4 p.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automo-bile Museum, $20 per person or $40 per family.

Benefit Extravaganza Fundraiser — Thursday 6 p.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, $150 per person.

The Duesenberg Brothers and Their Fabulous Automobiles, Friday 11 a.m., free with museum admission.

How Does an Engine Work? Friday 11:30 a.m, Saturday 11:30 a.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, free with museum admission.

Connecting Rods Lunch, Saturday 10 a.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automo-bile Museum, $15 per person, reservations required at 925-1444.

Children’s Tour — Friday 2 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, $20 per person or $40 per family.

Duesenberg Racers and Record Setters, Friday 3 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, free with museum admission.

Color Your Own Cord, Friday 3:30 p.m., Saturday 3:30 p.m. Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, free with museum admission.

History on the Rocks. Friday 8-11 p.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automo-bile Museum, $50 per person.

The Duesenberg Brothers and Their Fabulous Automobiles, Saturday 3 p.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, free with museum admission.

Gatsby Gala Ball, Saturday 7-11 p.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, $30 for museum members, $50 for nonmembers, live big band music.

Sunday Family Fun Day, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automo-bile Museum, $40 per family.

Cars Galore, Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum Outdoor Education & Exhibit Plaza, free, interact with vintage, classic and modern automobiles.

Interactive Hands-on Activities, Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, $20 per participant.

MuseumsPancake and Sausage Breakfast,

Friday 7-10 a.m., National Auto and Truck Museum north parking lot, freewill donations to museum.

Pancake and Sausage Breakfast, Saturday and Sunday, 7-10 a.m., National Military History Center, County Road 11-A, south of Auburn. $3 for veterans, $7 for others, includes museum admission.

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club EventsAuburn Cord Duesenberg Club

Swap Meet — Friday 7 a.m. to noon, Auburn Community Pool parking lot, free admission.

Ladies of ACD Tea and Vintage Treasure Sale — Friday 8-11 a.m., Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, admission to museum required.

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club Car Show, Saturday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Eckhart Park, 1500 S. Cedar St. $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 4 and up; children’s activities 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Downtown Area ActivitiesDowntown Cruise-in, Friday 10 a.m.

to 11 p.m., courthouse square in downtown Auburn, Vehicle registration $10 per vehicle. Spectators admitted free.

John Martin Smith Collection Open House, Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with program at noon, Willennar Genealogy Center, 700 S. Jackson St. Free admission.

Cruise-in Cuisine, Friday starting at noon, Saturday at 11 a.m., food trucks and Main and 8th streets on the courthouse square.

Sundaes on Friday Ice Cream Social, Friday 5-8 p.m., Main Street near 7th Street on the courthouse square; ice cream for $2 per scoop.

Kiddie Cruisers Activity Area, Friday 5-8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., corner of 7th and Jackson streets, one block west of the square, free.

Cruise-in Concert, Friday 4-11 p.m., live music on the courthouse square by Joe Justice, Chris Worth and Big Caddy Daddy, free.

Speakeasy 2015, Friday 5-11 p.m., Auburn Moose Family Center, Main and 10th streets.

Official Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival Beer Tent, Friday opening at 5 p.m., Main and 7th streets on the courthouse square.

Duesy Walk 5K and 11K, presented by American Volksport, Saturday, start 8-11 a.m. at DeKalb Health, East 7th Street, free to public, $3 for AVA credit.

Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival 5K presented by Lakewood Park Christian School, Saturday, registration 8 a.m., start at 9 a.m. at Main and 16th streets.

Crafts, Antiques and Flea Market, Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., DeKalb County Fairgrounds.

Auburn Historic Tour — Saturday 9 and 10 a.m. and 3 and 4 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., leaving from the DeKalb County Fairgrounds at Union and 11th streets.

Pre-Parade Entertainment, Saturday 11 a.m. on the courthouse square, Auburn Community Band, DeKalb High School

show choir, free.Parade of Classics, 1 p.m., Jackson and

North Main streets to downtown Auburn, free.

Miss Auburn Cord Duesenberg pageant, Saturday 4 p.m. on the festival’s main stage in downtown Auburn, free.

Fast and Fabulous in Downtown Auburn, Saturday 5-11 p.m., courthouse square, modern luxury and exotic cars, free to spectators.

