South African safari getaway among items up for bid
By Barb Pert Templeton
The third annual online auction to benefit a local museum will go live on Wednesday, Feb. 21 and bids will be accepted until Thursday, Feb. 29.
Dan Finn, administrator at the Sanilac County Historical Museum, said the unique fundraiser contributes to the museums budget each year and all the items up for bid are donated by patrons and the community at large.
Finn offered a brief history of the Sanilac County Historical City (SCHS) noting it was founded in the 1960’s and operates out it’s current site at 228 S. Ridge Street in Port Sanilac. SCHS averages just over 150 members annually and is active in the community sponsoring concerts, lectures, workshops and dinners and all, total about 50 events throughout the year.
The SCHS estate, that is known as Sanilac County Historic Village & Museum, was donated by Captain Stanley Harrison to the Historical Society. The museum administration operates out of the Loop-Harrison Mansion and currently maintains 17 historic buildings, 14 gardens, and a train car on 10 acres with a one-mile walking path through a public forest.
Blue Water Healthy Living caught up with Administrator Dan Finn to pose some questions about the annual online auction and how it works.
Blue Water Healthy Living: Is this auction an annual event and if so when did you host the first one?
A South African Safari Getaway is one of the unique auction items that the public can bid on in support of the Sanilac County Historical Museum.
Administrator Dan Finn: It has been an annual event since 2022 so this will be our third online auction fundraiser. Sanilac Museum has hosted several auctions throughout the decades. This online auction is the transition of our non-profit to utilize the technology and communications available to us while reducing costs for labor and venue rentals to host an in-person event that might have limited attendance.
BWHL: Where do the auction items come from? Are they all donated?
Finn: All auction Items are donated from supporters and businesses. Some items have an understanding of splitting the bid between the vendor and the museum.
BWHL: Can you briefly explain how an “online auction” works?
Finn: The online auction is in partnership with “Your Charity Auction” an online platform that streamlines convenience for fundraising needs. Bidders must register for our auction at Yourcharityauction.com/schs. Once our auction goes live on February 21st, bidders will have until February 29th to bid on items listed on our page. Once the auction closes on February 29th, winning bids will go out to the winners.
BWHL: I see one item is listed as a South African Safari Getaway, can you share some information about how that gift got into the auction and what the trip will entail?
This came into our register by a Kalamazoo office that my predecessor arranged.
The getaway in South Africa includes 6 days /nights, 3 meals a day, 2 daily land rover trips in a conservation safari. It does not include: airfare, transfers, personal beverages, side trips or phone calls.
BWHL: When will the auction items start being displayed at the Loop-Harrison mansion?
Finn: Items will be on display at our Paczki Day celebration on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 9 a.m.
Following that, items will be on display Wednesday thru Saturday, 11am to 4pm.
BWHL: Once the auction is complete how will bidders get their winning items?
Finn: If the museum possesses the winning item, then Sanilac Museum will reach out and coordinate retrieval of the item. If the winning item is an out-of-house service or experience, the winning bidders’ information will be shared with the respective vendor and vice-versa with instructions on how to redeem the winning item.
BWHL: What is the Quarter Auction in April? Where do those items come from?
Finn: Items are also donated by businesses and supporters. The quarter auction functions like a bingo raffle where participants have corresponding numbered paddles with a numbered ball in a bingo tumbler. Those that submit a quarter for each auction item are eligible to win the prize when their number is drawn from the tumbler.
BWHL: Can you share a few examples of what might be a good auction item donation?
Finn: Items that give present value that would easily be desirable by the average person. We are more-so looking to auction off experiences or services, such as a pizza dinner to a sailboat cruise. Other items we are auctioning online are golf-cart rentals and monthly flowers from prominent local florists.
BWHL: What is the quarter auction coming up in April?
Finn: The quarter auction is primarily gift cards, attractive centerpieces, or even quality books. We are putting items together in a basket to auction.
BWHL: If someone wants to donate things for either auction, do they just drop them at the museum or contact you first?
Finn: Please advise any and all physical donations to go through our email before dropping off – sanilacmuseum@gmail.com or schsbrittany@gmail.com
BWHL: Have the auctions been successful fundraisers for the museum in the past?
Finn: These two auctions combined have raised over $10k the past two years running which factors to be about 5% of our general operating budget.
BWHL: What will the money raised from the 2024 auction be used for?
Finn: To fulfill the mission of Sanilac County Historical Society. To promote interest in the history and cultural heritage of Sanilac County. To collect, preserve, and exhibit, archival records and information, materials, objects and buildings relating to the history of Sanilac County and the State of Michigan.
Sanilac County Historic Village & Museum is located at 228 S Ridge St, Port Sanilac MI.
