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  1. Sunday Morning Race Affects Downtown Traffic

    KomenThe City of Kansas City, Mo., is notifying motorists that the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure will affect traffic on Sunday, Aug. 11 in the Crown Center/Crossroads/Power & Light District areas.

    The 5K race will begin at Union Station, and rolling race closures will take place from 5-11 a.m. on the following race route: north on Grand Boulevard; east on 18th Street; north on Oak Street; west on 11th Street; south on Walnut Street; west on 14th Street; south on Wyandotte Street; west on 16th Street; south on Broadway Boulevard/Pennway Street; and east on Pershing Road to finish at Union Station. In addition, the one-mile race will start at Union Station and rolling race closures will take place from 5-11 a.m. on the following route: north on Main Street; west on 20th Street; southwest on Southwest Boulevard; south on Pennway Street; and east on Pershing Road to finish at Union Station.

    Please observe caution and obey all posted detours and barricades.

  2. Five Stories Behind KC Neighborhoods And Parks

    FROM KCUR Radio:

    Ever wonder how neighborhoods and parks around the city got their names? Host Monroe Dodd was back during Friday’s show with a panel of guests to tell the stories behind the names of public spaces and communities in Kansas City.

    Joining him was Jeremy Drouin​ of theKansas City Public Library, David Jackson of the Jackson County Historical Societyand Ann McFerrin of the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department.

    “People want to know the social history of their homes,” said Jeremy Drouin, director of the Missouri Valley Room at the Kansas City Public Library. Drouin added that people searching for their residences’ pasts are particularly interested in photographs.

    If you missed Friday’s show, here are a handful of facts from our guests that you might not have known about the city:

    • Hyde Park was first created as a private park for people living in the Hyde Park and Janssen Place neighborhoods to reclaim it from squatters who had settled there. A golf course, tennis courts and a walking trail were all built as part of this urban renewal project.
    • Theis Park is named after Frank Theis, who was on the park board and involved with grain trading in Kansas City. But it’s sometimes called Volker Park because its fountain was named after William Volker and was dedicated before the park had a formal name. The park was officially named Theis Park after Frank Theis died in 1965.
    • Westport was originally an independent city and was established before Kansas City itself in 1834 by the McCoy family. The California, Oregon and Santa Fe trails passed through. Residents of Westport eventually voted to become part of the city in the 1890s.
    • Kansas City’s smallest park is Andrew Drips Park: It’s only 0.16 acres. It’s located north of 16th Street between Jarboe and Bellevue, and its namesake was a fur trader whose daughter married a prominent Kansas Citian. (Needle Park in the Garment District downtown probably comes in at a close second for the title of smallest park at 0.76 acres.)
    • Thomas Swope originally planned to use what is now Swope Park as a farm. Swope, though generous with his philanthropic causes, wasn’t a proponent of using public land for parks – he originally wanted to donate a library to the city, but one already existed. The story goes that a friend of his talked him into donating the land for a park, which opened on June 25, 1896 to a crowd of about 20,000 people.

    Listen to the show here.

    By ,  AND 

  3. Mulkey Square Master Plan Meeting Tonight

    The Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation Department seeks input from neighbors and park users of Mulkey Square to help develop a new master plan for the park that will guide future development based on the needs and desires of the community.

    MULKEY SQUARE MASTER PLAN MEETING

    Tuesday, July 30
    6-7 p.m.
    Tony Aguirre Community Center, 2050 W. Pennway, Kansas City, MO 64108

    Mulkey Square is located at 13th and Summit just west of I-35.

    Plan to attend!

     

  4. MLS All-Stars and Local Celebrities Attempt to Score a Goal across Brush Creek at Theis Park

    MLS All Star LogoMLS All-Stars, Sporting Kansas City players, and local celebrities to participate in special Major League Soccer event

    Come watch your favorite Major League Soccer All-Stars and Sporting Kansas City players attempt to kick a soccer ball into a goal across Brush Creek to benefit Kansas City Parks and Recreation. The kick-off is part of the weeklong MLS All-Star Game festivities. Both MLS All-Stars and Sporting KC players, along with local celebrities, will be participating in this charity event from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, July 29 at Theis Park near the intersection of Volker Blvd. and Oak St.

