A wonderful article by Pegasus News of the ’A Taste Of Swiss’ fundraiser. 

Click Here: A Taste Of Swiss

Four Swiss Avenue homes will offer cuisine, cocktails, music and entertainment from around the world at “A Taste of Swiss” on Saturday, October 10. Italy, Brazil, India and Turkey will be represented at this fundraiser benefitting the Friends of Buckner Park. With passports in hand and the leadership of a tour guide, guests will tour each home experiencing the flavors, music and entertainment representative of each country’s culture. Tickets for this event are $100 per person and are available for purchase online at www.friendsofbucknerpark.org or in person at Needless Necessities (2926 N. Henderson Ave.) and Talulah Belle (2017 Abrams Rd.). Check-in will be from 6:30 to 7:00 pm at 5001 Swiss Avenue.

“A Taste of Swiss” is organized by residents of the four East Dallas historic districts (Swiss Avenue, Peak’s Suburban Addition, Munger Place and Junius Heights) and the Friends of Buckner Park as a fundraiser benefiting the restoration of Buckner Park. This neighborhood park, located at the corner of Worth Street and Carroll Avenue in Old East Dallas, also serves as the Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary School playground. Buckner Park is situated at an important gateway intersection linking Old East Dallas with Lakewood, Downtown, Fair Park and Deep Ellum. Unlike the timeless homes restored in the area, the park has deteriorated over time and has suffered from vandalism and neglect. The Friends of Buckner Park was formed to restore the park and make it a beautiful retreat for the entire community to enjoy.

“So far the community has been overwhelmingly supportive of the endeavors of the Friends of Buckner Park,” Andrea Nicholas, Friends of Buckner Park president, said. “Our vision for the park includes a walking trail, new playground equipment, a pavilion and a venue for both neighborhood and family picnics as well as annual fundraising events that will benefit the park and its restoration.”

A Taste of Swiss will be the second fundraiser held for Buckner Park, following the successful spring wine tasting held at Veritas Wine Cellars.

“A Taste of Swiss is a unique opportunity for our guests to spend an intimate evening, with an international flair, in four beautifully restored early 20^{th Century Swiss Avenue homes,” Larry Waisanen, co-chairman of the event, said. “In addition to raising funds for the park, we want this event to help to create an awareness in the broader community of the tremendous opportunity that the restoration of this historic City Park offers to East Dallas and the surrounding area.”}

Formed in 2006, the Friends of Buckner Park is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created to revitalize Buckner Park in partnership with Dallas Parks and Recreation Department and make it a clean, safe, urban green space for the community.

Attached is FOBP 1023 application and 501(c)3 official letter.

1023 Application for Recognition of Exemption

 Friends of Buckner Park 501(c)3

Friends of Buckner Park held their kickoff fundraiser for the revitalization of Buckner Park at Veritas Wine Bar on Tuesday, May 19th. There were about 60 people in attendance from Peaks Addition, Junius Heights, Munger Place,  and Swiss Avenue plus lots of friends. Everyone had a great time and over $1500 was raised for improvements in Buckner Park. Thank you to all who attended this event and look for more fundraiser’s and park events in the near future! Also a big thank you to Veritas for hosting this event and for Fish City Grill for their generous donation of appetizers.

Imagine your own central park just around the corner from home, a beautiful place to take a walk at the end of the day and unwind. Imagine a safe place for the kids to play within walking distance from home. Basketball, tennis, sand volleyball, a butterfly garden, children’s garden and lush landscaping are all part of the plan. How about outdoor concerts and movies? Tietze Park, the Katy Trail, Exall Park, do they sound familiar? They all began with a dream. A simple idea brought to fruition by a group of caring residents. The Friends of Buckner Park need your help to make a dream come true. The Friends of Buckner Park (FOBP) was created by a group of concerned residents in the neighboring historic districts of Peak’s Addition, Munger Place, Swiss Avenue and Junius Heights.

Buckner Park is located at the corner of Worth Street and Carroll Avenue in Old East Dallas. It is adjacent to Zaragoza Elementary. The Park is named after Dr. R. C. Buckner, the landowner at the time and the founder of Dallas’ well known Baptist benevolence, Buckner Children’s Home. The park opened in the summer of 1915. Buckner Park was a center of social and cultural life offering a wading pool in 1920 and by 1923 free outdoor movies. After World War II the surrounding neighborhoods declined and so did the park. In recent years, many of the homes have been restored thanks to dedicated homeowners however, the park has not adequately benefited from this movement of restoration. J.W. Brasher, President of the Friends of Buckner Park Board, states “concerned neighbors who are passionate can really make a change in his or her community. I am glad to see four neighborhoods working together on this project to make this change happen.”

We invite you to join us in the quest to revitalize a local heritage and make it again a community gathering place. The Dallas Parks and Recreation Department has agreed to dedicate funds and personnel to improve the park. La Popular Tamale House, the Munger Place Homeowners’ Association and the Swiss Avenue Homeowners’ Association have all generously donated seed money to this project. The Friends of Buckner Park is seeking membership, volunteers, sponsorship and donations.

For more information about this exciting endeavor, contact any of the following FOBP Board members:

• JW Brasher,  President
• Andrea Nicholas,  Vice President
• Sharon Van Buskirk,  Secretary
• Courtney Buterbaugh,  Treasurer
• Jill Pridavka,  Marketing & PR
• Sandy Doss,  Marketing & PR
• Jim Anderson,  Design/Implementation
• Brandon Castille,  Membership
• Janet Staring,  Fundraising
• Tanya Rodriguez,  Marketing & PR
• Brian Jackson,  Marketing
• Evelyn Montgomery,  Grants
• Larry Waisanen,  Fundraising
• Zelman Brounoff,  Photography