DALLAS  — Fair Park First, in partnership with the Dallas Park and Recreation Department, announced a transformative $2.5 million investment from the McKesson Foundation to support the development and activation of the McKesson Market Grove within the new Community Park at Fair Park.

The gift represents McKesson Foundation’s single largest investment in Dallas and its first major philanthropic investment focused on expanding access to greenspace and health-centered community programming in South Dallas.

Located within the 10.5-acre Community Park currently under development, the McKesson Market Grove will serve as a welcoming destination for gathering, wellness programming, community events, healthy food access initiatives, educational opportunities and year-round engagement designed to improve health outcomes for residents.

The Community Park will reconnect 13 historically under-resourced neighborhoods surrounding Fair Park to safe, accessible greenspace and free recreational opportunities while creating a new front porch for one of Dallas’ most iconic civic destinations.

“At McKesson Foundation, we believe that where people live, gather, and connect has a profound impact on their health and well-being,” said Melissa Thompson, President of the McKesson Foundation. “The Community Park at Fair Park reflects our commitment to strengthening access in the communities we serve, creating a space where families can access wellness resources, connect with one another and enjoy the benefits of a welcoming greenspace. Through the McKesson Market Grove and our partnership with Fair Park First and the City of Dallas, we’re helping create a vibrant, year-round space to strengthen community ties and advance health outcomes in South Dallas for generations to come.”

The McKesson Market Grove will anchor a vibrant section of the park dedicated to community gathering and wellness-focused activities. The space is envisioned as a hub for health education, fitness and recreation opportunities, farmers markets, nutrition-focused programming, health clinic events and partnerships with local organizations serving South Dallas residents.

For decades, the neighborhoods surrounding Fair Park have experienced limited access to quality greenspace despite being located adjacent to one of Dallas’ most recognized public assets. The Community Park addresses that disparity while delivering environmental, economic and public health benefits for generations to come.

This investment reflects exactly what the Community Park was envisioned to achieve,” said Jason Brown, Chair of the Fair Park First Board of Directors. “McKesson Foundation recognized that this project is about far more than building a park. It is about creating opportunities, improving quality of life, strengthening community health and ensuring that the neighborhoods surrounding Fair Park benefit directly from one of the most significant public investments underway in Dallas. Their leadership will have a lasting impact on South Dallas families for generations.”

The Community Park is the centerpiece of Fair Park First’s efforts to implement the Fair Park Master Plan, a long-term vision to transform Fair Park into a year-round destination that better serves Dallas residents while preserving its historic significance.

“McKesson Foundation’s investment is a powerful example of what can happen when philanthropic leaders step forward to champion transformational community projects,” said Heather Stevens, President/CEO of Rise360 and Campaign Advisor for the Community Park. “This gift not only moves us significantly closer to completing the Community Park, but it also demonstrates confidence in the vision, the community and the long-term impact this project will have on Dallas. We are deeply grateful for McKesson Foundation’s partnership and leadership. Their investment will help create a lasting legacy of health, access and opportunity for generations of families who will benefit from this park.”

The Community Park will feature expansive lawns, playgrounds, walking trails, shaded gathering spaces, public art, educational opportunities, native landscaping and community-focused amenities designed to serve residents of all ages. The McKesson Market Grove will further strengthen those offerings by creating a dedicated space where health, wellness, education and community can intersect.

The Community Park represents the largest expansion of publicly accessible greenspace at Fair Park in generations and is expected to serve residents across South Dallas while attracting visitors from throughout the city and region.

“The Community Park represents a historic investment in the neighborhoods that have surrounded Fair Park for generations,” said Dallas City Council Member Adam Bazaldua. “For too long, residents have lacked access to the quality greenspace and recreational opportunities that many communities take for granted. This project helps address that need while creating a healthier, more connected and more vibrant future for South Dallas. We are grateful to McKesson Foundation for joining the City and Fair Park First in making this transformative community asset a reality.”

Fair Park First is leading the effort to deliver the Community Park as the centerpiece of the Fair Park Master Plan and one of the most significant greenspace community investments in South Dallas in recent decades. Fair Park First is working alongside the City of Dallas, philanthropic partners and community stakeholders to bring this long-awaited vision to life. Once completed, the 10.5-acre Community Park will reconnect 13 surrounding neighborhoods to quality greenspace, improve health and wellness outcomes, and establish a new front door to Fair Park for generations to come.

About Fair Park First

Fair Park First has led the planning, fundraising, partnership development, and implementation efforts necessary to bring the Community Park from vision to reality. Working in close collaboration with the City of Dallas, Dallas Park and Recreation Department, community stakeholders, philanthropic partners, and neighborhood residents, Fair Park First has successfully assembled a public-private funding strategy, secured critical federal, state, and philanthropic investments, and guided the project through years of planning, design, environmental review, and permitting. The Community Park represents one of the most significant investments in South Dallas park infrastructure in generations. Once complete, the nearly 10-acre park will reconnect surrounding neighborhoods to Fair Park through expansive green space, a community pavilion, performance lawn, playgrounds, walking paths, market areas, public art, and year-round programming designed to serve residents of all ages.

