Did anyone see the moon last night? It was AMAZING! As I drove home, past downtown at about 10PM, the crescent of the waning moon seemed almost as tall as the buildings of downtown. I was totally mesmerized by it. I hope you all got enjoy it as well! ~BG
1. Arthur Bryant's BBQ I've been eating here since I was 3. Everyone has their opinion about the best BBQ in Kansas City. Arthur Bryant's is my favorite.
2. Blues & Jazz Kansas City has it's own brands of music. It's not always out there on the main road, but when you delve into the backstreets and byways, the little clubs off the beaten path, the music is still alive and flourishing.
3. The fountains From the majestic monster sized fountains, like at Royals Stadium, to the smaller, more intimate gems, Kansas City is a city of fountains. They all delight me.
4. The Crossroads This is one of the newest delights in town. The eclectic mix and vibrancy of the Crossroads touches the "artist inside".
5. Mexicanrestaurants I love Mexican food. Maybe even more than BBQ. Whether it's one of the multiple locations of El Maguey, the many places on Southwest Boulevard, or one of the dozens of other eateries around town, the food here is great!
6. Union Station Union Station is just awesome. There's a majestic, almost regalness about it. It's aura of beauty and history never fail to touch me.
7. Local history Kansas City has such a diverse and colorful history, from the early fur trappers and traders, the cowboys and wild west times, the railroads, the roaring 20's, right up to today, the texture of the times past fascinates me.
8. The architectural diversity From log cabins to behemoths of glass and steel, the architecture to be found in Kansas City is intriguing. I particularly like the Art Deco buildings, of which we have some beautiful examples.
9. The City Market The sites, sounds, and fragrances of the City Market on a summer Saturday morning are almost electric. There's a lot to sample here.
10. Christmas in Kansas City The Plaza Lights at Christmas are known around the world. But Christmas in Kansas City isn't just one location. I love to drive through the neighborhoods, rich and not so rich, and see how people of all stations of life find a way to express the spirit of the season.
Those are some of the things I love about this place, Kansas City. What about you? What are some of your favorite thingsKC?
Ub Iwerks was a two-time Academy Award winning animator, cartoonist, and special effects technician, who was famous for his work for Walt Disney. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1901.
Iwerks was responsible for the distinctive style of the earliest Disney cartoons. The first few Mickey Mouse cartoons were animated almost entirely by Iwerks. He was considered by many to be Walt Disney's oldest friend, and spent most of his career with Disney. Iwerks and Disney had a falling-out, and their friendship was severed when Iwerks accepted a contract with a competitor to leave Disney and start an animation studio under his own name.
The Iwerks Studio opened in 1930. Financial backers suspected that Iwerks was responsible for much of Disney's early success. However, while animation for a time suffered at Disney from Iwerks' departure, it soon rebounded as Disney brought in talented new young animators. The Iwerks Studio enjoyed no great success and failed to rival Disney. The backers withdrew further financial support from Iwerks Studio in 1936 and it soon folded. Iwerks worked for a time for Columbia Pictures, before returning to work for Disney in 1940.
After his return to Disney, Iwerks mainly worked on developing special visual effects, like his Academy Award nominated achievement forAlfred Hitchcock's The Birds. He is credited as developing the processes for combining live action and animation used in Song of the South. He also worked at WED Enterprises, now Wald Disney Imagineering, helping to develop many Disney theme park attractions during the 1960s.
Iwerks's most famous work outside animating Mickey Mouse was Flip the Frog for his own studio. Flip bears more than a small resemblance to the characters Iwerks drew earlier, Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Iwerks was known for his fast work at drawing and animation and his wacky sense of humor. Animator Chuck Jones, who worked for Iwerks' studio in his youth, said "Iwerks is Screwy spelled backwards." Ub Iwerks died in 1971. A documentary film, The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story was released in 1999, followed by a book written by Leslie Iwerks and John Kenworthy in 2001.
Make Me Smile Monday - The Beatles Lovin' Kansas City
Remember when it was John, Paul, George, and Ringo....before they were "THE BEATLES"? Remember when they had FUN, even with Ringo actually singing? Remember the energy and the joy of the music? Well, here they are, for your enjoyment on Make Me Smile Monday, singing "Kansas City, and a couple of other great oldies!
