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The Kissimmee Valley Livestock Show and Osceola County Fair will kick off with a spectacular Demolition Derby on Opening Day, tomorrow, Friday, February 10 at 7 P.M.  The hard hitting, fast paced action is an interesting start to the fair that runs through 19th February and one that is sure to be a lot of fun. If you’ve not been to a Demolition Derby then you’ll enjoy watching as vehicles deliberately smash and crash into one another with the last driver with an operation vehicle is awarded the victory!

A mini-car derby heat will also take place and spectators will have a chance to win prizes during the fan participation games.  This exciting show is only $5.00 per person plus General Fair Admission of $5.00 for Adults and $3.00 for Seniors and Children 5 – 11, Kids 4 and under are free.  Senior Citizens (60+) are free on Opening Day!

Additional Entertainment Acts for the 2012 Fair include the Slack-wire Sam Show, World renowned Ventriloquist, Comedian and Singer Sylvia Fletcher, Eudora Farms Exotic Petting Zoo, Nojoe’s Clown Circus, Master of the Chainsaw Brian Ruth and much more.

Strates Shows Midway features over 80 rides, games and shows. The new Skyflyer is a vertical swing ride, one of three new rides to debut at the Fair.

Traditional Fair favorites such as the Pie Eating contest, Baby Show, Children’s Pet show and Tractor Pull will return by popular demand.  There will also be art and craft exhibits entered by local residents and 4-H members.  Livestock Shows and Sales will take place in the KVLS Pavilion.

The Fair is being held at Osceola Heritage Park, 1911 Kissimmee Valley Lane, Kissimmee.

More photos here.

In the wake of the 2012 Mecum Kissimmee auction, the list of shattered records continues to grow. The Florida auction kicked off Mecum’s 25th year and a staggering 2,158 vehicles crossed the block, the most in company history. The six-day event, held at Osceola Heritage Park on January 24-29, 2012, achieved a 30% increase in attendance over last year. Hammer price sales for the week-long auction totaled $55,397,462, and factoring in Buyer’s premium, total gross sales are reaching close to $60,000,000 as Bid Goes On sales continue to rise. Mecum sold an amazing 1,548 vehicles with a 73% sell-through rate.

Mecum Auctions president Dana Mecum (pictured above) said, “Kissimmee kicked off the 2012 auction season and Mecum’s 25th year in business, and I can’t think of a better way to begin celebrating our Silver Anniversary than with a record-breaking auction. Company records were smashed in nearly every category including number of vehicles offered, vehicles sold, total sales, attendance, and number of registered bidders.”

Top Ten sellers at the auction covered a wide swath in enthusiasts dream sheets. With nearly 300 Corvettes offered during the Kissimmee auction, quite a few were in the Top Ten, but sitting on top of the list was a 1963 Shelby Cobra Dragon Snake (Lot S220 -pictured at top of this post), which sold for $850,000.

The remaining nine vehicles were (all sales reflect hammer prices):
2. 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Convertible (Lot F199) at $610,000
3. 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Coupe (Lot S103) at $270,000
4. 1963 Chevrolet Corvette RestoMod (Lot S226) at $255,000
5. 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible (Lot T188) at $227,500
6. 1930 Packard 745 Waterhouse (Lot S83) at $225,000
7. 1941 Packard Darrin 180 Convertible Victoria (Lot S122) at $220,000
8. 1970 Plymouth Superbird (Lot K56) at $200,000
9. 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air Convertible (Lot S163) at $200,000
10. 1957 Ford Thunderbird F-Bird (Lot S129) at $200,000

Dana Mecum observed, “We have a heavyweight title bout going on within our own organization for the title of World’s Largest Collector Car Auction. With the great success from this auction, Kissimmee 2012 has captured the crown from Indy 2011 as the World’s Largest. Stay tuned for ‘Indy in May’ as it works to regain the crown as the World’s Largest.”

Overall, the event was very successful and I think NASCAR Champion, Ken Schrader, (pictured above with me) who visited the auction on Saturday to sign autographs, summed it up best when he remarked that he had no idea how you actually selected a vehicle to buy because there were so many of them on the auction block!

