Items from the now-closed Dayton Hara Arena & Exhibition Center will be auctioned off online starting on Thanksgiving Day. The public can view the sale items in Hara’s East Hall from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27.
The family-owned arena closed its doors forever in August, after a 60-year run of sports, concerts, entertainment and special shows in the Miami Valley. It hosted its last event on late August, taking with it a $36 million annual economic impact.
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Everything But the House, an online global marketplace for estate sales, will host an online auction showcasing the eclectic assortment of Hara items and memorabilia. All items starts at a $1 bid.
The auction will include a limited number of Hara Arena and Cincinnati’s Crosley Field seats, Hara signage, photos, posters, sports and event memorabilia, sports equipment, chandeliers, catering items, tables and chairs.
An estate sale for Ralph and Edna Wampler will also run during the same time on the website. The Wampler family maintained the business for all 60 years, but problems started when founder Harold Wampler died in 1996.
His unresolved estate — under which Hara is co-owned — launched a 20 year family and legal battle that drained Hara of the resources for much-needed renovations and reorganization, according to the press release.
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The Wamplers, with the help of national venue management company, VenuWorks, worked relentlessly for years to change that to a public-private ownership structure to clear Hara’s debt, lighten its tax burden and place it on a more sustainable path, but were unsuccessful.
Now, it’s time to bid farewell to pieces left of Hara.
“We were overwhelmed by the number, and variety, of requests we received from people hoping to get a Hara keepsake,” said Karen Wampler, Hara marketing director. “We were approached by brides who wanted a chandelier from their reception hall, concert goers who wanted a picture or backstage pass from their favorite show, lifelong hockey fans who wanted a Hara seat or banner.”
Interested consumers can bid on sale items from Nov. 24 to Nov. 30 at the auction website.
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