Every January, Arizona becomes the center of the Collector
Car Universe. We call it Auction Weekend...
Steve "Staying Alive" Poessnecker welcomes you to Phoenix
Adventurers from around the country converged on Arizona during
the weekend of January 15-17 to discover interesting vehicles,
old friends, and good times. “Treasures of the Southwest” and
Mother Nature teamed up to provide brilliance and wonder
throughout the weekend.
Our host hotel of the Embassy Suites-North provided the backdrop
for the welcome reception gathering of friends and comrades in
the car hobby. The room was filled with lots of laughter and
conversation as people reconnected with old friends and made new
ones. New faces in the crowd were welcomed as everyone made
their way around the hors d’oeuvres.
Friday gave people two options: uncover interesting pieces in
the Desert Valley Auto Parts junkyard or head to the University
of Phoenix stadium tour. Half of the group did their exploring
up north and many were successful in bringing home pieces for
their cars at home. The other half was treated to a tour of the
inner workings of the University of Phoenix. They saw how the
field worked and even got a special pass to go through the
locker rooms! The groups met back up for a buffet lunch at
Camarones and then had the afternoon on their own.
The evening brought people to another Arizona treasure: Bill
Johnson’s Big Apple steakhouse. Bill Johnson was an original
entrepreneur who did radio broadcasting as well as knowing how
to treat people to good home-cooked food. The staff did their
best and continued on with the tradition, filling all of the
participants up to the brim with ribs, chicken, the fixings, and
homemade apple cobbler. There was even some special whipped
cream application at the end of the evening!
Saturday dawned early, sunny and beautiful. More than 50 cars
graced the front lot of the hotel, ranging from a 1919 Ford
Model T to a 2009 Hyundai Genesis. Admirers perused the lot and
made their difficult balloting choices, eventually deciding upon
their favorites in each class.
Saturday evening brought out the main event. People were
actively (VERY actively) competing/bidding for the silent
auction items. Amazing treasures from the auction went home with
people. The hotel pulled out all of the stops with their prime
rib buffet, capped off with great desserts. The “adventurous”
emcee for the evening was John Migliaro, with Jorge Ibarra as
announcing award winners. John’s jokes kept the audience
groaning. The awards were interspersed with Arizona’s own films
of the “Indiana Jones” trilogy. “Indiana” and the “Muffler Man”
brought down the house with their gags and antics.
Thanks so much to everyone for helping make this a super event.
That includes the volunteers—every great event has a whole cast
of people that make this happen and LCCI-CAR had a great crew.
Thanks to all of the participants – you are what make the event
so special. We look forward to seeing you next year!
Fins!
Smiles
Fabulous Car Show
Old and New Friends
Crosleys
Whipped Cream
|