Complete auction results are available to Mecum InfoNet members, which is free to join at www.Mecum.com.

The Mecum Auction in Kissimmee comes to a close this weekend and judging from the results of the last four days, we can expect a big finish to the event as some of the most valuable automobiles on the planet come under the auction block over the weekend.

At 2pm to 3pm today, NASCAR driver Ken Schrader will sign autographs in front of the Silver Spurs Building at Osceola Heritage Park and this is sure to attract a large crowd.

Days three and four of the event continued to bring high impact bidding action to the block, garnering an incredible sell through rate of 75%. The impressive mix of sold vehicles was led by a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible Bloomington Gold Benchmark 427/435 HP, 4-speed (Lot T188 – pictured above). This unrestored Survivor brought $227,500.

Other top sellers include a 2007 Bentley GTC Convertible (Lot T206) that hammered for $101,000, a 1969 Shelby GT350 Fastback (Lot T177) for $85,000, and a 1958 Chevrolet Impala Convertible (Lot I57) that went for $73,000.

Nearly 400 cars per day are currently crossing the auction block but perhaps the head of the pack so far has been a 1969 Corvette L88 427/430 HP, 4-speed Convertible (Lot F199 – pictured above) that brought the hammer down at a lofty $610,000! All three prior owners were on site as the yellow beast was auctioned.

Mopar’s were well represented on day 4, with a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Hemi, 426/425 HP, 4-speed (Lot F170.1 – above left)) commanding $125,000, and a 1970 Plymouth Superbird 440/375 HP, Automatic (Lot F281.1) sold at $108,000. BowTie enthusiasts cheered when a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air 2-door Restomod, 454 CI, Automatic (Lot F74.1 – above right) fetched $127,500.

Today is Day 5 and it promises to be one of more frenzied activity as the 1961 Corvette Gulf Race Car (pictured above) takes center stage. The gavel action starts with Road Art at 8:30 AM, and vehicles roll across at 9:00 AM. Live coverage runs on Velocity from 2:00 – 10:00 PM. All times Eastern.

Lots more photos at Facebook.com/FloridaLeisure

Military charities Welcome Back Veterans and the American Freedom Foundation will benefit at the Mecum Auction as two custom motorcycles go under the hammer.

The MLB Stars and Stripes – a 2011 Bourget Radius Python 330 Super Stretch Chopper (Lot W195) – will cross the auction block on Wed., Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m.  Designed and built by Bourget’s Bike Works for New Era Caps, the motorcycle was unveiled during Daytona Bike Week 2011 and toured the country visiting MLB stadiums and bike rallies.  It features a Pearl White-based all-American baseball/armed services theme, including a Wilson baseball-glove saddle, Major League club logos and strategically placed official baseballs.  The bike runs a 124 CI S&S V-twin engine with diamond cut heads.

All proceeds from this chopper sale will benefit Welcome Back Veterans, an organization committed to providing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder treatment to veterans and their families.  For more information, visit www.welcomebackveterans.org.

Mecum will also offer a 2005 Big Bear Choppers Venom ProStreet bike (Lot T190.1) on Thurs., Jan. 26 at 5:20 p.m.  Featuring distinct character and style, the bike has a large diameter single radius downtube, the famous arched Venom swingarm, a low 23.5 inch seat and standard neck height with a 40 degree rake.  Additional components include the proprietary low vibration 100 SMOOTH polished engine in front for a Baker 6-speed overdrive transmission, exclusive primary drive, and chrome frontend and controls.

Proceeds from the Big Bear Venom will go to the American Freedom Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation co-founded by SMA (retired) Jack L. Tilley whose mission is to honor the men and women of America’s armed forces and raise awareness for their service and sacrifice, and raise money for organizations that serve and support our veterans, active duty military and their families.  Visit www.americanfreedomfoundation.org for more information.

NASCAR driver Ken Schrader will sign autographs on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012 from 2-3 p.m. during the annual Mecum Kissimmee Auction at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee.

