One of Oak Lawn’s longest-running traditions is in danger of being cancelled this year, unless organizers can find sponsors and other donors to help pay for the event.
Cedar Springs Merchants Association is “asking for the community’s help” in raising the funds necessary to stage the annual Easter in Lee Park event on April 5.
CSMA President Alan Pierce said: “It would be a tragedy to lose this great Easter tradition in Dallas. We must ask for help in order to continue it.”
CMSA officials noted that new requirements imposed by the city, including a fence around the perimeter of the park, security and permits, have upped the cost of staging the event to $25,000, “a level no longer sustainable by the association itself,” according to a statement released by CSMA on Wednesday evening, Feb. 18.
According to the statement, CSMA has produced Easter in Lee Park in Dallas since 2011, after the city of Dallas asked the association for help to keep the event going. CSMA shouldered responsibility for staging Easter in Lee Park after the Turtle Creek Association changed its spring event date.
CSMA has continued to fund the event, even though it has lost money each year since, the statement said.
CSMA has asked that potential sponsors and donors contribute through a new GoFundMe campaign established this week. To contribute, visit EasterInLeePark.com, where sponsorship opportunities and donor levels are listed.
Sponsorship levels for businesses and corporations include Title Sponsor, Entertainment Sponsor and Pooch Parade Sponsor. Individuals and organizations can donate at a variety of levels, all of which are listed on the website. Most donation levels include a reward. For instance, donate at least $25 — the Pal level — and have your name listed on the website as a donor.
The goal for the fundraising campaign is $20,000, and CSMA needs to reach that goal by March 4. If the goal isn’t met by that time, the funds will not be charged to donors’ accounts and the event will be cancelled. The deadline is necessary because CSMA has to have time to get the city permits necessary to hold the event, including closing the street for the pooch parade.
The Cedar Springs Merchants Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making “The Strip on Cedar Springs an outstanding example of what a great destination for entertainment, shopping, dining and lodging can be, to better attract tourist traffic and local patronization as well as the beautification of the neighborhood.”
