Kansas Food Truck Festival and Other Weekend Possibilities
Drasko's is one of the food trucks that will be at the Kansas Food Truck Festival. (Jonathan Bender I Flatland)
Published May 6th, 2016 at 7:55 AM
Dive into the food truck scene at the third-annual Kansas Food Truck Festival from 4 to 10 p.m. on Saturday in Lawrence’s Warehouse Arts District. The Craft Collective will have art for sale, more than 20 food trucks will be in attendance, and there will be a bouncy house alongside live entertainment (everything from Maria the Mexican to Lawrence Busker Festival performers). Tickets are $10 (children under 12 are free), and the event benefits Just Food.
Simple Science Juices, purveyors of organic, cold-pressed juice, is having its grand opening at 1914 Main St. today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Their original location opened last year at 8126 Floyd St. in Overland Park, Kansas.
Ain’t no party like a block party. The 2016 ArtsKC Block Party will be rocking from 4 to 10 p.m. today. It’s a celebration of local eats and arts with live acts, including Blackbird Revue at 6 p.m. The free event is on Baltimore Avenue between 19th and 20th streets.
Since it’s First Friday (and the launch of the streetcar), you can celebrate both with Movie Night put on by the Friends of the River. They’ll be showing “A Streetcar Named Desire” outdoors in City Market Park (5 W. Third St.) at 9:15 p.m. It’s BYOBAR (bring your own blanket and refreshments).
The horses are running for the Kentucky Derby this weekend. As such, it’s your duty to drink mint juleps. Don’t question, just head over to the Kansas City Museum’s Kentucky Derby Party (3218 Gladstone Blvd.) on Saturday from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. There will be food from the Local Pig, desserts from Poppy’s Ice Cream & Coffee House, and Southern-inspired cocktails made with J. Rieger & Co., Tom’s Town, Union Horse and Restless Spirits booze. Tickets (sold the day of online) are $53.49.
Love tea? You’re not alone. Meet fellow tea devotees at the Midwest Tea Festival on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ararat Shrine Auditorium (5100 Ararat Drive). Admission is $12, and a portion of the proceeds benefit Literacy Kansas City.
If you haven’t started on your garden, don’t panic, there’s still time. Seed Savers KC is hosting a seed, bulb and plant exchange at the Anita B Gorman Conservation Discovery Center (4750 Troost Ave.) from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. New Roots for Refugees is also holding an open house and transplant sale at the Juniper Gardens Training Farm (100 Richmond Ave., Kansas City, Kansas) on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
— Jonathan Bender writes about food trends and is the author of “Cookies & Beer” and “Stock, Broth & Bowl.” Follow him on Twitter @jonathanbender.