Carlisle Events kicked off its 2018 season with Auto Mania, Pennsylvania’s largest indoor and heated swap meet. The Allentown Fairgrounds came to life for its first big event of the season January 19-21.
While gates opened at 12 p.m. on Friday, there had already been vendor to vendor sales happening well before that. In fact, the first transaction was spotted sometime after 6 a.m. while a handful of vendors were in early, setting up. Talk about not wasting any time. 99% of the rest of the weekend’s transactions happened during normal hours. Between buying and selling automotive pieces and parts, the on-site and farmers market concessions and ticket sales – Auto Mania was once again a smashing success.
In addition to the additional vending spaces outdoors, guests were treated to a dozen or so cars for sale by owner. This is always an added bonus because on nice warm winter days, sometimes car enthusiasts simply want to drive a classic “right now” and take a break from the restoration project they may be working on.
As always, Saturday was THE day for shopping and camaraderie in Allentown! The full day of fun ran from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday helped wrap the weekend, and guests who came had one final shot at deals within the swap meet and one last chance to connect with old friends before saying goodbye until “the next time.”
Speaking of the next time, Carlisle Events' next offering is in a much warmer climate, Lakeland, Florida. Winter AutoFest 2018 takes center stage February 23-25 and offers a three-day swap meet and car corral as well as a two-day collector car auction. A complete rundown of this event and others that follow it are available online via the Carlisle Events’ web page; www.CarlisleEvents.com.