Old School Cool Backyard Games, Saturday 5-7 p.m, Main Street between 6th and 7th streets, free for spectators, contest-ants must pre-register; cornhole, ladder ball, giant Jenga.

Fast and Fabulous Concert, Saturday 6-11 p.m., courthouse square featuring music by Sugar Shot and The Freak Brothers, free.

Fast and Fabulous Fireworks Spectacular, Saturday 9:30 p.m., courthouse square, free.

Arts & Crafts Show, Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., downtown Auburn, free.

Classic City Historic Home Tour, Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 217 W. 7th St., 301 W. 7th St., 357 W. 7th St. and 712 N. Main St., $5 per home or $10 for all four homes.

Schedule of Events•

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BY JACOB [email protected]

AUBURN — This year’s Auctions America Fall Event will focus on the cars that started it all.

Twelve Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg cars are up for sale during the Labor Day weekend auction. Car Specialist Megan Boyd said that’s more than usual for the event.

A trio of the ultra-famous autos — one Auburn, one Cord and one Duesenberg — headlines the event.

“Where else would you see that?” Boyd asked. “It’s a special time of year.”

The “big one” for the weekend is a 1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Murphy Coupe. The silver-colored car is expected to sell for $1.5 million to $1.7 million. It previously was owned by the former chewing gum mogul and Chicago Cubs owner Phillip Knight Wrigley.

A 1930 Cord Phaeton Convertible is the second part of the featured trio. The white sedan is expected to sell for $175,000 to $225,000. It is believed to have been the car in which “Gone With The Wind” stars Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh arrived at the premiere of the film.

“That’s a unique faction, since the Auburn sale is known for celebrity connec-tions,” Boyd said.

Rounding out the trio is a teal-colored 1933 Auburn Twelve Custom Phaeton Sedan, which is expected to sell for $175,000 to $225,000.

Another featured car is a 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Boyd said Dodge has done a good job of marketing the rare, limited-production car, which has generated new buzz for the collector car industry.

“It’s a throwback car that’s getting

Auctions America features classic trio

JACOB KLOPFENSTEIN

SEE AUCTIONS AMERICA, PAGE 7

This 1929 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Murphy Coupe is expected to bring bids of $1.5 million to $1.7 million, according to Auctions America estimates. It once belonged to Phillip Knight Wrigley.

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a new generation interested in collector cars,” Boyd said. “It will be interesting to see who buys it.”

The auction also features a selection of muscle cars, including a 1967 Corvette and a 1968 Plymouth GTX, Boyd said.

Another emphasis of the event will be racing, Boyd said. A 1959 Costin Jaguar race car, which is expected to sell for $325,000 to $375,000, joins the ranks of the featured cars. Several other race cars will be up for sale, including cars driven by NASCAR stars Jeff Gordon and Michael Waltrip.

Auction-goers can participate in the “Ultimate Race Fan Experience” over the weekend. Hendrick Motorsports will display several cars driven by NASCAR racers such as Gordon, Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson. People can test their skills on NASCAR racing simulators and a pit stop challenge.

Other events include monster truck and dirt bike stunt shows, both of which are free with a paid admission to the auction

park. Monster truck shows will take place Saturday at 2 and 5 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. People also can take rides in the trucks on Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. or Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Dirt bike stunt shows featuring riders Kyle Sliger and Jesse Toler will take place Friday and Saturday at 1 and 4 p.m.

Helicopter rides once again are offered from Friday to Sunday at the auction for $30 per person.

Actor Ryan Hurst, who starred in “Sons of Anarchy,” “Remember the Titans” and “Saving Private Ryan” will be at the auction Saturday and Sunday. He will sign autographs in the auction arena on those days from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3-5 p.m.

A free shuttle service will operate between the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival in Auburn and the Auctions America park. Shuttles will run Thursday through Saturday between noon and 6 p.m. Pickup locations in Auburn will be at 9th and Jackson streets near the post office and at the museum campus near the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum.

AUCTIONS AMERICA: Extra attractions include Ultimate Race Fan Experience, monster trucksFROM PAGE 6 Free Shuttle Service

Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 3-5Noon to 6 p.m.Shuttle service will pick up

and drop off passengers in 20- to 30-minute intervals at:

• Downtown Auburn, Jackson and 9th street (near post office) — first pickup, noon; last dropoff

scheduled for 6 p.m.;• Auburn Auction Park Bus Stop

Pavilion — first pickup, 12:20 p.m.; last dropoff, 5:40 p.m.

• Auburn Cord Duesenberg Au-tomobile Museum, Wayne and Van Buren streets — first pickup, 12:40 p.m.; last dropoff, 5:20 p.m.

Shuttle service available

JACOB KLOPFENSTEIN

This 1933 Auburn Twelve Custom Phaeton Sedan is expected to bring bids of $175,000 to $225,000, Auctions America estimates.

JACOB KLOPFENSTEIN

This 1930 Cord Phaeton Convertible, for sale at Auctions America, is believed to have been the car in which “Gone With The Wind” stars Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh arrived at the premiere of the film.

BY MARIAH [email protected]

AUBURN — The Worldwide auction will be held at the National Auto & Truck Museum Saturday evening, featuring one-of-a-kind cars.

“We have a limited offering of exceptional cars,” said John Kruse of Auburn, principal and auctioneer for Worldwide Auctioneers. “So my primary goal is to sell every one of them for as much money as possible in a fun, transparent environment.”

An open-bar preview event for bidders will take place from 4:30-6 p.m., followed by the auction beginning at 6 p.m. and concluding at 10 p.m.

The Worldwide auction will feature a rare 1965 Shelby 289 Cobra “Dragon-snake” car, one of only four ever built.

“This Cobra is easily the most signif-icant car that’s going to be auctioned off during Labor Day weekend,” Kruse said. “Shelbys are obviously iconic, but this particular car is one of the most highly regarded of the Cobras, period.

“It’s been raced extensively, and one of the problems with the Cobra from a car-guy standpoint is they would get wrecked quite a bit. This car, by most Cobra experts’ opinion, has the finest original body and frame of all the Cobras.”

The car is expected to garner the largest bids of the auction, anywhere between $1.5 million to $2 million, Kruse said.

In addition to the Cobra, a 1935 Packard Twelve 1208 Convertible Sedan, 1936 Cadillac V12 Sport Phaeton, 1923 Stutz Speedway Roadster and 1936 Cord 810 Cabriolet will be some of the featured cars.

A few notable features for each car include:

• 1935 Packard Twelve 1208 Convert-ible Sedan — 99 points at CCA Grand Classic in November 2013; one of only three known divider window examples; and stunning Dietrich design;

• 1936 Cadillac V12 Sport Phaeton — body by Fleetwood and CCA Premier and 100-point recipient;

• 1923 Stutz Speedway Roadster — one of only a few remaining examples; AACA Award recipient; and 2015 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance Award Winner; and

• 1936 Cord 810 Cabriolet — an example of the iconic Sportsman body style; previously in the care of one owner since 1971; and retains original serial number tag.

The Worldwide auction will feature a total of 61 cars.

“I like the more boutique, hands-on experience with our auction,” Kruse said. “I know all of the cars and all of the people. Our goal is provide that high-level, personal service.

“We’re excited to be here, and we’re excited to sell some great cars.”

Cobra tops sale lineup at Worldwide auction

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PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

This 1965 Shelby 289 Cobra “Dragonsnake” with a price estimated at $1.5 to $2 million will be offered for sale by Worldwide Auctioneers on Saturday night at the National Auto & Truck Museum in Auburn.

Event offers ‘boutique, hands-on experience’

The annual RSVP car quilt will be auctioned Saturday at around 6 p.m. near the start of the Worldwide Auctioneers sale at the National Auto and Truck Museum in Auburn. The patterns celebrate the 70th anniversary of World War II ending, featuring cars built in the 1940s before and after the war.


2015 Parade of Classics DVD and

Videos of Past Parades

We also have DVDs

available for every parade

since 2007, plus the

Duesenberg Time Trials that

were held in Kendallville.

COST IS $14.95 PLUS TAX AND SHIPPING

Video highlights for this year’s parade will be posted at kpcnews.com

DVDs can be ordered at The Star

118 W. 9th St., Auburn or by calling (260) 347-0400.

BY MARIAH [email protected]

AUBURN — Four homes near downtown Auburn will be featured in this year’s Classic City Historic Home Tour presented by Tri Kappa Sorority and the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.

