KC Parks News

Starlight Goes INDOORS in January

Kansas City’s favorite outdoor theatre is moving indoors in January – to stage four fun shows in heated, comfortable spaces on site!

After a successful trial run with an indoor production last February, Starlight Theatre is expanding its winter series in 2016. All shows will be presented in the climate-controlled interior spaces of Starlight’s 12,000-square-foot stage house and its Berger Studio.

Tickets are on sale now for the four hilarious hits booked for Starlight Indoors:

Dixie’s Tupperware Party
January 12-17, 2016
Cohen Community Stagehouse at Starlight
Dixie Longate, the fast-talking Tupperware Lady, packed up her catalogs, left her children in an Alabama trailer park and took off-Broadway by storm! Traveling the country, Dixie’s Tupperware Party entertains with outrageously funny tales, free giveaways and the most fabulous assortment of Tupperware ever sold on a theatre stage. Women and men will love this interactive Southern-fried adult comedy.

Late Nite Catechism
January 13-31, 2016
Berger Studio at Starlight
Part catechism class, part stand-up routine, Late Nite Catechism is one of the longest-running shows in U.S. theatre history. You’ll be part of Sister’s class. She’ll take you back to the days of Latin Mass, meatless Fridays and that good ol’ ruler across the knuckles!  Catholics and heathens will enjoy this clean interactive comedy.

POTTED POTTER
January 19-24, 2016
Cohen Community Stagehouse at Starlight
This Olivier Award-nominated show takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven “Harry Potter” books (and a real-life game of Quidditch) into 70 hilarious minutes. Even if you don’t know the difference between a horcrux and a Hufflepuff, this Harry Potter parody will make you roar with laughter. Interactive comedy perfect for ages 6 to Dumbledore (who is very old indeed).

One-Man Star Wars Trilogy
January 26-31,2016
Cohen Community Stagehouse at Starlight
The extremely talented Canadian actor and writer, Charles Ross, stuns with his One-Man Star Wars Trilogy. Much of Ross’ childhood was spent in a galaxy far, far away, watching Star Wars videos over and over again. The result of his misspent youth is this hilarious show, where Ross single-handedly plays all 40 characters, sings the music, flies the ships and fights the battles. A comedic must-see for Star Wars fans young and old. Costumes welcomed.

Buy now while the best seats are available. Also, check out Starlight’s VIP seating packages. Free valet parking and the best seat locations are available on Dixie’s sofas, Late Nite’s Teacher’s Pet section, the Quidditch Zone and the Force Field!

Starlight Indoors shows are a great gift idea for everyone on your holiday list! Save 10% when you buy two shows or save 15% when you buy 3 or more shows.

Registration Now Open for Frosty Fun Days Camp at Starlight

If you’re looking to keep your kids active over the upcoming winter break from school, Starlight Theatre has just the camp to keep their bodies and imaginations engaged – Frosty Fun Days!

Now in its fourth year, this interactive day camp for children ages 6 to 10 will meet indoors at Starlight on Tuesday, Dec. 29 and Wednesday, Dec. 30.

At Frosty Fun Days, the focus is on performance skills and good old-fashioned fun. Campers explore the world of musical theatre as they participate in theatre games, storytelling, music, movement and dance. They also create the props they’ll use in a live theatre performance for their new friends at each day’s Shivery Showoff.

Camp meets from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and children may attend one or both days. Cost is $45 per day, and before and after care are available for an additional fee.

Click for more information and to register for Frosty Fun Days.

“My three granddaughters have been very inspired by the (Starlight) camps. I love that they are learning to channel their drama into such productive and fun activities. We will be back!”

– Grandmother of 2014 campers

City Acquires a New Collection

Decades ago in the years after World War I, Kansas City’s garment district was second only to New York City’s in size. The process of designing and manufacturing clothes, especially men’s and women’s coats and suits, created thousands of local jobs—more than any other industry except the stockyards.

Five years ago the City’s Parks and Recreation Department created the Garment District Park (marked by a giant-sized needle and button sculpture) to recognize and stabilize the area centered at 8th Street and Broadway. Last week park officials held a reception there to celebrate a new acquisition—a collection of over 300 Kansas City-made garments and accessories from the Historic Garment District Museum at 801 Broadway.  In addition to acquiring this collection, the Parks and Recreation Department now operates and manages the Historic Garment District Museum at the Broadway location.

The small museum located in DST’s Poindexter building owes its beginnings largely to Ann Brownfield, who designed clothes and purchased fabric from manufacturers around the world before starting her own company. The industry went into decline after the mid-1950s due to several reasons, including a changing labor pool, drop in mom-and-pop dress stores, and more casual fashion styles. “Blue jeans helped kill us,” Brownfield says.

Some years later Brownfield was walking through the downtown district and was shocked to witness thousands of buttons, bows, buckles and snaps being tossed out of a former garment manufacturing building. “I thought, oh my gosh! Nobody is ever going to know all this was down here.”

So Brownfield, assisted by Harvey Fried, who also worked in the garment trade, gathered together old photos, artifacts and clothes—including some of her own “Mad Men”-era outfits—to furnish a small museum, where they served as curators and offered tours. Brownfield also co-authored a book about Kansas City’s fashion industry, We Were Hanging By a Thread, with David Jackson of the Jackson County Historical Society.

