KC Parks News

FootGolf Makes Missouri Debut at Heart of America Golf Academy

FootGolf, which combines the popular sports of soccer and golf has debuted at the Heart of America Golf Academy’s “The Rock” golf course. Heart of America Golf Academy, a City of Kansas City, Missouri Parks & Recreation Department facility, and Orion Management Solutions, facility manager, are excited to bring this exciting new sport to the State of Missouri.

To play FootGolf, athletes use soccer balls on a traditional golf course with 21-inch diameter cups. The rules largely correspond to the rules of golf. The Heart of America Golf Academy FootGolf Course has 18 holes built within the confines of “The Rock” at HOA and is designed to be able play both traditional golf and FootGolf simultaneously.

FootGolf uses golf’s basic model including tee boxes, greens, bunkers, hazards and 18 holes of play. Scorecards  display par scores for each hole as in regular golf. The sport is governed by the Federation for International FootGolf  and has grown primarily internationally.

“We’re excited to bring this new sport to our golf course,” explained Craig Martin, PGA General Manager at HOA. “It’s a perfect fit for our facility. Our 18-hole FootGolf course is incorporated into our “Rock” golf course and FootGolfers will play in regular rotation with our current traditional golfers.” “As a father of two active children, I am fascinated by the combination of the two sports. My family will be able to be outdoors playing an enjoyable game while getting a good deal of exercise. I think this sport is a winner,” Martin continues.

The sport is played in the traditional format of up to four players per group with FootGolfers either walking the course or using golf carts. Holes are roughly half the distance of a regular golf hole. While the soccer ball doesn’t travel as far in the air as a golf ball, it will roll much farther in the fairways.

Watch a video about FootGolf from the City’s Weekly Report.

All the details on the HOA site.

Multiple Races will Affect Traffic in Kansas City May 3-4

As a service to our residents, the City of Kansas City, Mo., sends occasional notices about temporary road closures due to outdoor races to help residents better plan their weekends and avoid inconvenient road closures or delays. This weekend, six races will affect traffic throughout Kansas City. Please note, police are prepared to allow motorists to cross the routes when they deem it safe for the participants. Please observe caution and obey all posted detours, barricades and no parking signs.

The Kansas City Corporate Challenge 5K takes place Saturday, May 3 from about 7:30-9:30 a.m. and will temporarily close Ward Parkway between 83rd and 94th streets. For more information, visit www.kccorporatechallenge.com/events/5k.

The Lockton Purple Stride 5K Race takes place Saturday, May 3 from about 8:30-10 a.m. and will temporarily close the following streets:

– Oak Street, between Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard and East 50th Street

– 50th Street, between Oak and Cherry streets; and between Rockhill Road and Troost Avenue

– Cherry Street, between East 50th Street and Rockhill Road

– Rockhill Road, between Cherry and East 50th streets

– Troost Avenue, between East 50th Street and Volker Boulevard

– Volker Boulevard, between Troost Avenue and The Paseo Boulevard

For more information, visit http://www.purplestride.org/.

The Temple Run takes place Saturday, May 3 from about 9-11:30 a.m. and will temporarily close the following streets:

– North Ewing Avenue, between Northeast 70th Street and Northeast 70th Terrace

– Northeast 70th Terrace, between North Ewing Avenue and Searcy Creek Parkway

– Searcy Creek Parkway, between Northeast 70th Terrace and Northeast Shoal Creek Parkway

– Northeast Shoal Creek Parkway, between Searcy Creek Parkway and Northeast 76th Street

For more information, visit http://www.templerun.net/.

The Cinco De Mayo 5-Que takes place Sunday, May 4 from about 8-9:30 a.m. and will temporarily close the following streets:

– Avenida Cesar E. Chavez, between Jarboe Street and Allen Avenue

– Allen Avenue (turning into West 25th Street), between Avenida Cesar E. Chavez and Southwest Boulevard

– Southwest Boulevard, between West 25th and Liberty streets

For more information, visit http://cincodemayo5que.com/.

The LAKC Race for Justice takes place Sunday, May 4 from about 8-10 a.m. along the Brush Creek Trail near the Plaza. While there are no official road closures, police will block traffic where the Brush Creek Trail intersects with Rockhill Road and Oak Street while runners are crossing. For more information, visit http://www.lakc.net/run-for-justice-5k/.

The March for Babies takes place Sunday, May 4 from about 10 a.m. to noon and will temporarily close the following streets:

– Walnut Street, between Truman Road and West 19th Street

– 19th Street, between Grand Boulevard and Baltimore Avenue

– Baltimore Avenue, between West 19th and West 14th streets; and between West 10th and West 12th streets

– West 14th Street, between Baltimore Avenue and Broadway Boulevard

– Broadway Boulevard, between West 14th and West Ninth streets

– West Ninth Street, between Broadway Boulevard and Wyandotte Street

– Wyandotte Street, between West Ninth and West 10th streets

– West 10th Street, between Wyandotte Street and Baltimore Avenue

– 12th Street; between Baltimore Avenue and Grand Boulevard

– Grand Boulevard, between East 12th and East 19th streets

For more information, visit http://www.marchforbabies.org/.

Tutera Chosen to Lead Kansas City Museum

The City of Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation announces the appointment of Anna Marie Tutera as the new executive director of the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall.

“As Kansas City Parks and Recreation takes on the responsibility to manage the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall on May 1, we are fortunate to have Anna Marie join our team as the museum’s new executive director,” said Mark McHenry, director of KC Parks.  “Her wealth of knowledge of museums and the Kansas City community will be a valuable asset as this new era of the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall begins.”

Tutera has served as the executive director of the Wornall/Majors House Museums since 2012 and accomplished a tremendous amount during her tenure most notably leading a $350,000 capital project to reconstruct the foundation and façade of the 1858 John Wornall House, one of Kansas City’s most significant architectural treasurers.

“Anna Marie is a powerhouse of enthusiasm and knowledge,” said Wornall/Majors House Museums Board Chair Stewart Smith. “The Wornall/Majors House Museums will miss her many talents. But we are delighted that she has been selected to lead the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall, one of our community’s most storied and valuable cultural assets.”

Anna Marie Tutera grew up in Kansas City, Missouri (in a house across the street from the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall) and has lived and worked in Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.  She has an extensive background in the museum and nonprofit fields including executive leadership positions and consulting projects in transition management and multicultural program development.  Tutera has both practical experience and academic/professional training, giving her a unique, seasoned, and progressive perspective about organizational development.  In addition to the Wornall/Majors House Museums, she has worked at leading institutions such the Santa Fe Children’s Museum, Habitot Children’s Museum, The San Francisco Foundation, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Chicago Children’s Museum.  Tutera holds an M.A. in Museum Studies from John F. Kennedy University and a B.A. in English Literature from Northwestern University.

“The Wornall/Majors House Museums value their partnership with Kansas City Parks and Recreation and the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall. We view both as friends and allies and look forward to collaborating in the future,” adds Smith. “The Kansas City Museum will benefit from her knowledge, high energy and vision for how museums function in the contemporary world.”

Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall

In December 2013, the City Manager, City Council, and Union Station leaders forged a new long-term agreement with the City’s Parks and Recreation Department for management of the museum beginning May 1, 2014.

Corinthian Hall has long been associated as an icon of the Kansas City Museum, and there have been ongoing discussions about how to best manage this building and property, while also advancing the interests and programs of the Kansas City Museum. Corinthian Hall has been under significant renovation over the last five years with the City investing approximately $10 million into the facility. The Parks Department will continue to manage the future renovation process and also set forth the vision for the best use of the facility and surrounding campus for the future.

Money collected from the City’s tax levy for the Museum will be used by the Parks Department for programming and curatorial services as well as ongoing maintenance to the building.

The agreement states that both the City’s Parks Department and Union Station can display artifacts and exhibits from the collection at Corinthian Hall and at Union Station, as well as at other locations where the City and/or Union Station determine.

“We look forward to guiding the future of the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall,” said McHenry. “I am confident that, under Anna Marie’s leadership, we will ensure it remains an active and vital part of our community.”

Weekend Races Affect Traffic in Plaza, Brookside Areas

The City of Kansas City, Mo., is notifying motorists that the AIDS Walk and the Trolley Run will affect traffic in Kansas City on this weekend. Please note, police are prepared to allow motorists to cross the routes when they deem it safe for the participants.

