Celebrate the end of summer and beat the heat this holiday weekend at the following Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation outdoor pools and spraygrounds:
JUNIOR POOLS (Free admission) Arbor Villa Pool, 66th Terrace and Main Street
Wednesday/Thursday: 3-7 p.m.
Saturday/Sunday: 1-6 p.m.
Jarboe Park Pool, 16th and Jarboe Streets
Wednesday/Thursday: 3-7 p.m.
Saturday/Sunday: 1-6 p.m.
MAJOR POOLS ($3 admission) Budd Park Pool, Budd Park Esplanade
Friday: 4-7 p.m.
Saturday-Monday: 1-6 p.m.
Grove Park Pool, Truman Road and Benton Boulevard
Friday: 4-7 p.m.
Saturday-Monday: 1-6 p.m.
Swope Park Pool, 6700 Lewis Road
Friday: 4-7 p.m.
Saturday-Monday: 1-6 p.m.
WATER PARKS ($3 admission with Splash Special coupon) The Bay Water Park, 7101 Longview Rd. (Extended hours!)
Friday: 4-8 p.m.
Saturday: 12-8 p.m.
Sunday: 1-8p.m.
Monday: 1-6 p.m.
The Springs Aquatic Center, 9400 N. Congress Ave.
Friday: 5-8 p.m.
Saturday/Sunday: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
Monday: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
SPRAYGROUNDS (Free admission) Please visit the webpage for locations and schedules.
On August 19, Bayer CropScience in partnrship with Bridging the Gap and KC Parks celebrated the contribution honey bees make to Kansas City’s landscape by planting a pollinator-friendly garden at Lakeside Nature Center in Swope Park.
Bayer has been actively involved in finding solutions to improve honey bee health for more than 25 years. As a company dedicated to crop protection, Bayer is committed to environmental stewardship and sustainable agricultural practices, including the protection of beneficial insects such as honey bees.
Bayer believes that supporting honey bee health requires ongoing dialogue and engagement among key stakeholders. By planting a local pollinator patch, Bayer hopes to celebrate the area’s rich diversity of flowering plants and raise bee health awareness among the Kansas City community.
The importance of pollinators has never been greater. The need to feed a growing world population in a sustainable way makes pollinator awareness and support a pressing issue.
Bayer’s Bee Care Program brings our extensive experience and knowledge in bee health under one coordinated initiative. The program includes two dedicated Bayer Bee Care Centers in the U.S. and Europe, ongoing Bee Health research, engagement and collaboration with key stakeholders interested in engaging in the conversation on bee health, as well as stewardship and biodiversity.
Miss Saigon, one of the most stunning theatrical spectacles of all time, will be produced by Starlight Theatre, September 7-13. In Miss Saigon, Puccini’s Madame Butterfly is brought to the modern world. This powerful pop opera is an emotional tale about forbidden love, the tragedies of war and the sacrifices made to achieve the American Dream.
Miss Saigon is a love story about the relationship between an American GI and a young Vietnamese woman during the American occupation of Saigon during the Vietnam War. The Tony Award-winning musical was created by Claude Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil, the visionaries behind Les Miserables, and features a series of sensational musical numbers including, “Why God Why?” and “The American Dream.” It remains the 11th longest-running Broadway musical in musical theatre history.
“For Starlight’s production of Miss Saigon, we have assembled a stellar cast under the direction of internationally recognized artists that includes Director Fred Hanson, Music Director Kevin Stites and Choreographer Baayork Lee,” said Denton Yockey, President and Executive Producer of Starlight. “They are each established leaders in the musical theatre industry, and I cannot underscore enough what a thrill and a tremendous privilege it has been to have them in Kansas City rehearsing and preparing this production.”
Starlight Theatre is the lead producer of Miss Saigon. After opening in Kansas City, the co-production will travel to the Bushnell Theatre in Hartford, the Fisher Theatre in Detroit and the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul. It is Starlight’s sixth and final production in its 2013 Broadway Series, and is presented by U.S. Bank.
TICKET AND THEATRE INFORMATION Tickets to Miss Saigon are now on sale for $10 – $135. Tickets are available at kcstarlight.com, by calling 816-363-STAR (7827) or in person at Starlight Theatre, 4600 Starlight Road. Box Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.Discounted ticket prices for groups of 15 or more can be ordered by contacting Stacey Million, Starlight’s group sales manager, at groups@kcstarlight.com or 816-997-1137.