More than 2,000 collector cars will cross the block at Mecum’s six-day Kissimmee auction Jan. 24-29, including the 2011 Federated Auto Parts 300 Pace Car – a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS (Lot S173).  Schrader, who returns to the NASCAR Sprint Series in 2012 driving the #32 Federated Auto Parts Ford, will pilot this official pace car across the auction block on national television, where Mecum will offer it to bidders on Jan. 28 around 5 p.m.

Patterned after the legendary Z11 Indy 500 Pace Car and built by the “Two Guys Garage” TV crew, the 2010 Camaro RS/SS features a Whipple supercharger, NHRA-approved roll bar, controls for the Pace Car strobe lighting system and autographed dash.

Federated Auto Parts has participated in the past three Mecum Kissimmee Auctions as part of their Federated/Standard(r) “Dream Car Sweepstakes” program.  This annual promotion awards one lucky Federated technician or counterperson with an all-expenses paid trip to the Mecum Kissimmee Auction, plus $15,000 to spend on a car during the event.  This year’s winner is Marc Duebber, owner of Duebber’s Automotive Service Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The annual Kissimmee event will kick off the 2012 auction season for Mecum as they celebrate 25 years in business.  For a complete consignment list, visit www.Mecum.com and click on the Kissimmee Auction link.  The auction will broadcast with four days of live national TV coverage on Discovery’s Velocity network during the “Mecum Auto Auctions: Muscle Cars & More” show.

Tickets are available in advance or at the door for $15.  For additional consignment and bidder information, call 262.275.5050 or visit www.Mecum.com.

The annual Mecum Kissimmee Auction will kick off next week at Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee and the 2012 auction season is a big one for Mecum as they celebrate 25 years in business.

This years auction will feature close to 2,000 collector cars crossing the auction block from Jan. 24 thru Jan 29, and as usual, there’s some pretty amazing machinery to be had by some lucky collectors.

First there will be the legendary 1961 Chevrolet Corvette Gulf Oil Race Car, a SCCA B-Production National Championship winner driven by Dr. Dick Thompson, “The Flying Dentist,” and the most dominant Corvette racer of its time.  Ordered new by Don Yenko for Grady Davis, VP of Gulf Oil, this Corvette boasts the RPO354 fuel-injected 283/315 HP engine, Borg Warner 4-speed transmission, Positraction rear end, heavy duty brakes and suspension, and quick steering adaptor.  This Corvette has earned the 2011 NCRS American Heritage Award, been part of the Bloomington Gold Special Collection and has been inducted into the Corvette Hall of Fame and the Bloomington Gold Hall of Fame.

In addition to the high-quality Corvettes, muscle cars and exotics being offered, Mecum will present more than 1,500 pieces of automotive memorabilia and one of the most interesting lots will be Miss America VIII.

Miss America VIII, Gar Wood’s two-time Harmsworth Trophy winning race boat, was the winner of the coveted Harmsworth Trophy in 1929 and 1931.  Miss America VIII is fitted with its original one-off Miller V16 1113 CI engines, which were specially designed for Miss America VIII by the legendary Indy car and engine builder, Harry Miller, to break the World’s Speed Record.  Regarded as the most valuable wooden boat offered by Mecum so far, Miss America VIII is a collectible of historic proportions.

“Since the final gavel fell at last year’s event, enthusiasts and collectors have been anxiously awaiting our larger-than-life Kissimmee Auction, which we have expanded once again to encompass six full days,” said President Dana Mecum.  “We are off and running with an incredible inventory of cars for this year’s event, including a staggering group of investment-grade Corvettes, muscle cars and several collections offered at no reserve.  Collectors flock to Florida for Mecum’s fast-paced, customer-centered auctions, and as last year proved and this year promises, Kissimmee will again be the must-attend collector car event in January.”

For a complete consignment list, visit www.Mecum.com and click on the Kissimmee Auction link.

Mecum’s Kissimmee Auction takes place at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Fla. with tickets available in advance or at the door for $15.  The auction will broadcast with four days of live national TV coverage on Discovery’s all new Velocity network during the “Mecum Auto Auctions: Muscle Cars & More” show.

For additional consignment and bidder information, call 262.275.5050 or visit www.Mecum.com.

Here’s some video from last year’s event: