FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Diana Pfaff
(972) 401-7722 or (214) 236-8885 (cell)
dpfaff@irvingtexas.com

Tawnia Wise, Irving Healthcare Foundation
(972) 579-4395
Tawnia.Wise@baylorhealth.edu

TexasFest 2012 Sold Out with Record 1,000 Guests!

IRVING, Texas (March 20, 2012) - For the first time in TexasFest's 33-year history, the event has sold out solely through sponsorship donations.

An estimated 1,000 guests will attend the gala on April 28 at the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, setting a new TexasFest attendance record.

"We are excited to have sold-out so early this year," said TexasFest sponsorship chair Clem Lear. "We would like to thank the donors who responded quickly and generously to help keep our community healthy. We had so many new sponsors to join us this year that there aren't any seats left to sell to the public, as done in years past." In past years, between 50 and 100 tickets were sold to the public.

The theme for TexasFest 2012 is "Cowboys and Cajuns," a Texas-style, Mardi Gras-inspired celebration.  "Guests will enjoy both Texan and Cajun inspired cuisine, silent and live auctions, and various activities throughout the evening," added Diana Pfaff, the TexasFest 2012 event chair. "Country musician Sammy Kershaw will headline our show.  Guests will enjoy his music on - and off - the dance floor."  Kershaw's hits include "Cadillac Style," "Love of My Life" and "She Don't Know She's Beautiful."

Organized by the Irving Healthcare Foundation and originating in 1980, TexasFest is a volunteer-led event that has raised more than $9.5 million through its 33-year history to support the Irving Healthcare Foundation.

The Foundation's mission is to make people in the Irving community healthier by awarding funds raised and encouraging volunteer service to five non-profit organizations that provide healthcare in Irving.  Baylor Medical Center at Irving, Our Children's House at Baylor-Irving, Irving Interfaith Clinic, the Childhood Obesity Task Force and the Irving Dental Center are beneficiaries of Irving Healthcare Foundation's annual fundraising efforts.

For more information about both TexasFest and the Irving Healthcare Foundation, visit www.healthyirving.org.

About Irving, Texas
Located immediately adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and between Dallas and Fort Worth, Irving, Texas, boasts more than 75 hotels and nearly 12,000 rooms.  Las Colinas, a 12,000-acre master-planned community within the city of Irving, is known worldwide for its quality and uniqueness. The city is home to 10,000+ companies, 50 Fortune 500 companies, and the world headquarters of six Fortune 500 companies.  For more information, visit irvingtexas.com.

About the Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas
Located where Highway 114 and Northwest Highway meet in Irving's Las Colinas area, the $133 million, 275,000 square-foot center takes a bold new direction in a landscape of traditionally "institutional" facilities. Its distinctive design and mission for top-quality service mirrors the sense of quality that exists in Irving's 12,000-acre Las Colinas development.

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