Now Brownfield and Fried have retired and handed over the museum to the Parks Department, which also operates the Kansas City Museum.

“The Historic Garment District is a significant part of Kansas City’s history, and the museum that Ann and Harvey have created and sustained is a gem,” says Kansas City Museum Executive Director Anna Marie Tutera, who notes that the collection and the opportunity to manage the Broadway location allows the Kansas City Museum to add to its stellar collection (one of the best in the region) of historical clothing, textiles and costumes.

“We’re honored and grateful that Ann and Harvey would entrust this collection and their museum to the City’s Parks and Recreation Department. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with them,” says Mark McHenry, department director.

The Historic Garment District Museum is open to the public on Saturday and by appointment Wednesday through Friday.

~Jill Draper, City Communications

Fairy Princess Tradition Continues at Kansas City Museum

By Leon Toon via KC Studio magazine

The Kansas City Museum closes the calendar year of its 75th anniversary in December with a Kansas City icon whose roots stretch even further back in the city’s history. It was 80 years ago that the Fairy Princess tradition was born, and for almost three decades, she has held reign over the museum’s December events.

For those few who are unfamiliar with the Fairy Princess tradition: each December, children from throughout the Kansas City area make the short pilgrimage to the Kansas City Museum to share their holiday hopes with the princess, as well as to enjoy stories, performances, and hands-on activities that have added to this uniquely Kansas City annual event. It is an experience today’s children share with their parents and grandparents, who in their turn, visited the Princess and made their own childhood wishes known.

From her beginning in 1935 at the Kline’s Department Store’s Toyland through the late 1960s, the Fairy Princess was a holiday highlight for Kansas City families. When Kline’s closed its doors in 1970, the princess disappeared from Kansas City’s holiday traditions.

For 16 years she lived only in the fond memories of those who had experienced her enchanting charm. Then in 1987, the Kansas City Museum gave the Fairy Princess a new home, reviving this treasured annual experience for current and future generations. Since 2006 she has also appeared annually at Zona Rosa Town Center, which, in partnership with the museum, has brought the Fairy Princess back to her retail beginnings.

In a few short weeks, the Fairy Princess will make the first of her annual appearances at Zona Rosa from November 21 through December 3rd. She will appear at the Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 27 at Crown Center and at Union Station’s Holiday Lighting Ceremony on November 21.

Then during the first three Saturdays and Sundays in December, the Fairy Princess will hold court at the Kansas City Museum, just as she has done for the past three decades. She will greet her young visitors Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from Noon to 4 p.m. on December 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, and 20. Admission is $10 per child, and no reservations are necessary to continue – or begin – this magical tradition in your family. For more information, visit the museum online at kansascitymuseum.org and zonarosa.com.

To commemorate her 80 years as Kansas City’s holiday princess, the Kansas City Museum has commissioned Kansas City native and internationally renowned artist Irma Starr to create a commemorative Fairy Princess ornament. Starr is a Kansas City icon in her own right; her works can be found at the Nelson Atkins-Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and other leading art museums, and she has created commissioned works for, among others, the White House. Fairy Princess ornaments are available for purchase at the museum starting this month, and are sure to become a special part of Kansas City’s Fairy Princess tradition.

The Kansas City Museum’s resurrection of this fabled Kansas City tradition is emblematical of the museum’s core mission as it prepares for the next 75 years and beyond. “The future Kansas City Museum will continue to collect, preserve, and interpret Kansas City’s local and regional history and heritage,” said Kansas City Museum Executive Director Anna Marie Tutera. “As the museum recreates itself over the coming months and years, it will serve as a hub of learning, discovery, and conversation where individuals and communities come together to explore and experience the city’s vibrant neighborhoods, unique traditions, and rich cultural legacies. Museumvisitors will make meaningful personal connections to the City’s history and heritage in unexpected and wondrous ways, and they will be inspired toward thoughtful citizenship.”

For a full listing of programming in November and December, visit kansascitymuseum.org.

Tranquil Trickle: Considerations in Designing and Maintaining Public Fountains

Fountains can create an ambiance for any setting. Whether it’s the sound of water falling from one tier to the next, or dancing and changing color to the sound of a melodic tune, fountains typically evoke feelings of joy and peace.

While all of these feel-good terms sound like characteristics of amenities that parks and recreation departments should provide, there are many things to consider when contemplating adding a public fountain to facilities, or renovating an existing one. A fountain is a long-term, complicated commitment that requires making good initial choices to avoid problems later.

Read the rest of the article on PRB site>>

Kansas City Zoo Aquires Male Bull Elephant

Tamani, a 9-year old male elephant, has arrived at the Kansas City Zoo. Upon his arrival the females began their trumpeting welcome. He is settling in near, but separated from, the females in the Zoo’s bull yard designed specifically to withstand the strength of male elephants and stimulate their intelligence.

Experienced Elephant Zoo Keepers will work with Tamani as they do with the females. Using positive reinforcement for training, he will receive baths on a weekly schedule along with footwork and regular blood draws. He will be on an exercise schedule and slowly introduced to the Zoo’s female elephants. The first females to be introduced could be Lady and Megan. If that goes well, Tattoo would be introduced. This is a very careful and thoughtful process that is exciting for the Elephant Conservation work the Kansas City Zoo is embarking upon.

Zoo guests may be able to catch a glimpse of this lively male from the elephant overlook across from the flamingos. Related Story>>