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Date: 6/8/2022
SOUTH HADLEY – The Friends of the South Hadley Dog Park will be hosting a concert on June 12 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Ledges Golf Course pavilion to raise money for a repair project at the park.
Coordinator of the fundraiser concert and member of the Friends of the South Hadley Dog Park Board Liz Persch said the money raised will go toward mitigating erosion on the land that has become “a big landscaping ordeal.”
Persch said the issue stems from water and snow run off going down the hill where the park is located creating small canals that are impacting the ground on which the park stands.
The Friends of the South Hadley Dog Park group started smaller fundraising efforts through selling T-shirts, tank tops, dog treats and dog tags. They also have created a sustain park pals fund through PayPal, where members of the dog park or anyone interested in supporting the park can set up monthly donations through PayPal of any amount of their choosing. While these efforts have been ongoing through the year, the group felt they needed to find a way to bring in more funding for such a large-scale project.
One day Persch, friend of the dog park Kim Prough, and Freddie Marion, who also frequents the park with his dog, all discussed what they could do during a visit at the park. The three regulars thought of the idea to host a fundraiser concert to raise funds for the project.
“It all came together pretty organically,” Persch said.
The South Hadley Dog Park is completely funded by its members and supporters and does not receive any funding from the town, thus making a fundraiser a necessity to fix the erosion issue. Persch added the Friends of the South Hadley Dog Park board is working on getting some sort of financial income received from the town to help with maintenances of the park and hopes the community interest in the park helps the town see a reason to provide yearly funding.
The concert will include performances from Dan Kane and Friends with Freddie Marion and will also include raffle contests that include a package donated by East Street photography for a full photography session, a Kindle Oasis, a local restaurant package, a lottery tree and a money tree.
Persch said this project is important to those who frequent the dog park as it is a place that provides an escape for its members and a safe, accessible, free and off-leash dog park for the town.
“I think the biggest thing is with everything going on in the world today, things are really really crazy so one thing I think that all of us love is that we kind of all find some kind of common ground by going to the park,” Persch said. “No matter what’s going on, what everybody’s situation is, what their beliefs are, at least everyone can come together and agree that everyone loves their pets.”
Persch said she hopes this fundraiser also serves as an opportunity for people to get out and mingle again as the world creeps out of the coronavirus pandemic lifestyle and tries to adjust to a more pre-pandemic life.
“With COVID[-19] and everything that everyone’s been through, it’s been a long couple years – I think we can all agree with that – so its really nice to be able to get back in to the swing of things with normal life and have some outdoor events while still staying safe,” Persch said. “I think it brings a lot of people together, everybody loves music, everybody loves being outside so in that aspect it’s a really fun thing to do especially for anyone of any age, parents can bring kids and whatever.”
Persch hopes to gain more recognition and awareness of the park from this event and to build membership base which would lead to more support.