Pin Drop Theatre was one of nearly a dozen bands that participated in Cash for Kids, a Johnny Cash-inspired fundraiser held to support the Gompers Park Athletic Association. View Full Caption Pin Drop Theatre

MAYFAIR — Youngsters playing baseball, softball and T-ball at Gompers Park this summer will have the Man in Black to thank for the opportunity.

A Johnny Cash-inspired fundraiser — "Cash for Kids" — netted nearly $9,000 for the Gompers Park Athletic Association, which serves more than 500 children ages five to 16.

The music festival, held over the weekend at the Irish American Heritage Center, attracted more than 700 donors who ponied up 20 bucks each to listen to nearly a dozen bands perform Cash classics.

Now in its seventh year, Cash for Kids "started as an excuse for a few Johnny Cash fans to play a few songs at a local bar around the time of his birthday, Feb. 26," said Michael Stirk, a member of the local band Pin Drop Theatre, which particpated in the festival.

Stirk and Pin Drop's Steve Davern, one of the "founding fathers" of the fest, both have kids who take part in GPAA programs. The event shifted to January, Stirk said, as a "way of shaking off the dead of winter doldrums."

The athletic association — which is not affiliated with the Chicago Park District but uses Gompers Park facilities — operates eight leagues. Online registration is open for 2014.