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Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium in Newark. An auction will be held there on April 26 to sell the Bears' assets.

(Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger)

NEWARK — The Newark Bears are holding a going out of business sale.

The now-defunct professional baseball franchise is selling everything from the team's uniform and equipment to landscaping supplies and office furniture, the organization announced today. Even the 56-passenger team bus is up for grabs.

In November, the Can-Am League announced the Bears wouldn't be returning. While co-owner Danielle Dronet said at the time she was "pretty positive" the team would take the field in some capacity, league's commissioner Miles Wolff said he was told by the team's owners that they would not field a team.

The commissioner proved right.

Three weeks ago Dronet and co-owner Doug Spiel contacted auction company T Paul Wilbert & Associates to inquire about unloading the team's assets, according to Tim Wilbert, the auction company owner.

Newark Mayor Luis Quintana lamented the loss of Newark's baseball team.

“While this is a setback for the Bears, the City of Newark, and the region as a whole, we believe that this is not the end for the Bears or their stadium," the mayor said in a statement. "We will work with the county, our partners in the business and sports’ communities, and local colleges and universities to make full use of Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium.”

Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo has not yet returned requests for comment.

Wilbert called the auction for a sports team "very unusual" but said he was confident the sale would be ready despite the quick turnaround time.

The team's 6,200 seat Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium was funded by bonds and opened in July 1999 at a cost of more than $30 million. Essex County and Newark each must pay $1.1 million annually until 2029 to cover the debt service on the stadium, according to a previous Star-Ledger report.

The team has struggled at the gate for years, though, and nearly went out of business more than once over the years.

Dronet and Spiel bought the team in 2010 but the team's fortunes haven't changed much.

The following year bill collectors from PSE&G, seed companies and clothiers were asking for payment, and payroll was delayed for some employees this season, according to court papers and interviews with employees. Jim Hague, the team's former public relations director, who also served as the stadium announcer, resigned in late June 2010, calling the team a "circus" on his blog.

The liquidation sale and auction at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium begins at 10 a.m. on April 26. All sales are final and purchasers are responsible for removing any items they buy, a release says.

"It's a shame," Wilbert said of the Bears' apparent demise. "These are the economic times we're in."

The team released a full list of items they plan to offer:

• Newark Bears Professional Baseball Team naming rights, concessions business naming rights, dance team naming rights directly affiliated; logo, website and social media accounts (Auctioned)

• 2006 MCI J4500 56 passenger bus (auctioned)

• John Deere lawn And turf equipment package (Auctioned)

• Commercial kitchen/restaurant and bar equipment and supplies (liquidated)

• Other professional landscaping and turf equipment, supplies and products (liquidated)

• Building maintenance and housekeeping / cleaning equipment, Supplies And Products (liquidated)

• Office furniture (liquidated)

• Office electronics (liquidated)

• Retail displays and racks (liquidated)

• Newark Bears uniforms, merchandise, memorabilia (liquidated and auctioned)

• Professional baseball equipment, supplies and products (liquidated and auctioned)

• Professional ticketing systems (liquidated)

• Medical/training Supplies (liquidated)

• Bedroom furniture (liquidated)

• Living room furniture (liquidated)

• Dining room furniture (liquidated)

• Vehicles (auctioned)

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