    Soccer fans are welcome to attend. Attendees can anticipate music from DJ Eric Coomes, plenty of photo opportunities and giveaways, and the chance to meet some of the players participating in this week’s 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star Game. Following the event, fans can head to the Kansas City Power & Light District for a free concert by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (9 p.m., ticket required). Complete schedule of MLS All-Star events: http://www.sportingkc.com/guides/mls-all-star/events

    WHAT: MLS stars and local celebrities participate in the Brush Creek Kick, a part of the MLS All-Star festivities. This is a charity event where participants attempt to kick soccer ball across Brush Creek into a goal set on the opposite side of the creek.

    WHO: MLS All-Stars Matt Besler (Sporting KC), Corey Ashe (Houston Dynamo) and Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)

    Sporting Kansas City players Jimmy Nielsen, Soony Saad, Dom Dwyer and Oriol Rosell

    Local Celebrities (TV/news personalities etc.)

    WHEN: Monday, July 29, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

    WHERE:  Brush Creek at Theis Park – near the intersection of Volker Blvd. and Oak St. Kansas City, MO. Kickers will be set up on South side of Brush Creek.

  5. Mayor’s Night Hoops Participants “Make A Splash”

    Make A SplashFrom the start, Mayor’s Night Hoops has been about more than basketball.  Although there is much to be gained from playing ball–learning teamwork, skills and interaction — the Mayor’s Night Hoops program takes matters a step further by adding a mandatory education component to the mix.

    Programs that encourages academic excellence, employment skills, personal development, self esteem, conflict resolution, health awareness, and substance abuse prevention are just some of the offerings for Night Hoops participants.

    This summer, a new educational opportunity has been added to the mix through a partnership with Kansas City’s “Make A Splash” program.

    “Make A Splash” is a national swim program that teaches youth the fundamentals of water safety and beginning swim course lessons.  As an initiative of the USA Swimming Foundation, “Make A Splash” aims to increase the ability of children to swim in order to combat the following statistics:

    • 70% of African American children cannot swim
    • 60% of Latino children cannot swim
    • 40% of Caucasian children cannot swim
    • Ten people drown each day in the U.S.
    • Drowing is the second leading cause of unintentional death for children under the age of 14

    As a local “Make A Splash” provider, KC Parks will offer free swim lessons to  Mayor’s Night Hoops participants on Saturday, July 27, 5:45 p.m. at Swope Pool in Swope Park, 6700 Lewis Road.  Up to 200 Mayor’s Night Hoops students, ages 10-17,  are eligible to participate.  For more information, contact Harrel Johnson at 816-674-5715 or Diane Johnson at 816-985-0398..

     

     

     

  6. Emerald Ash Borer “Trap Trees”

    EAB tree tagAs part of the KC Parks Forestry Division’s Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Management Program, hundreds of ash trees around the city have deliberately been damaged in an attempt to attract the Emerald Ash Borer.

    Know as “trap trees”, the 700 trees have been marked with tags stating the following:

    NOTICE
    THIS IS AN EMERALD ASH BORER “TRAP TREE”

    EAB will kill ALL Ash trees! This tree has been purposely stressed by Parks and Recreation, Forestry Division to create a “Trap Tree” that will attract adult EAB beetles to it. Only “CITY TREES” that are within city right-of-way or city property, and are Ash species, are being stressed.

    DO NOT REMOVE THIS TAG, THIS TREE OR ANY PARTS OF IT.

    It is illegal to move hardwood firewood or any ASH tree materials out of state quarantined counties. Removal and improper disposal of branches or other Ash tree parts may result in spreading EAB. This tree will be removed by Parks & Recreation, Forestry Division at a later date and carefully examined for any signs of EAB beetles or larvae, and properly disposed of.

    To learn about EAB visit:

    www.kcmo.org/EAB

    www.eab.missouri.edu

    www.emeraldashborer.info

    Read more about the “trap tree” program in the Kansas City Star.

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