Saying Goodbye to Festival Park

ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla. - Feb. 24, 2015 - PRLog -- All great things must come to an end and that was the case recently as Carlisle Events and Carlisle Auctions presented, for the final time, automotive excitement at Festival Park in Zephyrhills, Florida.  The event, Zephyrhills Winter AutoFest, ran February 19-22 and as it has for nearly 40 years, welcomed automotive enthusiasts from the region over to buy, sell, trade and talk all things automotive.  From the sold out swap meet and car corral to the jam packed collector car auction, Winter AutoFest in its current form, delivered one last time for everyone in Pasco County.

Cooler temperatures in the otherwise perfect Florida sun helped guide guests through aisle upon aisle of a wide array of autmobilia.  From gas pumps to vintage sings and literature to collectibles, there was something for everyone at the event.  This time of year is a great time for automotive parts and tool shopping and to say there was an abundance of both would be an understatement.  Food was even a popular draw daily, with amazing fair style food and homemade creations like apple dumplings and ice cream.

Adjacent to the bustling swap meet was a sold-out car corral.  This area housed nearly 1,000 past, present and future classics, all for sale by owner.  Call it a walk down memory lane or an adventure in bargain shopping, either way, the thrill of the hunt was real at Festival Park.  The popularity and demand for swap meet and car corral spaces since Carlisle’s original involvement with the auto fest events in 2013 is what lead, in part, to the change of venue.

Additional features included a NASCAR race simulator where one lucky guest won tickets to the July NASCAR race at Daytona, an original Dale Earnhardt, Sr. stock car that was raced during the ‘80s and was featured in an original ESPN movie about his life was on display too.  There were additional competitions, with The Hot Rodders of Tomorrow engine challenge taking place.  As part of the battle, Peach County High School of Georgia come out victorious with a time of 17:35.00.  Winter AutoFest guests even had a chance to meet racing legend and Tampa Bay resident Milo Coleman.

Finally, the two-day collector car auction backed by Carlisle Auctions saw 400+ cars cross the block, with 52% of them selling and total sales nearing $3.2 million.  The top car was a 1952 Bentley Mark VI, going for $74,550, while a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 was not far behind at $57,250.  The auction saw a registered bidder increase of near 20% versus the 2014 auction and there was even a custom go-kart that was donated by Jack Scott Auto Sales which sold for charity.  The go-kart earned $7,600 and 100% of that money will go to Toys for Tots.  Select cars that did not sell may still be for sale and available by contacting Carlisle Auctions (number below).  Ultimately, the weekend was a raging success and served as a great springboard to the fall show and its new venue.

As mentioned previously, this was the final event backed by Carlisle Events and Carlisle Auctions at Festival Park.  Beginning November 11, the Carlisle team will work in conjunction with staff from the Sun n’ Fun complex in Lakeland to promote two brand new events, Fall and Winter Florida AutoFest.  Similar to what guests have experienced at Festival Park, these events will host a swap meet, car corral and auction; however, due to the grandiose nature of the facility, all aspects of the event will be bigger and better.  Anyone interested in being part of the fall Lakeland show should contact Carlisle Events today to learn all about the exciting new opportunities.  For auction info, call 717-960-6400 and for other aspects of the event, call 717-243-7855.