Tour homes will be open to visitors Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for the entire tour or $5 for an individual home. Tickets may be purchased at the door of each home.

301 W. 7th St.

Oscar and Bonita Roberts purchased the home at 301 W. 7th St. in July 2006. They primarily reside in Cleveland, Georgia, but the couple bought a house in Auburn after making a habit of visiting during Labor Day weekend for the ACD Festival.

“I’ve always been interested in cars, and back in 1995 I’d gone up to Canada to buy a car, and I’d always heard about the ACD Museum, so I wanted to check it out,” Oscar Roberts said. “On my way back through the states, my wife and I came through Auburn to see the museum. My wife saw the Cord 810, and that’s all she talked about for a month after, so I ended up buying a Cord back in Georgia.”

The couple’s Auburn home was constructed around 1928 for the Kirstia Family. Mr. Kirstia was the vice president of Auburn Rubber Co., once a leading maker of rubber toys. The home’s original floor plan remains mostly unaltered, and the remodeling has been minimal. It has all the original wood floors and crown molding.

In his first year visiting Auburn for the ACD Festival in 1996, Roberts noticed the house on the corner two blocks west of the courthouse square.

“I’ve always been an enthusiast of

Frank Lloyd Wright, and I saw this house and it reminded me of the Arts and Crafts period,” he said. “My wife and I would drive past and I’d always say, ‘What a beautiful house, I’d love to purchase that home.’”

357 W. 7th St.

Frank and Harriet Fanning of Auburn built the house at 357 W. 7th St. in the early 1900s. Mr. Fanning was a commer-cial traveling salesman and in later years

Classic homes opening for toursFour stops welcoming guests Sunday

SEE HOMES, PAGE 10

This home at 357 W. 7th St. has kept it character traits typical of the early 1900s. Owners Carrie and Adam Day purchased the home in 2009.

MARIAH MARTZ

Owners Oscar and Bonita Roberts purchased this home on the corner of Seventh and Van Buren streets after making a habit of traveling to Auburn for the annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.

MARIAH MARTZ


worked as a barber. The house continued to be passed down through the family until the late ’80s.

“There are reports from 1982 that their daughter Lucille Fanning lived in the house,” said Carrie Day. “I also believe their daughter was a member of the Tri Kappa Sorority.”

The current owners, Carrie and Adam Day, bought the house in 2009.

“We did some remodeling ourselves after we moved into the home. We opened the kitchen up, remodeled the bathrooms and built a fireplace in the living room,” said Day. “We’ve kept all the original hardwood floors throughout the house as well as the crown molding and original woodwork.”

Further plans include remodeling the garage, adding an extra bedroom and possibly adding cobblestone or brick to pave the driveway.

“I just love the history and character of the house so much,” she said.

712 N. Main. St.

The home of Susan and Jeff Turner was built in 1918 by A. Linn Murray, founder of Auburn Rubber Co. Its Georgian Colonial Revival design was popular in the early 1900s and featured elements of pure Georgian architecture that was popular in Great Britain, incorpo-rating elements of early colonial style made popular in Williamsburg and its surrounding area.

The Turners purchased the home in 1982 from an heir of its original owner. They added a screened rear porch and rebuilt the kitchen and family room area at the rear of the home.

“When I was younger growing up in Auburn, I’d ride my bike down Main Street by this house, and when I was in second grade I remember thinking, ‘I wish I could live there some day,’” said Susan Turner. “It’s a great house.”

Externally, the home appears much as it did when Murray initially made his residence there.

The interior of the home features painted woodwork and mostly wood

flooring. It features a remarkable amount of storage space and architectural detail throughout, which is atypical of a 100-year-old residence, but certainly in keeping with the status of a successful, early 20th century industrialist such as Murray.

The home, a short walk north from the courthouse square, served as the backdrop of many advertising photos featuring vehicles of the Auburn Automobile Co. during the 1920s.

217 W. 7th St.

Rick and Vicki James recently purchased the home on Seventh Street after the previous owners, Louanne and John Nugen, retired from the furniture business in 2014.

The store building previously housed the offices of Dr. Irvin O. Buchtel. Buchtel’s father, a contractor from Ligonier, constructed the 5,000-square-foot, 28-room home in 1899. When the Nugens purchased the home, they spent nine months renovating and repurposing the building for use as a furniture store.

