Though it will still be a few days before SABRA Sanctuary has an accurate tally on the funds collected at Thursday night’s auction, board members are optimistic.

The crowd, executive director Nancy Travis said, was as large as expected.

“We really had a wonderful night,” she said. “We don’t have the hard numbers yet, but there were more than 300 people there.”

The hunting packages, she said, were especially popular.

The auction, Travis said, was a great way for friends and neighbors to engage in friendly competition. Some were even willing to share.

“We had some bidding wars going on between friends so that was fun,” she said. “In one case, we also had a guy that won and split the prize with the person he was bidding against.”

Several different items were available during the auction including the hunting packages, vacations and works from local artists. Auctioneer Bob Green and the music of Paul Garner also entertained those in attendance.

The goal for this year, Travis said, was $30,000. Hopefully, the numbers will add up.

Travis said she was very pleased and grateful to those who came out Thursday.

“We want to thank everyone, especially all of the volunteers who helped us put it on,” she said. “We want to thank them for being there and supporting the SABRA mission.”

Those who were not able to make it to the auction can still chip in with donations. For more information, call 874-8711 or 1-800-650-6522.