Tour stop

DUNKIRK — It wasn’t quite a parade.

And it wasn’t quite a car show.

But it could have been confused for either.

A steady stream of classic cars, 30 in all, came driving down Main Street on Tuesday afternoon, turning right and then filling the west 100 block of Washington Street and the Dunkirk Public Library Parking lot.

It was all part of the Hoosier Tour, a traveling group of automobile enthusiasts that continues through Thursday as part of efforts to promote this weekend’s Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival in Auburn.

“The intent … is to go out into the region, usually within 100 miles of Auburn, go into a community — the locals come out and love the cars — and encourage them to come to Auburn this next weekend for our festival,” said tour director Bill Hohler.

This year’s Hoosier Tour, the 48th, had planned to start its day Tuesday in Decatur with a tour of Thunderbird Boats and end it with an overnight stay in Anderson.

“We were looking for a point of interest in between and found the Glass Museum,” said Hohler.

So just before 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, a stream of 30 vintage vehicles — Hohler was driving a red and black 1932 Auburn Speedster — came rolling down Main Street (Indiana 167).

The tour continued Wednesday with a visit to roundabouts in Carmel that are dedicated to Indiana car companies, including Auburn Cord Duesenberg. The group had a luncheon and heard a speech from the artist who created the pieces in honor of the car companies, before heading back north through Noblesville and finishing the evening at Hoosier Park in Anderson. They were scheduled to finish the tour with a return to Auburn on Thursday morning.

On Tuesday, museum curator Bob Rawlings gave the visitors a short presentation about the museum and the history of glass manufacturing in Indiana generally and Dunkirk specifically. (The community was once home to a dozen glass factories.) He then made himself available to answer questions about any of the thousands of pieces on display.

“There’s just a lot of stuff here to see,” said Rawlings, noting that the museum gets about 10 to 12 large tour groups a year. “There’s little stories behind about every piece you’ve got in here.”

The history was a natural fit for the group driving cars that date back to the early 20th century.

“We love the glass museum,” said Hohler. “I marvel at the fact that they’re still making 2 million beer bottles a day nearby.”

While the visitors were looking through the museum, Dunkirk residents checked out their vehicles outside.

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, which officially begins today and runs through Sunday, includes a swap meet, auction, car displays, a factory meet and greet, cruise-in, food, a speakeasy, a classic car parade, an art show and a variety of other activities.

“It’s got a little bit of everything,” said Hohler, noting that Auburn Cord Duesenberg enthusiasts come from all over the world to visit. “It’s got the old cars for the gearheads. It’s an old, historic town, so it’s got beautiful architecture. … It’s just a great way for the older generation to show kids and grandkids to show kids what it was like …”