FMU Foundation and Swamp Fox Club to Hold Auction Thursday

FLORENCE, S.C. – The Francis Marion University Foundation and the university’s Swamp Fox Club will hold their annual Live Benefit Auction, Thursday evening (March 12).

This auction, which is being held in conjunction with the FMU Foundation Invitational Golf Tournament, will take place in the University’s Ervin Dining Hall (Palmetto Room) at 7:30 p.m. A cocktail reception will precede the auction at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are $25 for individuals and $40 for a couple. Dress will be casual. For ticket information, call the FMU Foundation at 843-661-1218 or the athletic department office at 843-661-1240.

Approximately 14 items will be offered in the live auction.

The items include: weekend get-a-ways to Gatlinburg, Tenn., Lake Robinson, Charleston, and Edisto Island; 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl game tickets, hunting and fishing excursions, a Park Avenue Package from the New York Butcher Shoppe; a 2010 Homecoming get-a-way at FMU; a Pee Dee Land Trust membership package; a tour with the Francis Marion Trail Commission; an all-day cruise on the Intracoastal Waterway; the Buck Baker NASCAR Driving School at Darlington on Aug. 21; and a UNC women’s basketball experience in 2010.

Six items – a summer suit from Butler’s, two tickets to the 2009 Southern 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Darlington, a guided turkey hunt for one, a six-month Fitness Forum Membership (w/VO2 Max), two season passes to the Florence Little Theater (and evening purse), and two tickets to the 2009 SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover, Ala., (May 20-24) – may also be bid on in a separate silent auction.

All proceeds from the event will go to the FMU Foundation and to assist student-athletes and the Patriot athletic program.


LIST OF LIVE AUCTION ITEMS:
· Weekend get-a-way for four at a cabin on Lake Robinson in Hartsville (with boat ramp and grill) and four rounds of golf at Sandy Point Golf Course.
· Guided fishing trip for two on the Santee Lakes with Blacks Camp in Cross, S.C.
· Two-night stay at the Quail Ridge Inn in Gatlinburg, Tenn., with dinner certificates. Weekend car rental included.
· Four tickets to the 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl Game in Atlanta, Ga. This game has been sold out for 11 straight years.
· Quail Hunt at Moree’s Sportsman’s Preserve. One night of lodging in a bunkhouse, 250 rounds of sporting clays, and a 25 quail hunt for two people (must be used Monday-Thursday during quail season - Oct. 1-Dec. 31)
· The Park Avenue Package from the New York Butcher Shoppe: One whole beef tenderloin, 6-lb. average cut to order, one-half ribeye, 8-lb. average cut to order, 5-lb. ground angus beef, 5-lb. boneless skinless chicken breast.
· Weekend at The Cottage on the FMU campus for Homecoming 2010. Two-night stay (Friday and Saturday) and enjoy breakfast in bed both mornings.
· Pee Dee Land Trust package: one-year family membership. Two tickets to the 2009 annual gathering to be held Sunday, Sept. 13. Two tickets to the 2010 Oyster Roast. Two PDLT T-shirts. One copy of Suzanne Linder’s “A River in Time Book.”
· Three-days, Two nights at the Meeting Street Inn. Daily breakfast and afternoon refreshments. Guided walking tour of historic district. Free room upgrade if available at check-in. Valid Sunday through Thursday. Good until Feb. 9, 2010
· Spend a day visiting places trod by Francis Marion and others who were part of his story. Visit the probable site of Burch's Mill, see Dunham's Bluff, explore Shepherd's Ferry and Black Mingo Creek, walk the site of Witherspoon's Ferry and the redoubt built by Marion on Winyah Bay, see and other Revolutionary War sites in Georgetown. This full day adventure for four will include lunch on the old Sampit River waterfront in Georgetown. Tour conducted by Bob Barrett, Executive Director, Francis Marion Trail Commission.
· Buck Baker NASCAR Driving School for two at Darlington Raceway on Aug. 21, 2009.
· An all-day cruise on the Intracoastal Waterway, launching from Lightkeeper Village in North Myrtle Beach. Includes food and beverage package, for adults and children, abroad a 50-foot sportfish vessel.
· A complete UNC Tar Heel women’s basketball experience. 2 honorary coach passes and 2 tickets behind the bench for the 2010 UNC vs. Duke women’s game in Chapel Hill.
· A 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath, beach house on Edisto Island. Sleeps 10.


Michael G. Hawkin