Improving parks and the parks experience starts with people, an ethos championed by the San Antonio Parks Foundation since 1981. In early fall 2021, longtime SAPF media partner, Texas Public Radio began looking at ways to further expand their “Yappy Hour” series – a virtual programming success story that developed and grew out of necessity while San Antonians quarantined at home, many with only their four-legged friends as company.
SAPF returned to in-person outdoor programming in mid-2021 with a revitalized sense of urgency and desire to accelerate improvements to San Antonio’s parks, an asset never more valued than during the pandemic. Determined to carry on their mission of safely uniting communities in their outdoor spaces, SAPF planned and executed their full year of programming in the last six months of 2021. This included the beloved Fest Of Tails on October 9th, a kite fair and dog festival that traditionally takes place in March.
Together with TPR and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, a dream team of advocates came together to host the first ever, Official Fest Of Tails Yappy Hour, expanding the programming and philanthropic initiatives of the three organizations. The goal: raise the dollars needed to refurbish the dog water fountains at McAllister Park damaged during the February 2020 freeze and update the agility equipment in the dog park.
Hosted at neighborhood dog-lover haven, Hops & Hounds – just around the corner from the Fest Of Tails footprint – the Official Fest Of Tails Yappy Hour succeeded in generating funds to begin improvement efforts through Tito’s Vodka for Dog People program. Nationally recognized, the vision of the Vodka for Dog People program is to better the lives of pets and their families far and wide. True to the cause, Tito’s sponsored the remainder of funds needed to complete the park improvements facilitated by the San Antonio Parks Foundation. The work was completed on March 19, 2022.