The Nugens started a furniture business in Butler in 1969 and moved to Auburn about 15 years later. The space the Nugens used for their business office and wallpaper and drapery sampling area originally housed Dr. Buchtel’s medical practice. The downstairs includes seven oak pocket doors and oak wood flooring, the patterning of which is slightly different in each room.

Buchtel hosted extravagant parties with more than 100 guests, the Nugens said. The prime minister of India once visited the doctor.

Future plans for the home remain unannounced.

HOMES: Main Street home built for founder of Auburn Rubber Co., a leading toy producerFROM PAGE 9

MARIAH MARTZ

“I remember thinking, ‘I wish I could live there

some day.’”

— Susan Turner, tour home owner

A home at 712 N. Main St. was built in 1918 by A. Linn Murray, the founder of the Auburn Rubber Co. Its current owners are Jeff and Susan Turner.


BY KATHRYN [email protected]

With the slogan, “Yesterday’s taste, today’s convenience,” Naomi Hochstetler said she is cooking up dishes that bring back memories of Grandma.

But unlike Grandma, Hochstetler is serving up her fare from a kitchen on wheels — a food truck.

Hochstetler, of rural St. Joe, has been operating iGrandma’s food truck since June, serving DeKalb County and the surrounding area.

She will join other food truck chefs to offer her dishes Friday and Saturday in downtown Auburn as a participant in Cruise-In Cuisine during the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.

“I like seeing people happy. I like preparing good food,” Hochstetler said.“I like cooking the old-fashioned, good stuff.”

Her menu includes dishes such as

chicken and noodles, roast beef Manhattan, sandwich specials, barbecue pork, chicken salad and fruit cobblers.

For the ACD Festival, Hochstetler plans to serve three customer favorites — fish and fries, hand-breaded tenderloin and the “Grandaddy” — a grilled sourdough sandwich filled with cheese, Hungarian pepper relish and a slab of ham or turkey. She also plans to serve warm cobbler with ice cream.

Hochstetler said her food truck has been received well in the community. She can be found in downtown Auburn on Mondays and Fridays. During the week she takes her kitchen-on-wheels to area factories.

Hochstetler said the food truck’s name iGrandmas is intended to be an incorpora-tion of the old and the new.

Her schedule and menus are posted on the Internet at her website, ilovegrandmas.com.

St. Joe food truck cook joins Cruise-in Cuisine

KATHRYN BASSETT

Naomi Hochstetler of rural St. Joe stands next to her food truck, iGrandma’s. She will be serving up dishes as a participant in Cruise-In Cuisine during the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.

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The Freak Brothers will perform Saturday night on the main stage 8:30-10:30 p.m.

AUBURN — The 2015 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival will present five live music performances for festival-goers Friday and Saturday downtown.

The performances will go on from 4-11:30 p.m. Friday night for the Cruise In Concert and 6-11:30 p.m. Saturday for the Fast and Fabulous Concert.

All performances will take place on a stage at the corner of Main and 8th streets.

Admission is free and open to all ages.

A fireworks show over downtown at dusk will highlight Saturday’s concert.

The lineup of entertainment:

Friday

Joe Justice will perform from 4-6 p.m. on the main stage Friday. Justice is from Fort Wayne and will perform classics from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Justice covers a variety of genres, from motown and country to R&B and smooth jazz.

Following Justice, Chris Worth will perform from 6-8:30 p.m. Worth is a solo performer, singer and keyboardist who will

sing a variety of songs from rock, country and R&B to Motown and jazz.

The final performance of the night will feature Big Caddy Daddy, a local rock ’n’ roll band and crowd favorite. The band is made up of five musicians — Todd Bishop on guitars and vocals, vocalist Meranda Garman, Doug Lude on guitars, sax and vocals, Gary Babineau on bass guitar and Gary Wright on drums and vocals.

Saturday

Country-rock band Sugar Shot will start the Saturday evening performances from 6-8:30 p.m. The band covers a wide variety of music from Dolly Parton to Guns ’n’ Roses and is led by the duo of frontwomen Gwendra Turney and Jen Fisher.

Freak Brothers will close out the music scene from 8:30-11:30 p.m. According the band’s website, the band has been nominated for five “WhatzUp” Whammy awards including “Best Live Band,” “Performer of the Year,” “Best Hip-Hop Group,” “Best Rock Cover Band” and “Best Funk/World Group.”