The AIDS Walk takes place on Saturday, April 26 from about 10-11 a.m. and will temporarily close the following streets:

– Oak Street, between Volker Boulevard and Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard

– Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard, between Rockhill Road and JC Nichols Parkway

– 43rd Street, between JC Nichols Parkway and Oak Street

– Rockhill Road, between Oak Street and Volker Boulevard

– intersection of Oak Street and Volker Boulevard

– intersection of Brookside Boulevard and Ward Parkway

For more information, visit http://www.aidswalkkansascity.org/.

The Trolley Run will take place Sunday, April 27 from about 7:30-9 a.m. and will temporarily close the following streets:

– Wornall Road, between 75th Street and Gregory Boulevard

– Gregory Boulevard, between Wornall Road and Main Street

– Main Street, between Gregory Boulevard and 69th Street

– 69th Street, between Main Street and Brookside Road

– Brookside Road, between 69th Street and Ward Parkway

– Ward Parkway, between Brookside Boulevard and Central Street

For more information, visit http://www.trolleyrun.org/.

As a service to our residents, the City of Kansas City, Mo., sends occasional notices about temporary road closures due to outdoor races to help residents better plan their weekends and avoid inconvenient road closures or delays.

Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center & Museum to Celebrate African American Women in Church Hats

Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center & Museum presents “Crowned in Glory Kansas City African American Women in Church Hats.”  The exhibition grand opening will occur Saturday, April 19 from 2-4 p.m. The celebration will include a reception that is free to the public where the Kansas City community will join the museum in viewing portraits of over 50 Greater Kansas City personalities.  The exhibition will be on display through May 22.

The exhibition concept is based on the bestselling book entitled, Crowns:  African American Women in Church Hat.  Throughout the past two centuries African American women have often dressed in their best clothing for Sunday service.  One vestige of the past that has continued to be an integral part of African American clothing is the church hat.  During services the hat adds an aura to the woman, a certain regal attitude that expresses that this person may of nobility hence the term “crown.”  In the Christian, religious tradition, a person who is born again enters into the royal family of God.

Some of the individuals from throughout the community being featured include:  Former Councilwoman Joanne Collins, Mrs. Helen Ragsdale, Mrs. Ethel Like-Bell, Mrs. Janice Love, Mrs. Sharon Cleaver, Rev. Dr. Betty Hannah-Witherspoon, Supervisor Betty Jo Morrison, Mrs. Barbara Briscoe, and Rev. Sharon Fisher.

The exhibition includes photos taken by the photographer J. LeRoy Beasley, Michelle Beasley, and Lawrence W. Dixon specifically for this original exhibition

The event is sponsored by The Board of Directors of Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center and the City of Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department.

For more information please contact 816-513-0700.

Show-Me State Games Shelter Insurance® Torch Run Comes to Kansas City

The Show-Me State Games and Shelter Insurance® are hosting a Torch Lighting Ceremony and Run on Tuesday, April 22, in preparation for the 2014 Show-Me STATE GAMES. The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. at Mill Creek Park.

The event will begin with a brief Torch Lighting Ceremony at 1:30 p.m., including speakers from the Show-Me State Games and Shelter Insurance®, as well as Parks and Recreation Director Mark McHenry and event master of ceremonies, Michelle Bogowith.  Also in attendance will be Show-Me STATE GAMES Female Athlete of the Year Taileena Oja.  Oja was also named the National Congress of State Games Youth Athlete of the Year and was profiled in Sports Illustrated.  Kansas City residents will bring the torch through the Country Club Plaza.

The mission of the Shelter Insurance® Show-Me State Games Torch Run is to generate exposure and enthusiasm for the Show-Me State Games throughout Missouri.  The Show-Me State Games is an Olympic-style sports festival offering more than 40 events for all ages and ability levels.  The 30^th anniversary Games will take place on June 20-22, July 18-20 and July 25-27 in Columbia, Mo.

The torch will be traveling across Missouri during the months leading up to the Games.  The full schedule includes:   Springfield on April 8, Joplin on April 9, Kansas City on April 22, Hannibal on April 25, St. Louis on April 29 and St. Charles on April 30. The Torch will be run in Jefferson City and Columbia on July 18, finally reaching its final destination – the Hearnes Center – for the Opening Ceremonies kicking off at 7 p.m.

The Show-Me State Games was established in 1985 as a non-profit program of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Health.  Now the largest state games in the nation, the Show-Me State Games is hosted by the University of Missouri. In addition to the summer games, the Show-Me State Games offers events throughout the year to promote health, fitness, family and fun.

For more information on registration for the torch run or Games, you can visit www.smsg.org.