Tex Gala 2024

Texas Rangers shatter record with $2.5 million haul at grand-slam gala

Texas Rangers players, staff, and fans stepped right up to a State Fair-themed 2024 TEX Gala on Monday, April 22 at Globe Life Field. The sights, sounds, and tastes of the fair filled the outfield turf, where 1,500 attendees assembled to support the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation.

The evening started with a VIP Reception, presented by American Airlines in the American Lounge, where patrons mingled with National Baseball Hall of Famer Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez, who received his World Series Championship Ring during the reception.

VIPs included a who's who of Rangers stars and their dates: World Series MVP Corey Seager and Mady Seager, Max Scherzer and Erica Scherzer, Nathaniel Lowe and Brenna Karwich, Wyatt Langford, Josh Jung, Jon Gray and Jacklyn Gray, Andrew Heaney and Jordan Heaney, Andrew Knizner and Ally Rahn, Cody Bradford and Madi Bradford, Davis Wendzel and Rachel Wendzel, Dane Dunning and Rachel Dunning, David Robertson and Erin Robertson, Evan Carter and Kaylen Carter, Jacob deGrom and Stacey deGrom, Josh Sborz and Alexis Sborz, Josh Smith and Claire Smith, Michael Lorenzen and Cassi Lorenzen, Travis Jankowski and Lindsey Jankowski, Tyler Mahle and Ashley Mahle, and Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and Kim Bochy.

When the West Marketplace gates opened, guests descended on the field for cocktails and carnival-style games in a replica State Fair Midway. Attendees nibbled mini corn dogs and funnel cakes and sipped stout signature cocktails Neon Moon (Jack-and-Coke) and Red Dirt Road (Teremana Tequila and Topo Chico) as they tossed rings and shot hoops, visited a Flea Style custom hat bar, and purchased Kendra Scott mystery boxes.

A silent auction was filled with autographed Rangers and other sports memorabilia, music and Hollywood treasures (a Post Malone-autographed guitar attracted much attention), gift baskets, art, local shopping and dining experiences, and more. While photo opps were plentiful, the most popular stop of the night was a chance to take a pic with the World Series winners' Commissioner's Trophy.

During a seated dinner of Braised Black Angus Teres Major steak with gnocchi, asparagus, and Creme Brulee with Bailey's Mousse, and a brief video about the Texas Rangers Foundation was played. The charitable organization helps fund the Texas Rangers Youth Academy, education-based initiatives and scholarships, community distributions, and military/first responder-focused initiatives. Rangers chairman Neil Leibman and foundation executive director Karin Morris helped underscore the impact it has in the community.

The fundraising efforts ramped up first with a rousing game of "Heads or Tails," followed by a live auction for luxury trips to Cabo and Los Angeles, a VIP experience during the MLB All-Star Week, and more. In a surprise addition, country music star Pat Green took the stage to auction off a private concert; bidding was so fast and furious that he ended up giving away two.

When all the funds were tallied, the 2024 TEX Gala had raised a record $2.5 million for the Texas Rangers Foundation.

To cap off the celebratory night, guests boot-scooted down to the stage for a private concert by Brooks & Dunn. The legendary country music duo played for a full hour (unlike at many charity galas, where the featured performer says goodnight after four or five songs), keeping the crowd singing along to hits like "Neon Moon," "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone," "My Maria," and "Only in America."

Since the first TEX Gala in 2021, the event has raised an impressive $7.975 million for the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation.

Photo courtesy of Texas Rangers

Jacob deGrom, Stacey deGrom

celebrities charity sports texas rangers texgala galas

history in the making

Taylor Sheridan to be honored with legendary Texas award in 2027

1923 Las Vegas Premiere Screening & After Party Taylor Sheridan

Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan is a 2027 recipient of the History-Making Texan Award.

Trailblazing North Texas producer, director, and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan will add a new award to his shelf in 2027. Sheridan has been named one of two recipients of the History-Making Texan Award, which the Texas State History Museum Foundation (TSHMF) will present in Austin in spring 2027.

Since 2005, the organization has honored "living Texas legends whose contributions to the state and the nation have been truly historic and exceptional in scope and nature." Past galas have recognized prominent Texas figures such as former presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush and former first ladies Barbara and Laura Bush, as well as H-E-B chairman Charles Butt, singer-songwriter and accordionist Leonardo “Flaco” Jimenéz, among others.

Joining Sheridan as the other 2027 honoree is Texas Historical Commission chairman, businessman, and philanthropist John L. Nau, III. The 2027 gala will be held at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin on March 2, Texas Independence Day.

"Our honorees are national leaders whose accomplishments have elevated Texas’ distinctive place on the national and international stage," said Debbie Raynor, Dinner Chair and TSHMF Trustee, in a relase. "John L. Nau, III and Taylor Sheridan have each, in very different ways, helped tell the Texas story — one through the preservation of our history and treasured places, the other through the power of storytelling that has brought Texas and the American West to audiences around the world."

Quadruple-threat filmmaker Sheridan is most widely recognized for his award-winning neo-Western TV series Yellowstone and its associated spin-offs 1883, 1923, Marshals, and Dutton Ranch. Raynor hailed Sheridan for his success in bringing a "remarkable new dimension to the way the world sees Texas and the American West."

"As a creator, writer, director, and executive producer of some of television’s most successful series, he has captured the imagination of audiences across the globe while bringing the people, landscapes, traditions and enduring spirit of the West into millions of homes," she said. "And he does more than tell the Texas story — he lives it, as a native Texan, accomplished horseman and steward of two legendary Texas ranches."

Nau is the former chairman and CEO of Silver Eagle Beverages, one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the U.S. Raynor said Nau's "commitment to preservation" extends further than his protection of Texas historic sites "to the stewardship and conservation of the land itself, including his bay area lodge in south Texas and his ranch in west Texas."

"[Nau's] leadership and lifelong dedication to history have earned him national recognition, but perhaps his greatest legacy is his determination to ensure that the stories and places that shaped Texas endure for generations to come," Raynor said.

A release estimates about 450 "business, political, and community leaders" attend the Texas Independence Day Dinner each year, and proceeds will benefit the Bullock Museum's educational programs and special projects.

The 2027 Texas Independence Day Dinner will take place March 2, 2027, at the Bullock Museum in Austin. A VIP reception will start at 6:30 pm, followed by a 7 pm reception, and 7:30 dinner and program.

Taylor Sheridan is gifting his creative archive to Texas State University.

Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for Paramount+

Taylor Sheridan is a 2027 recipient of the History-Making Texan Award.

taylor sheridan galas awards ceremony texas texas historical commission bullock museum yellowstone awards