Five diverse bands to perform downtown

AUBURN — The Dean V. Kruse Foundation will serve a pancake breakfast on Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, Sept. 5, and and Sunday, Sept. 6, from 7-11 a.m. at the National Military History Center, 5634 County Road 11-A.

Adult meals will cost $8, and children may dine for $4. The price also is $4

for veterans and military personnel. A family of up to six members may dine for $25.

Each meal price includes an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast and free admission to the National Military History Center and Kruse Automotive and Carriage Museum.

Military museum to serve a pair of pancake breakfasts

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BY KATHRYN [email protected]

“It’s more than we’ve ever done!” Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum Chief Operating Officer Kendra Klink said as she reviewed a list of museum events that will take place this weekend during the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.

This year the museum will introduce several new events, as well as hosting the return of familiar favorites.

Making a festival debut are scheduled museum tours, under the expertise of trained gallery hosts who will share information, history and little-known details.

Tours are limited to 20 people and will take place at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. on Thursday; 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday; 10 a.m., noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday; noon and 2 p.m. on Sunday; and 1 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Monday. Tour tickets cost $20 per person or $40 per family, and participants are encouraged to spend time exploring the museum after the tour.

Children’s tours will take place Friday and Saturday at 2 p.m. Family Funday will take place Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., when families are invited to spend time interacting with automobiles and partici-pating in a number of automotive-themed activities. The cost is $20 per participant.

The museum also will host several presentations throughout the festival weekend, including “The Duesenberg Brothers and Their Fabulous Automobiles” Friday at 11 a.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. and “Duesenberg Racers and Record-Set-ters.” Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m.

The museum will host three fundraisers during the festival weekend, beginning with its benefit Extravaganza Thursday at 6 p.m. A new event, History on the Rocks, will take place Friday from 8-11 p.m. when guests will enjoy beverages and hors d’oeuvres while exploring the museum. The Gatsby Gala Ball with live big band music will take place Saturday from 7-11 p.m.

The museum will continue to host the Connecting Rods Luncheon Saturday at 10 a.m. Anyone with a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent who worked for the Auburn Automobile Co., Duesenberg Inc., Cord Corp. or Auburn Cord Duesenberg Co. is invited to join with others with a similar connection to the museum.

“Every year we learn something new,” Klink said of stories shared at the Connecting Rods event.

“People bring new pictures or new stories.”

A book signing with author Roger Corea will take place at the museum Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Museum adding new events to festival lineup

DAVE KURTZ

AUBURN — The 10th annual Benefit Extravaganza for the Auburn Cord Duesen-berg Automobile Museum takes place Thursday at 6 p.m. in the museum.

Ten years ago, the museum’s board of trustees launched the fundraising event to provide financial support to the museum’s educational programs. Since then, the Extravaganza has raised more than $2 million, said Kendra Klink, chief operating officer.

“This event allows the museum to share its history, create awareness of its financial needs and celebrate with its supporters each year,” said Laura Brinkman, executive director and CEO of the museum. “This year, we celebrate vintage aviation and its connection to the Auburn Automobile Co. and Cord Corp. It is going to be a great

night, and I hope that anyone interested in supporting this national treasure will join us.”

Part of Thursday evening’s event will be a live auction of several one-of-a-kind items or experiences and three automo-biles. The autos being auctioned are:

• a 1987 Jaguar XJ6 Series-Three sedan;• a display 2000 Indy race car chassis

built by Dallara Automobili; and• a 1957 Ford Thunderbird with a

“porthole” quarter window.The museum accept donations of

automobiles to be sold to support it at any time during the year. Donations are tax-de-ductible, Klink said.

Tickets for the 10th annual Benefit Extravaganza may be ordered from the museum at 925-1444.

Construction of a new events plaza in front of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum was nearly complete at the start of the week.

Extravaganza supports auto museum’s mission

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AUBURN — The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum is displaying an Essex Terraplane automo-bile once owned by notorious American gangster John Dillinger until April 2016.

Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors to the museum will get a one-day-only opportunity to hold another piece of Dillinger’s history.

For the first time, the Auburn Police Department will be on hand to let visitors hold the “Tommy gun” that Dillinger’s gang stole from Auburn’s police station in October 1933. An FBI expert says Dillinger almost certainly used the gun himself.