I can't get that old Kristofferson song out of my head this morning. It's a dank, dreary Sunday morning. Quiet, moody, and I just feel a bit down. Fortunately, I know from experience, this too shall pass. That's one of the benefits of being a "mature adult". You know things don't stay the same for too long.
Maybe I need to read the paper to cheer me up. Yeah, right!
There are more great festivals going on in and around Kansas City this weekend!
11th Annual KC Wine and Food Festival Join in as the “city of fountains” becomes the City of Wine at the 11th Annual Kansas City Festival of Wine & Food, August 26-27, 2006, at the Overland Park Convention Center. This event is an annual fundraiser benefiting the American Heart Association. Since it was founded by Standard Beverage Corporation, nearly $1 million has been generated to raise essential funds in the fight against the No. 1 and No. 3 health threats of all Americans: Cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Here's another of the old Kansas City postcards that I collect. Union Station looks rather ominous, doesn't it? Maybe I'm in an ominous mood because I'm about to leave to visit the dentist and get a tooth fixed. Or maybe it's the hint of fall I've felt in the last couple of days. I know, that doesn't make any sense, but there ya go! :)
I remember when radio was THE entertainment medium of choice. Not that there wasn't TV, but music was everything. We all spent countless hours listening to first top 40 radio, then "underground" FM radio. I listened before school in the morning, and as soon as I got home in the afternoon. The radio was always on in the car or truck. I'd fall asleep with the music playing.
I remember well my first transistor radio. It was from the Sinclair gasoline company, a promotional model. It was red plastic, with the green Sinclair dinosaur logo on the front. It was about 3" X 6" X 1" thick... MUCH larger than today's MP3 players. It was SEVEN transistor, if I recall correctly, with a mono earphone and a leather case.... leather so thin you could almost read through it. It ran on a 9 volt battery, and recieved AM only. It was my prized possession for a very long time.
I'm not sure when it all changed. Maybe it was when the big companies really took over the airwaves in the 80's, making music too much of a business and too little fun. When the local stations became just one piece of national conglomerates, spewing forth a pasteurized pablum of sound, with no personality and no soul. At any rate, I quit listening to music on the radio for a VERY long time.
But that's starting to change some. I catch myself switching on the music stations in the Jeep once again, catching some oldies, some new stuff, a little country, a little blues. It's almost FUN again. Maybe I'm starting into my second, or seventeenth, childhood.
Here's a listing of Kansas City radio stations. It might not be complete, so feel free to let me know if there's any left out!
Many of these stations now broadcast on the internet. If you're interested in listening on the web, be sure to check out the websites to see if a webcast is available. Something that is starting to pique my interest in radio again is ReplayA/V, software that let's me record streaming audio and vidio from the web. It even functions like a Tivo, letting me set the time and station to record while I'm away from the computer. This is opening up a whole new world of music to me again. Maybe the thrill ISN'T gone!
Who's always smiling never sad? Whizzo! Who makes the boys and girls so glad? Whizzo! Who's that jolly fellow, with the big red shiny nose, Dressed in the craziest mixed up clothes from his head down to his toes. He has a great big trunk of tricks. Whizzo! He'll sing a song or do a dance for you. And when you're sad he'll make you glad. The very best friend you ever had. Whizzo the Clown, that's who!
I remember Whizzo, right along with Howdy Doody. I was so jealous of my older cousin, Larry, who actually got to go and be on Whizzo's show. Though I never met Whizzo in person, I have to thank him for some very happy times during my childhood.
I found this brief history of Whizzo in one of the strangest places, an eBay ad for some old home movies. I'm not sure if it's original or copied from somewhere. But I found it entertaining:
Whizzo, Kansas City's own television entertainer, was Frank Wiziarde, a boy born in Westmoreland, Kansas who joined his parents in a vaudeville act when he was only six years old.
Vaudeville was popular entertainment in the early part of the 20th century. Comics, singers, dancers and acrobats appeared in thousands of theaters across the country. The Wiziardes performed somersaults and other acrobatics on a thin wire, seven feet from the stage floor, ten times every day. Frank Wiziarde grew up watching from backstage, later giving credit to these performances as his clown training.
By the early 1930s, vaudeville was dying, losing audiences to movie houses and radio. Wiziarde soon started working in radio, which brought him to Kansas City and led him to television, transforming him into Whizzo the Clown.
In the early days of television, networks did not program daytime shows, so local stations had to fill the time slots. Wiziarde worked as a director at KMBC-TV, and the station asked him to come up with an idea for a children's show. His idea was Whizzo.
