Arts & Entertainment
Crown Center Holiday Celebration Ringing
Crown Center’s holiday season starts in earnest today with the lighting of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree and Santa’s arrival, although his sojourn at the Shops will be a uniquely 2020 experience. This year, it’s Claus vs. Covid and to protect both the jolly fat man and his young fans, Santa will be wearing a mask,…
Union Station Completes Family Scrapbook with Holiday Reflections
By Kevin Collison Faced with the prospect of the Covid Grinch stealing its most popular season, Union Station has improvised a holiday experience it hopes will provide families with festive memories after a tumultuous year. “We didn’t want to cancel the holidays,” said George Guastello, president and CEO of Union Station. “We don’t want kids…
Ambassador Hotel Opens 1930s Style Jazz and Supper Club
Kansas City jazz great Lonnie McFadden has opened a club beneath the Ambassador Hotel that includes an option for patrons to enjoy a three-course meal and listen to the show during the early evening sessions. The new Lonnie’s Reno Club opened earlier this month at the Ambassador at 1111 Grand. The name comes from the…
‘Wrapped with Heart’ Negro Leagues Celebration Rolling
By Kevin Collison It started as a million-dollar year for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum until Covid-19 hit in March. The pandemic forced the cancellation of several events planned this year to celebrate the centennial of the founding of the Negro Leagues and raise money for its museum in the 18th & Vine Historic District….
Troostival Concert Celebrates Black Culture and Troost Revival
By Kevin Collison The first annual Troostival, a celebration of Black creativity and the ongoing revival of a street traditionally associated with Kansas City racial division, will be celebrated this Friday at the Hy-Vee Arena. The approximately seven-hour concert will feature eight musical acts including DJ’s, jazz, hip hop, funk and R&B. You can can…
Community Christian Sparks Campaign to Rekindle ‘Steeple of Light’
By Kevin Collison Community Christian Church has been baptized officially as a historic building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, a designation that’s sparking a fundraising campaign to rekindle its signature “Steeple of Light.” The church at 4601 Main is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, part of a strategy to revitalize the…
Artist Coalition Virtual Fashion Show Walks Streetcar Aisle
The Kansas City Artists Coalition is riding the rails this year for its annual Coalesce fashion show, turning the aisles of a streetcar into a runway for a video production that will be aired virtually on Nov. 7. “We are confident that Kansas City, and possibly the nation, has never seen a runway show like…
Plaza Building Morphing from Angry Graffiti to Hopeful Murals
By Kevin Collison A Plaza-area building tagged with graffiti during the George Floyd protests in late May is being transformed from what was a lingering eyesore to a five-story canvas for street art celebrating unity. “I wanted to take those messages left in anger, which I understand, and put it in a positive light,” said…
Crossroads West 18th Street Fashion Show Goes Hollywood
By Kevin Collison The annual West 18th Street Fashion Show is steering clear of its Crossroads address this year and going Hollywood instead this Friday at the Boulevard Drive-In Theatre in KCK for its 20th anniversary. “We were planning for it to happen the first Saturday in June, then everything started shutting down in March,”…
Plan Calls for Historic Boone Theater to be Media Hub for 18th & Vine
By Kevin Collison The historic Boone Theater in the 18th & Vine District would be redeveloped as a media and entertainment center under a proposal backed by several influential Kansas City businesses and civic leaders. The vacant theater would be restored by the Vine St. Collaborative with the support of firms including J.E. Construction and…