All performances begin at 8 p.m. Dining options for Miss Saigon include pre-show dining in the VIP Club catered by Plaza Catering that includes hot buffet items, extensive salad selections, a veggie garden bar, desserts, and special children’s menu. Reservations may be made in advance; walk-ups are also welcome. The menu for Miss Saigon is posted at www.kcstarlight.com. Other dining options include concession stand favorites and pre-packaged salads and sandwiches on the Encore Deck.
Pre-show tours of the stage, Starlight’s Walk of Stars, gardens and fountains are offered nightly along with pre-show performances at the Starlight Square stage. Free nightly, behind-the-scenes tours with information about Starlight and its rich history begin at 6:30 p.m., 6:45 p.m., and 7 p.m. at the top of the theatre behind Terrace Section 1. The Ovation Gift Store is open from 6 p.m. through end of show. Accessible parking and guest assistance getting in and out of the theater are available. For information about other Starlight services, visit kcstarlight.com.
The City of Kansas City, Mo., is notifying motorists that a run and triathlon/duathlon will affect traffic on the mornings of Saturday, Aug. 17 and Sunday, Aug. 18.
The Rivalry Run will begin on Saturday, Aug. 17 outside the Sprint Center (Grand Boulevard and 13th Street). Rolling road closures will take place from 8-9 a.m. on the following race route: south on Grand Boulevard until it curves onto Main Street; north on Main Street; east on 20th Street; and north on Grand Boulevard to finish at the Sprint Center. Police will let traffic cross when no runners are present.
The Jackson County Triathlon and Duathlon will begin Sunday, Aug. 18 at the Longview Lake entrance on Raytown Road. Rolling road closures will take place from 7:30-10:30 a.m. on the race route: south on Raytown Road; east on High Grove Road; south on Southeast Raytown Road; east on 137th Street, which turns into Hook Road; south on Peterson Road; east on 139th Street; north on Sampson Road; west on Scherer Road; and north on Raytown Road to finish at Longview Lake. Police will let traffic cross when no runners are present.
Please observe caution and obey all posted detours and barricades.
Can you spot the newest and tiniest member of the golden lion tamarin troop? Born on July 31, this two-week-old monkey joins the family of four golden lion tamarins at the Kansas City Zoo.
Although this baby tamarin is already on exhibit, he may be a bit hard to find. The youngster will “hang” out on his mom or dad’s back for the first couple months, looking like a tiny golden backpack. Dad will carry the baby most of the time and hand it off to mom for nursing. It won’t be long before this baby is swinging and jumping from tree limb to tree limb just like the rest of his family. This latest offspring is the third born to this adult golden lion tamarin couple; they were recommended for breeding by the Species Survival Plan (SSP).
Golden lion tamarins are small orange-yellow monkeys, weighing around a pound at adulthood. They are an endangered species: only around 1,500 golden lion tamarins live in the wild. Primarily inhabiting the Atlantic coastal forest of Brazil, they feast on fruits, insects, and small lizards.
See this tiny golden bundle of joy in the golden lion tamarin exhibit located in Tropics.
This month’s First Friday in the Crossroads district has a surprise in store for visitors on September 6. The recently renovated space at Mid-America Arts Alliance, 2018 Baltimore has a full house of new paintings of Kansas City’s famous fountains that can be seen until 8 p.m. that evening.
The art is part of a campaign to raise funds for several local fountains in need of repair. Artists will be available during the First Friday event to interact with the visitors. Artwork will be viewable and available for bid from September 2-16 at www.kcfountains.com. Paintings will be available in oil, pastel, acrylic, watercolor or drawings created with ink or pencil and include the frame featured in the photo.
Artists began painting at local fountains on June 8 and completed their Plein Air works in August for submittal to an on-line art auction that will benefit the fountains.The artist and the City of Fountains Foundation will split the receipts of the work sold at the auction. The Foundation holds endowments for many local fountains and sculptures and works closely with KC Parks to help with their maintenance.
The repair of eight local fountains is the target of the Wish Upon A Fountain campaign that began in June to raise $2.5 million. The City of Fountains Foundation hopes Kansas City will open its pockets to help the City return the fountains to their original condition. Artists are certainly doing their share by offering 50% of the sale of their work for the fountains.
Visitors can view the large collection from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on September 6 and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays until September 16 when the bidding for the art at the on-line at www.kcfountains.com ends. Kansas City has an opportunity to help the fountains and get an original work of fountain art by purchasing it at the on-line auction.
Celebrate the end of summer and beat the heat this holiday weekend at the following Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation outdoor pools and spraygrounds:
