AUSTIN, Texas — The Muny Conservancy hosted its Second Annual Imagine Muny Gala on Sunday at Austin City Limits (ACL) Live at The Moody Theater.
The sold-out fundraiser included a night of music and fellowship to celebrate the Lions Municipal Golf Course and raise funds to purchase the land from the University of Texas at Austin. The goal for the conservancy is to save all 141 acres of Lions Municipal Golf Course.
The event featured a "green" turf carpet, photo-ops, a live auction and musical performances by Asleep at the Wheel, along with special guests Lyle Lovett, Charley Crockett and Jack Ingram.
"It's really important that we hold on to our green spaces. Especially this one because it has it has African American history. It has Hispanic history. It has Austin history, it has west side, east side. And we need to hold on to that as much as we can," said Gigi Edwards Bryant, a member of the board of directors for The Muny Conservancy.
For almost a century, the Lions Municipal Golf Course has leased the land on which it sits from UT. Now, the university is ready to determine a permanent use for the 141 acres.
The conservancy wants Muny to be the permanent use for UT. If the university selected Muny, it would allow for preservation of the historic 98-year-old golf course, the wildlife sanctuary sitting on a water recharge zone with hundreds of heritage oak and pecan trees and celebrating the Civil Rights history that took place on the property – which allowed the racial desegregation of the first public golf course in the South.
"There are people in our wonderful city who don't know what's happening with the beauty with the golf course that's right in the heart of the town. We want people to know that we need to do everything we can to fight to save it because it's 141 acres of beautiful green space that offers people the opportunity to play golf, that might not otherwise have that opportunity," said Angela Garcia, a former UT Austin golfer and a member of the board of directors for The Muny Conservancy.
Last year’s first-ever Imagine Muny gala was The Muny Conservancy’s largest fundraiser to-date, successfully raising $800,000, as well as raising immense awareness for this important cause that has spanned the decades.
The Muny Conservancy was created in 2019 to raise funds and work with the City of Austin and UT to permanently preserve the course. Once the course is fully preserved, the conservancy has plans to restore and improve the 141-acre Lions Municipal Golf Course with award-winning golf course architecture firm Coore & Crenshaw and create a dynamic public facility for everyone.
The goal is to keep Muny as a place where families and children of all ages can learn and practice the core values that golf teaches honesty, integrity and good sportsmanship.