“This is piece of American history has had an impact on Auburn, Indiana,” said Auburn Police Chief Martin McCoy.

On Oct. 12, 1933, Dillinger’s men killed a sheriff in the process of breaking Dillinger out of a jail in Lima, Ohio.

Two days later, the gangsters made their way to Auburn, where just before midnight they caught police officers by surprise and robbed three bulletproof vests, six pistols, two rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and the Thompson submachine gun, or “Tommy gun,” from the police station.

The Tucson, Arizona, police depart-ment recovered the gun upon arresting Dillinger in January 1934. It stayed in Arizona until 1966, when the FBI took custody of it and displayed it in the “gangster” section of an FBI tour at the Justice Building and later the Hoover Building in Washington, D.C., until 2002. After that, it was placed in a private, VIP–only display of Dillinger’s and other gangsters’ artifacts.

The FBI returned the gun to Auburn in a ceremony March 6, 2014, in the DeKalb County Courthouse rotunda.

“Though valuable, the Auburn Police Department will not sell the gun,” McCoy said. “It is a piece of the town’s history. and we look forward to it eventually being on display for visitors at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum.”

“While thinking about unique experi-ences we could offer visitors over the Labor Day festival, we thought that having the Tommy-gun here with Dillinger’s car would be a unique experi-ence,” said Kendra Klink, chief operating officer of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. “To further that experience, Chief McCoy offered the opportunity for visitors to be able to hold the gun in front of the car for a photo.” McCoy and Capt. Mark Stump will be on hand to ensure the safety of the artifact and the visitors.

“A donation of $20 will be asked for the opportunity to have a photo holding the gun. All of these donations from the photo opportunity will support the construction of the Auburn Police Depart-ment’s training facilities,” McCoy said.

Museum offers chance to hold gangster’s gun

Special Agent in Charge Bob Jones of the Indianapolis Division of the FBI, right, shows a Thompson submachine gun to Auburn Mayor Norm Yoder upon the gun’s return to Auburn in March 2014. John Dillinger’s gang took the gun in a robbery of the Auburn police station in 1933.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

KPC FILE PHOTO

Gangster John Dillinger once owned this 1933 Essex Terraplane, which will be on display through April at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum.

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F

R

E

E

These exotic and luxury modern automobiles are on display in the showroom at Dream Makers Automotive in Fort Wayne. The company has partnered with the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival to showcase similar vehicles during Fast and Fabulous Saturday from, 5-11 p.m. on the DeKalb County Courthouse square.

AUBURN — Exotic and luxury modern masterpieces will take center stage in downtown Auburn during Fast and Fabulous Saturday at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.

The festival has partnered with Dream Makers Automotive of Fort Wayne to present this new event from 5-11 p.m. Saturday around the DeKalb County Courthouse square.

Spectators will see Ferraris, Lamborgh-inis, McLarens and more, said Jared Lencke of Dream Makers Automotive.

“They are cars that most people don’t usually have the opportunity to see,” he added.

A Fast and Fabulous concert will take place from 6-11 p.m. with live perfor-mances by The Freak Brothers and Sugar Shot. Food trucks will be serving on site, and the Main Street Bistro will be on hand for bar services.

The night will round out with the Fast and Fabulous Fireworks Spectacular, beginning at 9:30 p.m. over downtown Auburn.

Fast and Fabulous showcases exotic modern masterpieces

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED



AUBURN — A 1971 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe originally owned by classic car designer Gordon Buehrig has joined the collection of the National Auto & Truck Museum in Auburn.

The late Mr. Buehrig’s grandson, Hira Herrington of Batesville, Arkansas, donated the car to the museum.

Buehrig designed the 1936-37 Cords, the 1935-36 Auburn Boattail Speedsters and several bodies for Duesenbergs, all built by the Auburn Automobile Co. He later worked for Ford Motor Co. He is credited as the first person to design and patent a “T-top” for automobiles.

Buehrig loved the styling of his 1971 Corvette, but wanted it to be special, the museum said in a news release. He had the body repainted metallic green and the car’sa T-tops painted to a metallic gold.

The National Auto & Truck Museum now displays several of Buehrig’s personal automobiles, including his trend-setting 1951 Ford Victoria Hardtop.