The show went on the air in 1954. Whizzo jumped out from behind a curtain, tripped over items scattered around his set and sang the song he composed, "Who's always smiling, never sad? It's Whizzo!" He tried tricks that usually fizzled and then introduced cartoon films. Kids were invited to the show to be dressed in clown costumes and join the singing and dancing. Nearly every kid in town knew the Whizzo song and many of today's baby boomers can sing all of the verses.
Whizzo remained on KMBC-TV for 15 years before moving to KCMO-TV and then to a Topeka television station. He was invited by President Reagan in 1983 to entertain children at the annual Easter Egg Hunt at the White House. Kansas City's Mayor H. Roe Bartle once predicted that if kids could vote, Whizzo would be Mayor of Kansas City.
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus played at Kemper Arena the day that Whizzo the Clown died in 1987.
Early Kansas City owed much of it's existence to the cowboy, those tough, strong, "John Wayne" individuals who herded the cattle hundreds of miles to the stockyards here. But those rough and resilient souls have NOTHING on today's new breed of wranglers! Click on the arrow to hear the story! Happy Monday! ~BG
Kansas City will be hosting several festivals this fabulous weekend!
Kansas City Ethnic Enrichment Festival Swope Park will be one of the hottest places to be this weekend, as the Kansas City Ethnic Enrichment Festival takes over for 3 days of food, music, dance, and just plain FUN! You won’t need a plane ticket to travel around the world. It won’t be in 80 days, but 80 dishes might do the trick!. Since it’s origins in the 80’s, the Kansas City Ethnic Enrichment Festival has brought together over 60 cultures in this extravaganza, making this one of the largest and diverse ethnic festivals in the US. With more than 40 booths dispensing authentic dishes such as empanadas, egg rolls and tandoori chicken to curried goat, fried rice and cantaloupe drink, you’ll eat better than any world traveler of old. Entertainment will include Scottish Highland Games, a Parade of Flags, and lots of live song and ethnic dance.
Festival hours will be: Friday, August 18, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. Saturday, August 19, from noon to 10:00 p.m. Sunday, August 20, from noon to 6:00 p.m.
Admission to the festival is just $3, kids 12 and under no charge, and parking is free. The location is in Swope Park at Swope Parkway and Meyer Boulevard You can call 816.333.1124 for more info.
Boxcar of Blues Festival It’s here! This weekend will be the 2nd Annual Boxcar of Blues Festival at Knuckleheads Saloon, in the east bottoms. You talk about hot! If you’re a blues lover, or just looking for a good party, this is the place to be! There’ll be plenty of good food, liquid refreshment, and blasting blues music for your fun and enjoyment!
The kickoff party will begin Friday night at 6PM. Saturday entertainment will start at 2PM and last until who knows when in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
Knuckleheads is located at 2715 Rochester, not far from the Isle of Capri Casino. (there’s even a free shuttle from there to the festival running every 30 minutes on Saturday) For more information, visit Knuckleheads’ website or call either the club,(816)483-1456, or the office (816)483-6407. This festival is also being brought to you by KKFI Radio
Festival of Butterflies This will be the final weekend of the 10th Annual Festival of Butterflies at Powell Gardens. The festival includes hundreds of free-flying butterflies from the tropical United States in an indoor exhibit, two outdoor butterfly breezeways fully aflutter with native species, a butterfly art exhibit, children's activities, a butterfly plant sale and more.
A partial Schedule of events includes: Butterfly release: The first 50 children under 12 to arrive Friday, August 18, will help release new butterflies into the Conservatory. Tickets for the release will be handed out at the admission gatehouse. Costume Parade, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily Trolley Service, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Children's Activities, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Cafe Thyme Indoor Cafe, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
The kids will have a ball at the Butterfly Carnival in the Grand Hall. where they can get their faces painted, paint a pot complete with a butterfly-friendly plant to take home and snack on some popcorn. They’ll also be enthralled by Caterpillar ‘Petting’ Zoo, the Monarch Watch Science Center, Butterfly Arcade, and many other fun activities. There will be a Butterfly Plant Sale with a selection of native plants for caterpillars and butterflies from Missouri Wildflower Nursery. Butterfly Interpretative experts will be stationed throughout the gardens. You may even win a diamond butterfly necklace from Helzberg Diamonds. Festival Admission $9/adults $8/seniors 60+ $3/children ages 5-12 FREE/children 4 and under and members of Friends of Powell Gardens.
Directions Powell Gardens is located 30 miles east of Kansas City on U.S. Highway 50
The Kansas City Reggae Fest 2006 World music reaches out and touches people with it's lyrical themes of peace and harmony, struggle and growth, survival and pride, creating feelings of joy, unity, strength and hope. The International Arts & World Music Festival has provided family entertainment and cultural enrichment for the Kansas City area. This, the 17th annual celebration, is sure to enhance the cultural life of our city by the river.
The festival will start at 1PM on Sunday, August 20th at the Liberty Memorial. Some of the entertainers performing are Ziggy Marley, Stephen Marley, Bunny Wailer, and Jon Nicholson. Liberty Memorial is located at Pershing & Main, across the street from Union Station.
Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster. Call (816)-743-0547 for more info.
Festival de Dos Mundos Festival de Dos Mundos will feature performances from national and local Latino dance groups and musicians. There'll be food and drink from Kansas City's top Mexican and Latino restaurants, as well as a variety of unique shopping experiences. An extensive children's area featuring games and crafts with Mattie Rhodes will ensure fun for the whole family. Aug. 19, from 12 noon until 10pm. Located near Crown Center, at Southwest Boulevard between Summit & Monitor Streets. Admission is free! www.dosmundos.com
So c'mon, all you festival people! Get out there and enjoy yourself this weekend! And be sure to tell them you heard about them on thingskc.com !
Join us as the “city of fountains” becomes the City of Wine at the 11th Annual Kansas City Festival of Wine & Food, August 26-27, 2006, at the Overland Park Convention Center. This event is an annual fundraiser benefiting the American Heart Association. Since it was founded by Standard Beverage Corporation, nearly $1 million has been generated to raise essential funds in the fight against the No. 1 and No. 3 health threats of all Americans: Cardiovascular disease and stroke.
The list of restaurant sponsor's is impressive, including: 40 Sardines Bacchanalia Bristol Bar & Grill Cassis Cinzetti's Dean & DeLuca El Caribe Café & Catering Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue Garozzo's Hereford House Houlihan's J. Alexander's J. Gilbert's Longhorn Steakhouse Nick & Jake's OP 1906 Bar & Grille Plaza III Starbucks Coffee Company
Other events include:
Wine Maker Dinner: 6:30 pm, Saturday, August 26, 2006 Overland Park Convention Center Join celebrity vintner Kathy Benziger of Benziger Family Winery, Glen Ellen, CA, at this blacktie optional evening featuring an exclusive six-course wine dinner enjoyed among friends. Individual Tickets: $200 each, seating is limited to 350 guests.
Grand Tasting & Auctions: 1-5 pm, Sunday, August 27, 2006 Overland Park Convention Center Meet the wine makers and sample from more than 300 award-winning wines from around the world while also tasting the best of regional cuisine. Guests also have the opportunity to participate in a Reserve Room select tasting and Kansas City’s most select silent and live auctions.
Grand Tasting: 1-4 pm; Tickets: $60 each; attendance is limited to 1,500 guests.
Reserve Room: 1:30-3:30 pm; Tickets: $40 each with purchase of Grand Tasting ticket. Select tasting includes a choice of 5 specialty wines; limited to 150 guests.
Silent Auction: 1-3:45 pm
Live Auction: 4-5 pm PARTNERSHIPS: The goal of the 2006 Kansas City Festival of Wine & Food is to raise $225,000 (net) to assist in research, education and advocacy efforts of the American Heart Association. We invite you to partner with us on this exceptional event that is life-saving, full of marketing opportunities for you and FUN for the more than 1,500 attendees! Please contact Kristi Torres, AHA Development Director, at 913.652.1907 or Kristi.torres@heart.org.
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS: Individual tickets for all events may be purchased through the American Heart Association office: Phone: 913.648.6727 | Address: 6800 W. 93rd Street, Overland Park, KS 66212 | www.kcwinefest.com
Event attendees must be 21 years of age and present valid photo ID.
