A group of Houston polka lovers are hosting a benefit on Friday, November, 8 to raise money for their family and friends who were affected by the plant explosion in West, Texas. The Polka for the Park event will be held at SPJST Lodge 88 in the Heights and the evening of fundraising will be full of entertainment, including an auction and dance. Grammy-winning band Brave Combo will be headlining the event. Proceeds will help West residents rebuild their city park honoring First Responders. Table underwriters will be invited to a pre-event reception with the guests of honor West Mayor Tommy Muska and his wife, Lisa.
Polkabeat visited with Karen Carr, one of the organizers to find out more about the event.
Who all is involved in planning the event? Family and friends of West residents. There are 12 of us that have worked together to plan the event. My mom, Barbara Fisher, was raised in West and the mayor, Tommy Muska, is our cousin. In no time at all we had people eager to pitch in and help.
Why did y'all decide to hold the event?
Several of us went to West several days after the explosion to help in any way we could. There were tremendous relief efforts in place but we still wanted to do something more. We thought this event would be a nice way to keep the momentum going and to allow those that could not make it to West to show support in Houston.
Why did you select the park as the beneficiary?
Tommy mentioned that this would be a gift the whole town could benefit from. The park was destroyed in the blast. Then when we learned about Parker’s Park Project, we knew it was the right thing to do. Parker’s father Joey, is one of the fallen first responders. It’s Parker’s wish to rebuild the city park, a project his father was a strong supporter of. He has a great “grass roots” effort, and the support is swelling.
Why Brave Combo? Brave Combo has been a part of the Westfest lineup for years. The tent is always packed and the band is legendary. They play polka, salsa, rock, zydeco and bring their own infectious fun to every event that they headline.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at http://center4gracefoundation.org/donations.html.