“Many other cars on our floor have Buehrig’s innova-tions on them, also,” said Don Grogg, executive director of the museum.

Buehrig’s Corvette joins nearly 190 other vehicles on the museum’s two floors.

Museum acquires Buehrig’s Corvette

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

The late Gordon Buehrig’s grandson, Hira Herrington of Batesville, Arkansas, has donated Buehrig’s 1971 Corvette to the National Auto & Truck Museum in Auburn.

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BY DAVE [email protected]

Five years ago, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club set records with its ear-rattling exhibition of Duesenberg driving at Kendallville’s airport.

This year, the club will try to go bigger and bolder with the Duesenberg Thunder Run, set for Sunday at the Goshen Municipal Airport.

The new site offers a runway nearly 2,000 feet longer, allowing drivers to reach even higher speeds. The Goshen airport has more parking space for a crowd the club expects to exceed 10,000 people.

The rare sights and sounds of full-throttle Duesenbergs remain the chief attractions, but the event will combine with a full-fledged air show. A vintage Ford Tri-Motor airplane, World War II-era B-17 bomber and hot-air balloons will offer rides to the public. A jet-powered truck will scorch the runway at 350 mph, with a wall of flame as its backdrop.

The event will come as a climax to the ACD Club’s 80th annual reunion in Auburn, where it hopes to break the record of 74 Duesenbergs in one city. The club set the mark in 2010, the last time it observed “The Year of the Duesenberg,” which returns this year.

The 2010 speed exhibition saw 45 Duesenberg owners drive their cars on the runway at Kendallville’s airport, and organizers also hope to top that number.

“We believe it will be the largest air-au-tomotive show in the United States,” said Kathy Molargik, a former Kendallville resident who organized the 2010 event and serves as chairwoman of the entire club reunion this year.

The Thunder Run caps off the Goshen airport’s two-day Freedom Fest, which will begin Saturday with aviation events only.

Duesenberg drivers will be occupied on Saturday in Auburn with the traditional Parade of Classics at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, celebrated every Labor Day weekend.

Sunday, a caravan of Duesenbergs will depart from Auburn at 11:30 a.m., heading for the Goshen airport. Indiana State Police troopers will escort the classic cars on a route that will pass through Kendallville.

The Duesenbergs are scheduled to arrive in Goshen at 1 p.m. to begin their exhibition of power and speed.

The ACD Club is inviting members from other classic car clubs, especially Studebaker owners, to display their cars at the airport. They will be offered a private entrance to the grounds and preferred parking spaces.

Only cars with Duesenberg engines will roll down the runway.

“These Duesenbergs were basically Indy 500 racing technology, and they slapped luxury bodies on them,” said Bill Hummel, an organizer of the event. Hummel is the grandson of E.L. Cord, who led the AuburnAutomobile Co. in the 1920s and 1930s when it built some of America’s greatest classic cars.

“I think it takes a lot of guts for a Duesenberg owner to step in his 80-year-old car and floor it,” Hummel said. Duesenbergs remain the most expensive cars ever built in America, and many of them are valued at more than $1 million today.

State police officers will time the Duesenbergs on the runway and issue each driver a mock speeding ticket with the car’s official statistics.

“I think some of these cars will be approaching 90 mph in the quarter-mile, which is very respectable for a 6,000-pound car,” Hummel said. “Duesen-bergs can go 90 mph in second gear, which means the driver only has to shift once.”

Later-model Duesenbergs came with 420-cubic-inch engines. Supercharged versions developed 320 horsepower.” In their top gear, Duesenbergs are capable of hitting 130 mph, Hummel added.

The gathering of Duesenbergs on the runway is expected to include one of the most famous of all, a 1935 Duesenberg Speedster nicknamed the Mormon Meteor, which set world speed records on the salt flats of Utah in its day.

“The ACD Club is putting this on because we’re known for driving the cars” instead of leaving them in museums, Hummel said. His goal is “to give the public a chance to really see these cars the way they were and what they can do.”

Duesenbergs to roar on runway Sunday

Duesenbergs roll down the runway at the Kendallville airport in 2010 during the first Duesenberg exhibition of speed. Organizers are planning a similar event for Sunday at the Goshen Municipal Airport.


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Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival 2015