I'm going out for breakfast today, with an old friend I used to work with. Mel and I get together about every 2 or 3 weeks. Now that he's retired, the lucky stiff, it seems that an early breakfast during the week works out best for our meetings. We've kind of developed a small group of places to eat breakfast:
First Watch We meet at the First Watch at 291 and 40 Hiway. This location is one of the chains newst openings, having been here for maybe less than a year. The food is always good and plentiful, though the coffee isn't the best in town. Why is it that so many great breakfast places don't have great coffee to go along with the meal? My favoarite here is the Bubba's Benny, biscuits topped with sausage patties, eggs, then smothered in grave. I'm a biscuits and gravy lover.
The Big Biscuit Another 40 Hiway place, this one is run by the folks who do Stephenson's Apple Farm, which is right across the street. Again, I usually opt for the biscuits and gravy, although lately, with my attempts at "cutting back", I sometimes go for scrambled eggs, bacon, and whole wheat toast. A lot of folks like the home-fries here, but they dont do a lot for me. That's a good thing, really, as it helps me to cut back some. What DOESN'T help is that the pancakes here are HUGE and usually very good. I only get them now and then.
IHOP We often meet at the IHOP over by Independence Center. This is in the new restaurant row on the southside of I-70 at Blue River Parkway. What can you say, it's an IHOP. The food is good, the service is usually pretty good as well. I've come to really enjoy the Vegetarian Chili Omelette, with the multi-grain pancakes. It always leaves me smiling.
If only these places had good coffee... even Starbucks!
Mel and I tend to stay out in Eastern Jackson County, since we both live out this way. I'll be doing another post soon telling you about some of my other favorite breakfast spots.
How about you? What are some of your favorite breakfast places around town?
Coming up this weekend, August 18 & 19th, Knuckleheads Saloon and KKFI radio will be presenting the 2nd Annual Boxcar of Blues Festival!
Following on the great success of last years festival, Frank Hicks, owner of Knuckleheads, promises "this one will be even better! There'll be so much music and fun, you'll think you're dreaming!"
The pre-festival party starts Friday night at 6pm. The festival itself will be Saturday, from 2PM into the wee hours of Sunday morning.
It's a rainy, foggy morning here in KC. We need it. It's been a really hot, dry summer. Looking at the weather forcast, it looks like there might be some more rain later this week, and the temperatures are predicted to be down out of the blistering 90's and even 100's that we've had the last few weeks. That's good, in MY opinion, anyway. It's so cool to be able to flip on the weather channel and see the radar scans whenever I want to look. How did we ever get along without them?
I drove home last night through the rain and thunderstorms. I watched the lightning as it zigzagged across the sky, illuminating the buildings in the downtown skyline. There's a sense of power in lightning storms that always charges ME up. It was particularly illuminating last night. It seemed to be a symbol of the power that is driving Kansas City right now.... the building and renovation that is reshaping our town. I get a charge out of it. :) ~BG
It looks like another hot weekend in store for us, though maybe not QUITE as hot as we've been having. I hope it cools off. I saw birds using oven mits to pull the worms out of the ground the other day!
Lots of things going on this weekend.
It's butterfly time at Powell Gardens. This is the 10th year for the Festival of Butterflies. I've been to several of them, and can tell you it's well worth the trip! It's amazing how many colors and sizes of butterflies they'll have there. Walking through the butterfly houses, surrounded by thousands lf these jewel-like creatures is something you'll remember for a very long time. The kids will love it. The festival runs today thru Sunday, and again next weekend. Hours are 9am to 6pm. Don't miss this one!
Today will be the 19th annual Elvis Parade here in KC. Would you believe this is the LARGEST Elvis parade in the world? It started out to celebrate the anniversary of Elvis' death on August 16th, and has grown into a huge, wacky, fun event every year. The parade is hosted by Max and Tanna of KYYS radio. Festivites start at 11am today at Barney Allis Plaza, one block east of Broadway on 12th Street. It's a weird and fun thing to see all of the Elvi congregated here for the parade floats and fun. Maybe the King ISN'T dead?
The KC Corvette Show will be held in Independence on Saturday, from 8am to 4pm. Be sure to drop by and drool over all these cool machines!
Saturday, August 12, 2006 8:30 a.m. Your Invitation to STICK IT: Tombstone Probing Survey There are indications that a small, ancient pioneer cemetery in the Raytown area might have become lost to time. The owner of the lot has invited the Jackson County Historical Society to conduct an informal survey the 1/4 acre tract by probing for possible tombstones. If you have a couple of hours, and are willing and able to beat the heat by helping us probe, please give them a ring at 816.252.7454.
