Here’s How Much Every Ride Went for at the Edaville Family Theme Park Ride Auction

CARVER (WBSM) — The amusement rides at Carver’s Edaville Family Theme Park were all auctioned off on Wednesday morning, bringing in over $310,000 in bids as the park is cleared to make way for King Richard’s Faire to move in.

The auction was conducted by Norton of Michigan Auctioneers. Darin Spieth was the bid caller, with partner Daniel Satow assisting. The two pushed a mobile auctioneer booth from location to location through the morning.

Well over a hundred people packed the grounds of Edaville to bid on rides, animatronic dinosaurs and more, right down to speakers and an air compressor. Former staff were also in attendance, both to help with the auction and also to say their goodbyes to the attractions.

The Highest-Ticket Item in the Edaville Auction Was...

The ride that fetched the highest bid was the 1986 Chance Carousel that kicked off the auction, bringing in a winning bid of $90,000. According to WBZ, the winning bidder was Scott Sauchuk, owner of Sauchuk’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Plympton, which means it’s only moving to the next town over.

No other item would fetch even half of that amount the rest of the way, however.

The next-highest winning bid was for 2015 Sky Tower from the former Thomas Land – later renamed the Alpine Village – which fetched $18,000. Other rides from that area of the park – a 2015 Crazy Bus ride and a 2015 Convoy ride – brought in $17,500 each.

⬇️⬇️Keep Scrolling to See Everything Sold at Edaville and How Much It Went For⬇️⬇️

How Much Did Edaville's Vintage Amusement Rides Fetch?

Some of Edaville’s oldest and most beloved rides brought in minimal bids. The 1964 Astronaut ride went for $4,000, and a 1964 Jolly Caterpillar ride brought in the same. The 1962 Scrambler started off with very low bids before eventually going for $14,000.

Perhaps most notable of the vintage rides was the 1951 “Big Eli” ferris wheel, Edaville’s most iconic amusement ride. Disassembled and stored outside of maintenance sheds on the far end of the property, that ride went for just $2,500.

Also going for a surprisingly low bid was the 2015 aerial ride from the Alpine Village, which featured five carts that went along an elevated track above the rest of that section of the park. After gathering no initial interest, it eventually went for just $2,500.

Edaville's Dino Land Dinosaurs Were a Big Draw

Some of the most heated bidding wars popped up among the animatronic dinosaurs from the former Dino Land section of the park. The foam dinosaurs, which had not been in operation since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, had been eaten away by the elements and various critters, with almost all needing at least a touch-up job.

Sold individually, they went anywhere from $200 to $2,250. The two giant Tyrannosaurus Rexes only brought a combined $900, while the two large brontosaurus models brought in a combined $950.

The auction ended a little over two hours after it began, and those in attendance took one final stroll through the beloved park to remember it as it was before the rides are cleared out to make room for King Richard’s Faire to move onto the property.

READ MORE: King Richard's Faire Moving to Edaville Property as Theme Park Downsizes

Winning bidders began dismantling their prizes almost immediately; they have until May 15 to remove them from the Edaville grounds, with a major push to move them out today or tomorrow.

⬇️⬇️Keep Scrolling to See Everything Sold at Edaville and How Much It Went For⬇️⬇️

While King Richard’s Faire management has promised that Edaville will undergo a “transformation” that will keep the train rides and Christmas lights during the holiday season, it appears everything else will be cleared out to create the new Carvershire on the property.

READ MORE: King Richard's Faire, Edaville to Undergo "Transformation"

One has to think that the spirit of Edaville’s legendary founder Ellis D. Atwood and his successor F. Nelson Blount were probably the last to roam the grounds today, taking one final look before the park Atwood began and Blount ceased to exist.

UPDATE: Some items are already showing up on Facebook Marketplace, such as the Bumper Cars, the funhouse mirrors from the carousel, the soft play area and the Pirate Water Race game. Anyone who purchased an item and wants to share with us its future use, please email tim@wbsm.com.