If you want a solid measure of how successful and popular your fundraiser is, take a look at the Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan’s annual Bids for Barks auction event. Every two or three years since they began the event ten years ago it has been forced to move to larger quarters. This year is no exception…it’s being moved once again to the largest venue in the area, which means that if it gets any bigger they may have to build a bigger arena just to host it.
Launched originally at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge on Niles Road in St. Joseph, it only took a couple of years to realize that the space was a huge challenge. So, they packed up the show and moved it to the D.A.N.K. Hall in Sodus for a couple of years and soon were bursting at the seams there. Next stop, the St. Joe Kickers Soccer Club on M-139 north of Berrien Springs. Last year they moved to a massive boat storage facility at Pier 1000 Marina on Riverview Drive in Benton Harbor. All, extremely successful venues, but increasingly incapable of handling the huge demand from animal lovers working to make magic.
If you think you want to go to this year’s event, you might want to stop thinking about it and take action in very short order, because Bids for Barks is an unstoppable phenomenon with a tremendous following and this year it will take place in the Grand Upton Hall at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center.
Lynn Schlender is a major organizer for the event and she says that tickets, as always, have been moving rapidly, as you might guess since it rockets bigger every year. The 10th Annual Bids for Barks will be held on Saturday, May 19, 2017 at its new venue on the Benton Harbor campus of LMC, with doors opening at 5pm, reserved seating and a sit-down dinner followed by the live auction. A huge silent auction is also included each year with hundreds of items going up for bids between the two.
The auction features many quality items and several “once in a lifetime experience” packages that will go on the block.
Tickets are $45 each or you can reserve a table for eight for $350. Click the link below to order online or you can contact Lynn at 269-921-6743.
This year’s auction is especially important and noteworthy, as the Humane Society is still working diligently to obtain the funds to finish out and then launch the new shelter under construction on M-139 just south of the Concord Ridge Equestrian Center in Royalton Township. They would like to be able to open the doors debt-free of any mortgage, and fundraising continues in earnest.
Organizers remind you that despite the move to LMC, “We are still in the dog house. This is not a black tie event. Same casual event and atmosphere.” The Auctioneer, as always, will be Dan McCrery who makes the event a great deal of fun.
At the current rate of growth for this annual extravaganza, they may run out of buildings large enough to host the remarkable turnout one of these days…in the meantime…line up your tickets before it’s just too late.
Here’s the link: http://humanesocietyswm.org/event-registration/