"Tools and Technology of 1812", an exhibition and demonstration of hand tools. Adults $5, children 5-13 and seniors $3, 9a.m.-4:30p.m., Aug. 12-13 – Fort Osage, Sibley, MO. Directions at www.jacksongov.org
AUG. 12: Antiques & Collectibles Show. BTC Exhibit Hall, Kansas City, MO 816-697-3830, 800-252-1501, www.dirksoulis.com/kc
Saturday, August 12, 11:30 a.m. Mary Colter, Topic at Westport Historical Society Luncheon She was one of America's first women architects who were also one of the first to interpret and integrate the American Southwest and Native American and Hispanic heritage into the buildings she designed. Colter is, perhaps, most famous today for several existing National Park buildings at Grand Canyon. Colter is the subject of recent books and PBS documentaries, but largely unknown in Kansas City although she lived here and had an office at Union Station in the Fred Harvey headquarters for more than 25 years. An engaging slide presentation includes pictures of today's existing buildings and of the postcard collection of local history enthusiast Tom Taylor, and features Colter's contributions to Union Station and her buildings for the Santa Fe Railway and the Fred Harvey Company. This should be of interest to Kansas City history, railroad, or architectural fans.
Luncheon at the Homestead Country Club, 6510 Mission Rd. $25 tickets include lunch and program. Your payment is your reservation. Mail checks to: The Harris-Kearney House, 4000 Baltimore, Kansas City, Mo, 64114. For more information call 816.561.1821.
AUG. 13: Mid-America Train & Toy Show. BTC Exhibit Center, Kansas City, MO 913-651-5864
Sunday, August 13, 2006 2 p.m. Kansas City's African American Communities Discussed Charles Coulter, Opinion Page Editor for The Kansas City Star and author of the book, "Take Up the Black Man's Burden: Kansas City's African American Communities, 1865-1939," will speak on Kansas City's African American history. Kansas City Public Library, Plaza Branch, 4801 Main, Kansas City.
Blue Springs "Music in the Park" Series, thru Aug. 20, all concerts start at 6:30 and are free to the public – Rotary Park at Railroad Lake, 7 Hwy. and Vespers, Blue Springs, call 816-228-0137 or got to www.bluesprings.gov for specific performers
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." ~Walt Disney
Walt is a great example of pursuing a dream, and of making it come true. Did you know that he got his start here in Kansas City? From a tiny office in the McConahy Building, just east of Troost Walt started his Laugh-O-grams studio in 1922. Who would have known that Disneyland started out right here in Kansas City? Well, Walt did. He had a dream!
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist, with strong Kansas City connections. His distinctive style, which was characterized by economy and understatement, had a significant influence on the development of fiction in the twentieth century. The protagonists in Hemingway’s writing were often seen as projections of his own character. They were stoic men, men who must show "grace under pressure".
Nicknamed "Papa," Hemingway was part of the 1920s expatriate community in Paris, which he described in his novel A Moveable Feast. A prominent member of "the Lost Generation", Hemingway led a turbulent social life. He was married four times, and allegedly had various other romantic relationships during his lifetime.
"Kansas City was a strange and wonderful place.” Hemingway later said. “The food is good….and people spoke the purest American.”
After high school Hemingway did not pursue a college education. In 1917, at the age of seventeen, he began his writing career as a cub reporter for The Kansas City Star. Hemingway worked dilligently at hoaning his writing craft at the Star. Although he remained at the newspaper for only six months, he used the guidance he recieved from the Star's style guide throughout his lifetime, as a foundation for his writing style:
1. Use short sentences 2. Use short first paragraphs 3. Use vigorous English 4. Be positive, not negative
In later years, Hemingway was quoted as saying, "Those were the best rules I ever learned in the business of writing. I've never forgotten them. No one with any talent, who feels and writes truly about the things he is trying to say, can fail to write well if he abides by them."
The Kansas City rules served Papa well. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature. Hemingway received the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 for The Old Man and the Sea and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Not bad for a cub reporter from Kansas City!
In 1961, at age 61, he committed suicide, as had his father befor
This week will be the first pre-season game. Saturday night will match up the Chiefs with the Houston Texans at 7PM on CBS.
I'm looking forward to this football season, are you? Watching the Chiefs is one of the things I share with my Dad, something we've done since at least 1966, maybe even before. Though I've not been quite as in-depth knowledgable the last few years, it's still one of my favorite things to do.
