{"id":572,"featured":0,"modified":"2026-04-17 19:48:36","latitude":41.3659650000000027603164198808372020721435546875,"longitude":-85.0556820000000044501575757749378681182861328125,"title":"Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival","subtitle":"","fullsize":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/17f712fac34a4ed2c3a1b039dce8efc4.jpg","address":"100 Main St, Auburn, IN 46706","all_locations":[],"zoom":14,"creator":["Jenny Kobiela-Mondor"],"description":"Just a few years after the closure of the Auburn Automobile Company and its related companies, collectors were interested in acquiring Auburns, Cords, and Duesenbergs. In 1955, the ACD Club was formed, and by 1957, club members had started to visit Auburn, staying at the Auburn Hotel and displaying their cars on the streets. The seeds of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival had been planted.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBy 1969, the Labor Day Weekend event grew under the direction of John Martin Smith, Del Mar Johnson, and Jack Randinelli to include the selling of souvenirs, a “bean dinner” put on by the Jay Cees to raise funds for the event, and an antique show hosted by Tri Kappa. By 1972, an antique and classic car auction was added to the event. Soon after, the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, Inc. was formed, alongside the Auburn Automotive Heritage Inc., which formed to help establish the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum. <br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe festival has grown and changed throughout the years, with festival activities including an arts and craft show, quilt show, hot air balloon classic, concerts, a gala with a 1920s theme, historical and garage tours, and more. The Parade of Classics, held on the Saturday of the festival, is particularly popular, as dozens of restored classics wind through the streets of Auburn, ending at the Courthouse Square. The ACD Festival now attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the world each year - including celebrities such as car enthusiast Jay Leno - and is a nationally recognized event. While the Auburn Automobile Company fell from the dizzying heights of its success in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the magnificent automobiles are still celebrated, and still serve as an economic driver for Auburn.","sponsor":null,"accessinfo":"","lede":"","website":"","related_resources":[],"factoids":[],"files":{"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/17f712fac34a4ed2c3a1b039dce8efc4.jpg":{"id":2692,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"1976 ACD Festival Program","description":"A program for the 1976 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.  | Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, Inc.  | 1976","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/17f712fac34a4ed2c3a1b039dce8efc4.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/cfb266ac97ec4affab8e76f1a3e56f31.jpg":{"id":2693,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"1976 Press Pass","description":"A press pass for the 1976 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.  | Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, Inc.  | 1976","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/cfb266ac97ec4affab8e76f1a3e56f31.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/b2c0208083d5424b95004a94e2ef7028.jpg":{"id":2694,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"1980 ACD Festival Registration Form","description":"A registration form for the 1980 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.  | Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, Inc.  | 1980","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/b2c0208083d5424b95004a94e2ef7028.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/75d04ae8eabf5a8661132761ca468e2a.jpg":{"id":2695,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"2000 ACD Festival Labor Day Brochure","description":"A brochure for the 2000 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, taking place on Labor Day weekend.  | Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, Inc.  | 2000","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/75d04ae8eabf5a8661132761ca468e2a.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/f035cc68d74b2ac9f7934cc3477b5b65.jpg":{"id":2696,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Image from Auburn Story.jpg","description":"The cover of <em>The Auburn Story: The Classics Come Home</em>, a supplement to the 1972 ACD Festival published by the Auburn <em>Evening Star</em>. | Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, Inc.  | 1972 | The Auburn <em>Evening Star</em>","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/f035cc68d74b2ac9f7934cc3477b5b65.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/b17ea19ecc8efbf711b8b09b9a10aa42.jpg":{"id":2697,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"2002 ACD Festival Souvenir Guide","description":"A souvenir guide for the 2002 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ACD Club.  | Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, Inc.  | 1973","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/b17ea19ecc8efbf711b8b09b9a10aa42.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/d9fa3b6437b3c4a54863e10e1a2c23e0.jpg":{"id":2699,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Exhibitors Pass","description":"An exhibitor pass for the 1973 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.  | Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, Inc.  | 1973","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/d9fa3b6437b3c4a54863e10e1a2c23e0.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/c0f37fdee349f8fe268dde383fe44a35.jpg":{"id":2700,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"2020 Festival Poster","description":"A poster advertising the 2020 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.  | Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, Inc.  | 2019 | Amanda Peet","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/c0f37fdee349f8fe268dde383fe44a35.jpg"}}}