George Strait wasn’t above belting out a few hits last night at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas.
And, every time he did, the auction for the VIP concert experience with Strait jumped another $10,000.
Strait was on hand to receive the T. Boone Pickens Lifetime Sportsman Award given by Park Cities Quail.
The concert package with Strait ended up going for $130,000. The money raised from the event will go grants that help quail in the state of Texas.
Strait talked to the crowd about growing up in Texas quail country.
“My dad didn’t have a ranch, but always had a lease and made sure there was a spot for me and my brother,” he said. “Fished in stock pond with a cane pole and minnows. There was an abundance of quail then — Papa taught me how to call them. 1987 — bought a ranch. Had a lot of quail. Got some dogs. But later, they started to disappear and the blues are gone. That’s a shame. The drought was a part of it, but there has to be other factors involved. There’s a lot more we can do, that’s why it’s so important that we have these people called PCQ. Nobody else is going to fund these programs but us and people like us.
“Our wildlife depends on us to fix it, and our children and grandchildren depend on us to fix it.”
All in all, it was a great night for Texas quail, with the event selling out quickly and a ton of money raised. Final dollar amounts are yet to be announced, but rest assured, plenty of money will be going back into quail research later this year.
Park Cities Quail was founded in 2006 when a group of Dallas quail hunters concerned about quail decline formed the nonprofit to preserve, restore and maintain upland game, educate youth and improve hunting opportunities for area sportsmen. PCQ’s efforts are centered on this one night of fundraising each March, which features a seated dinner, raffle, silent and live auction and culminates in the presentation of the T. Boone Pickens Lifetime Sportsman Award. Dubbed by sporting industry writers as ‘Conservation’s Greatest Night,’ over the past seven years, the Park Cities Quail Dinner and Auction has resulted in over $3.4 million in direct donations to scientific research and educational efforts.