What about you? Do you have any favorite memories of Chiefs games? If so, feel free to post a comment here and share them with us!
Kansas City is known for a lot of things, but pizza has never been one of them. Why is that? Maybe we just haven't gotten the word out that there are some FABULOUS pizza places in this town!
Lately, Mr. Kitty and I have been addicted to Papa Keno's. We generally go to the one at 7901 Santa Fe in Overland Park, but there's a handy location in Westport now, just west of Broadway on Westport Road. Another great Westport option is Joe's Pizza inside Kelly's Westport Inn at the corner of Westport Road and Pennsylvania. Their pizza is always good, and they have cheap lunch specials on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I also care a great deal for Stone Canyon Pizza Company in Parkville. I'll never pass up the chance to take a little road trip to Parkville for food and shopping. As I've said before, Parkville is like a small Colorado town transplanted just north of Kansas City. If you're out east, you owe it to yourself to experience Tim's Pizza at 17201 East 40 Highway in Independence. It's the quintessential local pizza place, with deliciously fresh ingredients piled on top of their generous pizzas and walls bedecked with their customers' photos, cards and birth announcements.
I've not tried all of the places she's listed in her post. I would agree with her about Tim's Pizza. It's always one of my favorites. I'd have to add a couple more to the list: I recently stopped by Kelso's Pizza in the Metro North Shopping Center. I shared one of their "gourmet pizzas", and was very happy with that choice. These pizzas are not like the usual Kelso's pizzas. They have a much thinner crust, almost cracker thin. Ours was cooked to perfection. The price was right, too, being right around 10 bucks. I'll give it another try. Of course, Kelso's "Super Bowl Salad" always brings me back there, and their regular pizzas are top of the line in my book.
Another favorite of mine is The Fun House Pizza & Pub on 40 Hiway in Independence. I'll have to say that the last couple of times I've gotten a pizza from there, it wasn't quite as done as I like them, with the crust being just a tad bit on the doughy side. But when they get the crust cooked the way I like it, just slightly crispy, well.... this is pretty close to pizza perfection. The ingredients are heaped on there, sometimes being almost an inch thick on the combo that I love. I've been eating Fun House pizzas for close to 35 years now, and their still a favorite.
What about you? Got a favorite pizza place? Know some that maybe no one else knows about? I'd love to hear about them!
It looks like we're going to have a decent weekend in ol' KC, weatherwise. With that in mind, plan on getting out and enjoying some of the great activities available to you!
Aug 4 7PM to 9PM It's the last "First Friday" of the summer for the Crossroads Art District. Be sure to get out and enjoy the art, the food, the music, and the atmosphere, with about 10,000 of your best friends!
Aug. 4-5 Magic and balloon artistry will be performed by Geen Hernandez from : 6-9 p.m. at the Bob Evans Restaurant, 1704 Village West Parkway, Kansas City, Kan. (913-299-1278)
Aug 4-5 “Summer Skies” planetarium show of seasonal astronomical sites. 1:30 p.m. Aug. 4 and 11; 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Aug. 5. Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall, 3218 Gladstone. $4. Ages 5 and up. (816-483-8300) www.unionstation.org/planetarium.cfm
Aug 4-5 FRUIT AS ART: Exhibit. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, 1-4 p.m. Sunday at the Bingham-Waggoner Estate, 313 W. Pacific, Independence. $5. www.bwestate.org (816-461-3491)
Aug 3–5 Powell Gardens presents “The Mazes”, ten mazes and labyrinths designed by local architects, artists and the community at large. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. Powell Gardens, 1609 N.W. U.S. 50, Kingsville. $3-$8 garden admission; ages 4 and under, free. www.powellgardens.org (816-697-2600)
Aug 4 Cool off at the Big Chill Ice skating party with live D.J., music, lights and games. Sponsored by Ice Midwest and Hen House. 7-9 p.m. Ice Midwest, 12140 W. 135th, Overland Park. $7 admission, $3 skate rental Ages 11-15. Security guards and skate guards provided. www.IceMidwest.com (913-851-1600)
Aug 5 Don’t miss Professor Protein and the Food Groupies, a puppet show performed by Kraig Kensinger, puppeteer. 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.at the Puppetry Arts Institute, 11025 E. Winner, Independence. $5. www.hazelle.org (816-833-9777)
