Sustenance for the Senses • Cheeseburgers in Margaritaville

With a strong collection containing close to 2000 pieces of priceless American & European artwork from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries and a recent $2.5 million dollar renovation of the historic home of C.L. Ring, who was a key negotiator in the consolidation of Saginaw City & East Saginaw back in 1890, The Saginaw Art Museum is emblematic of both the rich diversity of our region coupled with the legacy of our heritage.

One of the Museum’s major annual fundraisers is their ever-popular Cheeseburgers In Margaritaville, which is happening this year on Wednesday, August 7th and returning to the beautiful gardens of the Museum after being staged for the past several years at Saginaw’s Horizons Conference Center. 

Easily one of the best parties of the year, this annual excursion into paradise allows patrons to escape into an evening of tropical splendor while enjoying tropical drinks, cheeseburgers & Caribbean food,  while mingling with patrons and supporters on the beautiful garden grounds while exploring the wonders of the museum together.   Proceeds help the Museum build quality art education and exhibition programs for their upcoming fiscal year.

According to Marketing & Creativity Manager Thor Rasmussen, “This is the 16th year for our annual ‘Cheeseburgers in Margaritaville fundraising event; and this year we decided to move back to the Museum because we saw it as a unique opportunity for people to stay connected with the museum itself. This is a one-of-a-kind museum with a one-of-a-kind garden out back, so we wanted people to recognize whey they were participating in this party.”  

“The party is great, but this event is more than just a party - it’s about the people and the art; so we decided we would rather have it a little bit smaller and a bit more exclusive, as opposed to having it become just another banquet. It’s such a great opportunity for people to come together in the museum in order to enjoy, celebrate, and support it all at the same time.”

In addition to their usual line-up of classic cheeseburgers, margaritas, and merriment, a Silent Auction will be held for numerous items; plus a Raffle will be held for three top-flight prizes. “The museum lends itself to social events and the structure of this party thematically allows us to transform the grounds of our garden into a little piece of paradise.”   Cabana Tents will also be set up on garden squares that will carry over the beach theme while allowing key sponsors to have their own space with a $1500 donation. The garden grounds can accommodate ten cabanas;  and according to Thor two are still left.

“This is our Premier Fundraiser for the entire year and apart from grants and individual donations, this represents an important opportunity for people to help us bring things together here at the museum,” continues Thor. “It’s been a successful signature event and has grown every year, so it will be curious to see how we end up by bringing it back to the museum.”

In the event you are unable to attend this year’s event, people may still purchase Raffle Tickets for only $20.00 per ticket. “This year the first prize will consist of a $2500 Travel Voucher from Morley Travel; second prize will be a Diamond Pennant from Diamonds Unlimited; and the third prize will be Temple Theatre Season Tickets, notes Thor. “These are some pretty cool prizes, especially the first place prize - if somebody wins they can go anywhere they want in the world.  Plus, we’ll be featuring some other local fare, as the Cheeseburgers will be made by Makin’ Bacon and Oracle Brewery will be doing some custom brew for our event.”

“We want to emphasize that this is a great party for a great cause,” concludes Thor. “If people are into the arts this is good way to help support the museum and stay connected.”

Tickets for Cheeseburgers in Margaritaville are $75.00 and available by visiting the Saginaw Art Museum at 1126 N. Michigan Ave, phoning them at 989.754.2491, or going to saginawartmuseum.org.  Raffle Tickets are also available for only $20.00 per ticket.