Tax-Free Weekend was still going in high octane Sunday night at NorthPark. The lineup of cars made the opening day of the area’s first In n’ Out look downright puny. And once you got into the parking lot, there was nothing but a sea of parked cars and none were budging.
That was great news for retailers and the lucky shoppers who arrived earlier in the day. But, alas, not for the poor souls who thought they could just pop over to NP for the closing festivities of the Dallas CASA Parade of Playhouses presented by the ORIX Foundation.
Was it an accidental perfect storm having Tax-Free Weekend and CASA closing? Nope. According to CASA’s Katy Seitzler, “We schedule the final weekend for tax-free on purpose since we know a ton of people will be at the mall.”
Unlike last year, when the traffic jam wasn’t as overwhelming, NP was, as Katy put it, “slammed.”
Angela Thompson and ticket drawer
Ah, but that slamming didn’t prevent the raffle drawings for the adorable playhouses. Jim and Angela Thompson Foundation’s co-founder Angela Thompson had munchkins draw raffle tickets from the bins.
Oh, did you notice the gal seated in the background between Angela and the youngster in the above photo?
Sewell Classic Showroom
That’s Elizabeth Daane, who is ORIX USA General Counsel and head of the ORIX Foundation. This amazing woman, who suffered a lifechanging accident in 2010, hasn’t let her dedication to CASA and children’s organizations change one iota. Sunday she brought her husband Mike and two sons to check out the winning tickets.
Among those winners were Patrick Phelan and Bryan Martin, who took home the Sewell “Classic Showroom.” No car was included, darn it.
Maritime Lighthouse
And who won the auction of the Maritime Lighthouse? That’s still a mystery. Seems Heritage Auction was coordinating that part of the activities and at post time was still trying to confirm the auction winner.
Photos provided by Dallas CASA
Samantha and I went earlier in the week after school and had the most fun with the playhouses.. what a great teaching tool while letting them have a great time.. raising many dollars for charity. another win/win that Dallas is so famous for. great photos and write-up.. Sam’s favorite was the Lighthouse by the way.
The Sewell house DID include a pint-sized ride for the winner’s kiddo!