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 nine years ago it has been forced to move to larger quarters. This year is no exception…it’s being moved once again to a riverfront marina.
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. 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 I hear from insiders that even the new venue…Pier 1000 Marina at 1000 Riverview Drive in Benton Harbor may be approaching capacity based on tickets already sold.
Lynn Schlender is a major organizer for the event and she says that tickets have been moving rapidly, as you might guess since it rockets bigger every year. The 9th Annual Bids for Barks will be held on Saturday, May 20, 2017 at its new venue of Pier 1000 Marina, 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 more than 400 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 there is a good chance that the Humane Society will be breaking ground yet this year on the new shelter planned for M-139 just south of the Concord Ridge Equestrian Center in Royalton Township.
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/
In the photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market.com Courtney Frank from Grand Rapids contemplates her next bid at the 2016 event.
