Crazy about junk

From Little Debbie cakes to pick up trucks and everything in between, Wayne Cauthron auctions it all.
Cauthron, owner of C & C Auctions in Reddell, said, “People like junk.”
His wife Nanette said, laughing, “But we like to to call it merchandise.”
Each Saturday, buyers and sellers pour into the small town of Reddell, between Mamou and Barber Spur, to throw their eyes over a wide variety of auction items. The business is located at 3029 Old Hwy. 13.
The bidding starts at 8:30 a.m., and on a recent Saturday, items up for bid included lawn mowers, a toddler race car bed, a batting net, pots, pans, VHS movies, home hardware, a go-cart, baby carriers and tackle boxes.
“Items like tools, pots, furniture, decor and outdoor items are popular sellers,” Cauthron said. “The oddest thing I ever auctioned was a jar of baby teeth. It didn’t bring much.”
In addition to an assortment of items, Cauthron also auctions off chickens, dogs, pigs, turkeys, and other various livestock.
“We get a lot of parrots, too,” he added.
Cauthron said he auctions an average of 3,000 items at each event, and some of the items may be viewed on the auction house’s Facebook page prior to the event. Animals for auction are placed in cages inside the building. Items are displayed on tables under a pavilion outside, and the number of tables spills over into the grassy area around the building and into the parking lot.
Cauthron estimated that 300 to 400 people from as far away as Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas peruse the items for sale throughout the day. Of those browsers, about 200 register to bid in the auction.
“Buyers start showing up around 7:30 a.m., but some of my sellers show up as early as 3 a.m. to set up,” Cauthron said.
After traveling for three years conducting auctions in different locations, Cauthron, a resident of Reeves, took over the lease on the Reddell business from the previous owner about a month ago. His wife, their son Dwayne and daughter Bethany also help out during the auctions.
At an early June auction, Gary Fruge, of Branch, and Leander Richard, of Church Point, checked out some of Cauthron’s top sellers — pots and pans. The two men own Two Old Goats, which is an antique shop in Branch.
“I’ve been coming to auctions here for about five years,” Fruge said. “We buy things here to sell in our shop. We find things here that we don’t find anywhere else.”
Richard said he has attended auctions at the location for about 10 years.
Antique dealers aren’t the only ones bidding on Saturdays.
Carol Soileau from Grand Prairie helps out with unloading animals, but he also takes time to see what’s up for grabs on the tables of items.
“I come mostly to visit,” Soileau said, laughing. “And if I see something I like, I buy it.”
Andrew Chapman of Belaire Cove said he has visited the auction house off and on for about two years, and he makes the trip to Reddell occasionally when he has a weekend off.
“I come to look and see,” Chapman said. “I buy a variety of items — antiques and general items like chains and a swing. I bought an ice cream scoop here to use for crawfish boils to scoop them out of the ice chest. Just different odds and ends.”
Cauthron takes breaks during the day-long affair, and he took a moment to share what draws him to the auction industry.
“I enjoy the people,” he said. “We always have good people here. They are like family. We love our people. They ask about our family and friends. We have a good time with our people.
“They also bring us cracklins, doughnuts, jelly and pie,” he added, laughing.