This year’s Fourth of July parades are going to be moving faster than usual because it’s gonna be pretty darn hot. The good news is that there’s another parade in July that’s not only gonna be cool, it’s gonna be a march of eight playhouses in place at NorthPark. The 26th Annual Parade of Playhouses is setting up for in-person viewing from Friday, July 9, until the afternoon of Sunday, July 25.
The mini-mansions are in their final stages of being polished up by such folks as Butscher Construction, Corgan | Austin Commercial, Crest Cadillac | Infiniti |Volvo, Dallas Mavs | DPR Construction, HKS and Brasfield & Gorrie LLC, KDC | Balfour Beatty |Kimley-Horn, LRO Residential and RS&H Inc. | Rogers-O’Brien Construction Company LLC.
Ranging from whimsically adorable to out-of-this-world amazing, the collection includes “a Hot Wheels car, a charming cottage, a horse stable, a castle, a car wash and a replica of the Dallas Mavericks Mavs Mascot Headquarters.”
If you want a sneak preview of the lineup, LRO Residential is moving their finished work in on Friday, June 25.
Builders had all types of inspiration for their houses. Butcher Construction designer Amy Butsher’s horse stable was “inspired by her daughter who is a horse trainer;” Corgan design Ana Kauachi simply asked kids what they wanted and the result was a castle; HKS designer Erin Halliday created a “two houses in one” tea house with a secret door; RS+H Inc. designer Milena Peterson realized that “a car wash seemed like the perfect idea for a fun playhouse;” and the Crest Cadillac/Infiniti/Volvo’s “Hot Wheels” was inspired by Jana and Mike Brosin’s grandson.
While the viewing and ogling are free, the chance to have one of these works of art is possible for the purchase of a chance ticket. The tickets will range from $5 for one to $20 for five with all proceeds benefiting Dallas CASA’s mission to advocate “for children in the protective care of the state so they can grow up in safe, permanent homes where they can thrive.”
There are a couple of ways to purchase the chances. You can either scan the QR code on the playhouse’s signage in the center or go straight to the POP website and voila! Only problem is the chances aren’t available for purchase now. But they’ll definitely be up on Thursday, June 24, the day before LRO moves in. The raffle ends at 3 p.m. on July 25 with the drawings to take place at 4 p.m.
Winners don’t have to worry about loading their new acquisition in the back of their SUVs. Dallas CASA’s folks will take care of the delivery.
Once again POP’s threesome of sweethearts — NorthPark as host, Crest Cadillac/Infiniti/Volvo as presenting sponsor and KDC as grand marshal — are returning to support Dallas CASA.
* Graphic provided by Dallas CASA