From a popcorn machine to soda dispenser, more than 600 pieces of commercial kitchen equipment at Arlington Park is now available in an online auction, marking the start of the liquidation of thousands of items at the shuttered racetrack. (John Starks | Staff Photographer, April 2021)
From Arlington Million Room china plates to a popcorn machine, more than 600 pieces of commercial kitchen and food service equipment are among the first items from the shuttered Arlington Park racecourse to go up for public auction.
The online-only auction, which started this week and closes Tuesday, is the first in a series of perhaps 10 to 15 such events over the next three months as the historic Arlington Heights venue liquidates its assets and prepares to close on a $197.2 million sale to the Chicago Bears.
“The one way to eat a big apple is one bite at a time. There are a lot of assets at this location and we’ll be creating multiple events in order to sell everything that they would like us to sell,” said Judd Grafe, owner and operator of Grafe Auction Co., which was hired by track management to catalog the thousands of items and conduct the public bidding process.
Online bidding for kitchen items has begun at grafeauction.com/event/arlington-park-part-i, ahead of an in-person preview at the track, where the public can look at the merchandise between noon and 6 p.m. Monday.
The lot of 645 items includes a portable 4-door beverage display cooler for $900 on the high end, to an old metal drinking fountain for a dime. There are meat slicers, food processors, toasters, microwaves, pots, pans, and a whole host of dishes and glassware.
An eight-selection soda dispenser goes for $160, a three-tier chocolate fountain for $24, and 6.69-pound cans of unopened cheddar cheese sauce for $2.10. There’s even a velvet Santa Claus suit for $21.
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