Weekend Possibilities | Topps Trading Cards, a Festival of Butterflies and a County Fair A Dry Heat

Butterflies, baseball cards and deep-fried (does it even matter?) — it’s a hot and happening weekend in July.

Friday, July 22

9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Festival of Butterflies at Powell Gardens, 1609 N.W. U.S. 50, is back for its 25th year celebrating the popular pollinator. Through Aug. 7, guests will be able to experience the insects up-close, learn about migration patterns, Midwest species and more throughout the gardens. Festival After Hours start daily at 5 p.m. Select evenings feature live music from Kansas City artists. Be sure to check out the full Festival Guide ahead of time. Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children (5-12).

If you enjoy oysters, plan an evening at Brookside’s Earl’s Premier, 651 E. 59th St. The raw bar has a selection of rotating oysters flown in directly from Maine. Clam chowder, mussels, American selections and plenty of wine also is on the menu. Friday night is cioppino night.

9 p.m. Movies in the Park from North Kansas City Parks & Rec will bring Disney’s “Encanto” to the Macken Park, 1002 Clark Ferguson Drive, big screen Friday night. Feel free to set out blankets, lawn chairs and pack snacks for a movie — and perhaps a bit of singing — under the stars. The movie starts at dusk, there is no fee for admission.

Saturday, July 23

8:30 a.m. – Midnight This weekend’s Platte County Fair, 15730 Fairgrounds Road, has it all — carnival rides, live animals, live music, demolition derby, fair food, plus fun and games for the kids and adults alike. Saturday’s Mud-A-Thon will be the day’s main attraction. Get to the grandstands before 6 p.m. to watch modified vehicles take on some serious muck. Daily general admission tickets for the fair are $15.

11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Topps is celebrating International Trading Card Day with a traveling pop-up truck tour that will stop Saturday morning near Crown Center Square, 2450 Grand Blvd. The Topps Truck will hand out free packs of baseball cards, plus Topps swag all afternoon. Take a selfie in the truck’s life-size card frame and feel free to bring a few cards to trade in front of the van.

Noon – 11 p.m. Double Shift Brewing Co.’s 7th Anniversary Bash is Saturday. The East Crossroads brewery and taproom, 412 E. 18th St., has plans for a “retro camp” themed celebration with new releases and collaborations, pop-up vendors, tacos, sweets, live beats and more. There is no admission fee.

5 p.m. Keller Williams headlines a largely homegrown evening of bluegrass music at Knuckleheads, 2715 Rochester Ave. The Local Honeys, Lily B Moonflower Band, Whiskey Mash and the Jack Keegan Band will play a Bluegrass Galore pre-party in the air conditioned Knuckleheads Garage before Williams’ Grateful Grass with The Hillbenders take on Grateful Dead tunes in a non-traditional bluegrass fashion outdoors at 10 p.m. Tickets for Grateful Grass start at $27.50. It’s $37.50 for a pre-show combo ticket.

Sunday, July 24

11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Officially relocated to City Market Park, 5 W. 3rd St., Art Garden KC is a free weekly art festival centered on supporting local artists. Stop by Sunday to shop more than 60 local vendors selling their pieces, including jewelry, ceramics, decor and much more. Art activities are available for the entire family.

Noon – 3 p.m. Spend Sunday exploring the history of the Strawberry Hill neighborhood in Kansas City, Kansas. The Strawberry Hill Museum, 720 N. 4th St., in the former Cruise-Scroggs Mansion details the building’s colorful three-part history in the neighborhood, features exhibits celebrating the ethnic history of the area and offers weekend guided urban hikes. Museum tour tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children (6-12).

6 p.m. Sunday’s Summer of Soul at 18th & Vine at the Gem Theater, 1615 E. 18th St., will pay tribute to the legends of jazz, blues, R&B, and gospel of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Artists performing include Eboni Fondren, Lady D and the City of Truth Church Choir and among others. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

Flatland contributor Clarence Dennis also is a social media manager for 90.9 The Bridge.