BAKER CITY — Dig out your best ‘70s attire and plan to spend an evening supporting the Baker Heritage Museum at the annual fundraiser “A Night at Old Auburn.”

The event pays homage to Auburn, the mining town established after gold was discovered in Griffin Gulch in 1861. Auburn was about seven miles south of Baker City, and was the first county seat and the second-largest town in Oregon with 6,000 residents.

Auburn was short-lived — by December 1864 there were only 150 residents and in 1868 the county seat was moved to Baker City.

All traces of the boom town have disappeared.

The fundraiser

“A Night at Old Auburn” is set for Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Baker Elks Lodge, 1896 Second St.

Tickets are $45, which includes dinner and the games. These must be purchased before Feb. 16 online at www.friendsofbakerheritagemuseum.com or by calling the museum, 541-523-9308, or Cindy Carpenter, 541-239-8491.

Dinner will be tri-tip or sausage, vegetables, salad and onion rings and dessert will be ice cream with assorted toppings.

Those who just want to participate in the gaming portion of the evening can buy a ticket for $10 — either in advance or at the door.

Doors open at 5 p.m., followed by a catered dinner at 6 p.m. and casino-style gaming and bingo from 7-11 p.m.

“We recruit people from the community to be the dealers,” said Rebecca Kolbet, vice president of the Friends of the Baker Heritage Museum, which hosts the event.

Attendees purchase “funny money” to use in the games. Winnings can be exchanged for prize tickets, which are used for a chance to win items donated by local businesses.

The evening also includes a live auction, and items include an airplane ride and artwork.

A costume contest will determine the most festive outfit.

“Bring your seventies!” Kolbet said.

Supporting the museum

The Friends of the Baker Heritage Museum organizes this yearly fundraiser to support the museum’s needs for creating or updating exhibits and supplementing bigger projects.

The Friends group also assists the museum during its open season by providing volunteers as cashiers in the gift shop or docents to greet visitors.

The museum, 2480 Grove St., opens in March. The main exhibit gallery continues “Pioneers to Pillars: The Experience and Legacy of Chinese Communities in Baker County, 1860-1960.”