Through its leadership and commitment to community-driven development, Fair Park First is delivering a long-promised public amenity that will enhance quality of life, improve access to recreation and wellness opportunities, strengthen neighborhood connectivity, and create a welcoming gathering place for generations of Dallas families. The Community Park reflects Fair Park First’s mission to ensure Fair Park serves as a vibrant, inclusive, and accessible resource for the surrounding community and the city as a whole.

Related

FIFA World Cup 2026 isn’t the only international competition in Dallas this summer. The Dallas International Piano Competition, hosted by the Dallas Chamber Symphony, will present its final round of competition on June 23 at Moody Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District. The finals will feature three finalists, each playing a concerto with the Dallas Chamber Symphony.

The orchestra established its international instrument competitions in 2012, only one year after its founding. Every other year, the orchestra hosts a piano competition. Next year, the competition will feature violinists. The competition has grown significantly throughout the years.

“We had 172 applicants this year. So, that’s an increase. It continues to increase, especially since the pandemic. The events have really bounced back. It’s kind of going full steam ahead since things generally paused during the pandemic. We’ve got top-notch applicants,” said Richard McKay, Dallas Chamber Symphony’s Artistic and Music Director. “In all, we’re just really happy that the level of the competition continues to increase year after year.”

Like the World Cup, the competitors are from around the world.

“I think we had applicants from roughly 20 different countries. And many of them already have a home base in the United States, even though they’re from elsewhere. So, maybe they have recently graduated from an American conservatory or currently enrolled and looking to start a career,” McKay said.

With the World Cup in town, this year’s Dallas International Piano Competition is a different experience for the pianists.

“FIFA has really been a complexifier this year for us, because we have all these people traveling to Dallas at the same time that everyone else is traveling to Dallas. They’re all needing to stay in Dallas at the same time everyone else is staying in Dallas. They’re going to experience busy traffic and events happening constantly so I’m sure their experience is quite a bit different from a normal year, but we’re making it through. We’ve got everyone lined up. we’ve got what they need to be successful during the competition places to stay and a great orchestra to perform with. So, all the hard work’s been done. Now it’s just time to make a great concert,” McKay said.

The competition began quarterfinals on June 18 at Murchison Performing Arts Center in Denton. The jury for the final round of the competition at Moody Performance Hall consists of James Giles, coordinator of the piano program and director of music performance graduate studies at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music; Elinor Freer, the Associate Professor of Piano and Chamber Music at the Eastman School of Music; and Alexandre Moutouzkine, the co-head of the piano department at Manhattan School of Music. The audience will have a say as well when they get to vote for an audience favorite.

“They love voting on the Audience Choice Award. That’s for sure. People love that. It’s always interesting to see if there’s a difference between what the jury selects for the top prize, and who the audience selects for the top prize. Sometimes there’s agreement, sometimes there’s not. So, it’s always fun to watch and see,” McKay said.

With two intermissions, the final round of the competition has a different atmosphere to the orchestra’s other concerts.

“There’s a long intermission in between each concerto. So, people are up and about talking a lot more and they’re getting drinks more. And this just makes the event feel more relaxed and fun. It’s more conversational all night long,” McKay said.

Preparing for the final round of competition is a different process for the orchestra.

“They have to learn about 12 different concertos, because that’s what’s in play at the start of the competition. And then as the results come in for the competition, we start narrowing down the three concertos that will be performed at the concert. So, we’re sending out messages to our orchestra, letting them know, which ones they don’t have to practice any longer. They will find out the results of semifinals on Friday afternoon so they’ll have the weekend to focus on the actual three that they will end up performing. And then rehearsals on that start on Monday,” McKay said.

Mitch Lazorko

Mitch Lazorko

Jim Stopher will guest-conduct the final round, with McKay, a trained pianist, sitting in the audience knowing what those competitors are experiencing.

“As someone who’s played in competitions before, I think the best thing you can possibly do is play your music as you intend and just as intentionally as you possibly can,” McKay said. “It’s very easy when performing in a competition, to adjust or to conform to your idea of what you think will help you be most successful in one venue or arena, as opposed to just maximizing what you do well and what really fits you. Each person’s going to know best how they best make music and how they can most successfully perform very well and I would advise they all do that because it’s a comfort you feel afterwards, having done what it is you intended to do in the way that you intended to do it, even if the chips don’t quite fall the right way for you, it’s hard to regret doing that. It’s hard to have any regrets when you did the best you could and you did your job as well as you knew how and exactly as you want it to. That always feels good.”

Learn more: Dallas Chamber Symphony

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