Arts & Entertainment
Puttery, ‘Uniquely Themed’ Miniature Golf, Rolling into Plaza
By Kevin Collison Puttery, an “immersive” entertainment concept that adds cocktails, technology and food to the classic miniature golf game is coming to the Country Club Plaza, a much-needed addition to the Plaza lineup, according to its developer. The Dallas-based chain will occupy 23,600 square feet in the Jack Henry building at 4641 Jefferson being…
NFL Draft May Make Next Year Busiest in KC Sports History
By Kevin Collison Next year may be the busiest in Kansas City sports history including up to 350,000 visitors coming downtown next spring for the 2023 NFL Draft, according to a top local sports official. “Four weeks of collegiate basketball, then we roll into our first ever Sports ETA convention, our national association of sports…
Downtown Gets New Park Where Dogs Run Free
(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared April 30, 2021) By Kevin Collison Downtown’s growing canine population–and their owners–will have another place to romp free next month when the Downtown Council opens a one-half acre dog park at the southwest corner of Seventh and Walnut. The new, off-leash dog park will be the second operated by…
18th & Vine Concept Called ‘Beale Street,’ Sparks Council Clash
By Kevin Collison A $23 million mixed-use redevelopment proposal backed by Mayor Quinton Lucas that would add apartments and retail space to the 18th and Vine District is being opposed by Council members who fear it would turn the area into another “Beale Street.” “On this first day of Black History, we are working to…
Regional Skate Park, Artworks, Could ‘Enhance’ New Buck O’Neil Bridge
By Kevin Collison Creating a regional skate park beneath the approach ramps to the new Buck O’Neil Bridge is among the ideas in a report prepared by a group tasked to enliven what’s now a bland infrastructure project. Work is well underway on the $220 million replacement span that will carry US 169 traffic over…
Final Barney Allis Plaza Rebuild Plan Has $112.4M Price Tag
By Kevin Collison Almost three years after launching its search, the city now has solid design plan and price tag for reviving the crumbling Barney Allis Plaza, but appears to be no closer to figuring out how to pay for it. At a briefing to a Council committee Wednesday, consultants said the Plaza built in…
Crossroads Community Association Celebrates 20 Years Creating a Neighborhood
Editor’s note: This article originally was published March 16, 2021) By Kevin Collison When the Crossroads Community Association began 20 years ago, its sprawling 90-block turf of old, brick commercial buildings sandwiched between downtown and Crown Center was facing an identity crisis. The area was finishing its pioneering phase that began in 1985 when artist…
Boulevardia Moving Up to Crown Center This June
Boulevardia is leaving the Bottoms for Crown Center this June, and organizers believe the shift will make the annual Father’s Day weekend music and beer festival more accessible and convenient. This will be the seventh year for the festival that began in the West Bottoms, and the move to Crown Center originally had been scheduled…
Converting O’Neil Bridge to Linear Park ‘Top Priority’ for City Officials
(Editor’s note, updated March 3: The city announced today it is issuing a request for proposals/qualifications to study the reuse of the existing Buck O’Neil Bridge. The study will be done by the City of Kansas City, Jackson County and Clay County using $300,000 from the Missouri Department of Transportation. “The study will gather public…
East Crossroads Brewers & Friends Band Together to Promote District
By Kevin Collison Six years after Border Brewing, its first microbrewery, opened, the East Crossroads and its band of merry brewers, distillers and vintners are touting their area as a big regional draw and working together to promote it. “We’ve become a tourist destination,” said Lara Gray, co-owner of Casual Animal. “We see people from…