Aug 5 Join in the fun of Clown Day at Crown Center! Performances by clown groups; including balloon animals, face painting, clowning around. 11a.m.Crown Center Shops Atrium, Level One, 2450 Grand. Free. Activities begin 11 a.m., stage show begins noon. www.crowncenter.com (816-274-8444)
Aug 3-5 The International Plastic Modelers’ Society holds it’s National Scale Model Convention. Scale model enthusiasts and vendors; models including cars, jets, figures, tanks, boats, etc.; There will be a vendor room, seminars, and make-and-take activity for kids (on Saturday from 1 to 3PM) Hyatt Regency Crown Center, 2345 McGee. www.ipmsusa2006.org (913-341-1039)
Aug 4 The Kansas City String Quartet Distinguished faculty concert. 6 p.m. Aug 4. Kauffman Foundation. Free. www.kcstringquartet.org (816-363-7689)
Aug 4-6 “Anything Goes” , 8:30 p.m. at the Gladstone Amphitheatre in Oak Grove Park. Chairs/blanket may be placed in park after 3 p.m. Free. www.gladstonetip.com (816-436-7277 or 816-436-2200)
Aug 3-6 “Bye Bye Birdie” will be presented at 8:30 p.m. Shawnee Mission Park, Theatre in the Park. $4-$6; ages 2 and under, free. www.theatreinthepark.org (913-312-8841)
Aug 5 Explore Liberty’s Architectural Heritage on a walking tour led by Ken Robinson. Walking tour is free to the public. Begins at 10AM at the Garrison School, 502 N. Water Street.
Aug 4 The Summit Fest Blues and Jazz festival 7-10:30 p.m. Downtown Lee's Summit. Free.
Aug 6 Blue Sunday with Howlin’ Steve and the Soul Shakers and the Reba Russell Band 5-8 p.m. at the City Market.
Don't forget it's Tax Free Weekend! If you need to buy clothing, computers, software, and other "qualifying items", you can save a few bucks by purchasing this weekend! Details here
There you have just a few ideas of things going on in our great city! Get out there and enjoy some stuff. As for me, I'll be judging BBQ at the UMB Smokin' Vault BBQ competition on Saturday. Yum!
R.H. Macy and Company came to KC with its purchase of the John Taylor Dry Goods Co in the 1940s . "Macy's on Main", at the intersection of Petticoat Lane and Main Street, opened a short time later, after extensive remodeling to the old store. Eventually growing to 21 stores across the Midwest, Macy's served customers for almost 40 years. In 1986, Macy's sold its Midwest stores to Dillards and withdrew from the Kansas City retail scene.
Well, now they're coming back! Macy's is taking over the Jones Store, and in September all Jones Store locations will become Macy's department stores. It's nice to see a retailer of the caliber of Macy's returning to Kansas City.
I remember Macy's fondly. They were the "classy" store in my childhood, filled with wonderful, quality clothing, housewares, and other items. Welcome back, Macy's!
The Kansas City Business Journal has just reported that Kansas City International Airport processed over 1 million passengers this past June, the first time there have been volumes that high since August of 2001.
Justin Meyer, the aviation department's manager of air service development is quoted as saying: "Achieving 1 million passengers per month speaks volumes about the demand for air travel from Kansas City," Mark VanLoh, the department's director, said in a release. "Competitive air service at KCI has obviously spurred travelers, as they know a great value when they see it."
That's all wonderful news for our fair city, but do you wonder what's the reason so many people were LEAVING KC in June? Do you think they somehow knew just how danged HOT it was going to be here this summer? I wonder..........
Don't forget! This weekend, August 4-6, is "No Sales Tax" weekend in Missouri. As I wrote in an earlier blog entry, you can save some bucks on "back to school" purchases this weekend in many areas, including Kansas City.
Items that will be exempt from Missouri sales tax include:
Clothing – Any article having a taxable value of $100 or less.
School Supplies – Not to exceed $50 per purchase
Computer Software – Taxable value of $350 or less
Personal Computers – Not to exceed $3,500
Computer Peripheral Devices – Not to exceed $3,500
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, B.G. Roberts grew up farming and raising livestock, mostly cattle, north of town. Deciding the smell of cow dung was not to his liking, he came back to KC, earning his livelyhood in high-tech fields for over 30 years. Now he's returned to the rural life, and loving it! A writer, a poet, and an entrepreneur, B.G. brings a unique depth and breadth of knowledge to the many topics he writes on.
