Editor’s Letter

For a lot of people, the scent of pine conjures up winter. The smell of pine resin immediately makes them think about Christmas trees and hot cocoa. For me, it’s the opposite. I lived in the west for a decade, where pinyon pine and Douglas fir imprinted themselves as the smell of summer adventure—long drives down dusty roads to cold creeks and sunny meadows. At the first sight of pine needles and prickly pear, I’m ready to hang a hammock and start casting flies. I mention that because there were a few times when I was delighted to encounter that smell while out reporting for this issue. Technically, I was smelling the native juniper bushes—but the effect was the same and brought me a smile. As always, our June issue is a guide to how to get the most out of the coming months of warm weather, dry skies and relative freedom. This year, we decided to switch up the format and pick something to do for every letter of the alphabet. You’ll find twenty-six things to do between now and Labor Day, from a Boulevardia bingo card (page 53) to a list of the neighborhoodwide yard sales (page 64) so popular in these parts. Beyond what you’ll find in the Summer Guide feature itself, we’ve tucked summer activity ideas throughout this issue. If you want to get a hit of fresh pine—and even see some small and struggling prickly pear—check out the Elk River Hiking Trail, which has a reputation as the most rugged trail in Kansas (page 72). It’s just a few miles from the Little House on the Prarie home, which crystalizes the popular view of the Kansas landscape around the world but also utterly defies it. It’s fifteen rugged miles and will be a challenge even if you’re training for a fourteener. If you’re looking for fun that involves less adrenaline and more crushed ice, we’ve also put together a new and better-than-ever list of KC patios (page 66). We’ve done this list before, as have others. But for this small feature, we endeavored to make the best KC patio list yet by carefully selecting the very best sixteen spots in the city. We’ve also got the inside scoop on three secrets of Kauffman Stadium that will make your next trip to the K fun no matter what happens on the field (page 28) and a piece about the Current, the city’s women’s professional soccer team which is about to make history by moving into the first dedicated stadium ever built for a North American women’s professional team (page 22). And if you’re one of those people who wants to go an entire summer without wearing real pants, we’ve got flowerprinted leggings from a local company that draws the designs by hand (page 35). It’s a lot to dig into, we know. But once you’ve got the hammock hung and grabbed a drink from the cooler, we’re hoping you Martin Cizmar can spend some time reading through our EDITOR IN CHIEF recommendations then texting friends MARTIN@KANSASCITYMAG.COM and marking up your calendar.

CONTRIBUTORS

Ethan Evans

WRITER This month’s summer feature includes a piece about RuPaul’s tour written by Ethan Evans, a former intern whose local passions include KC history, LGBTQIA+ community affairs and mediocre wineries.

AJ Robbins

PHOTOGRAPHER This month’s home feature was shot by AJ Robbins, a freelance photographer and videographer based out of Wichita. His favorite things to shoot and film are weddings, sports, real estate and brands.

Lauren Fox

WRITER This issue includes a news story about what should take the place of Nordstrom at the Country Club Plaza. It’s written by Lauren Fox, a freelance journalist who would personally love to see a small outdoor theater in the space.

NUMBERS FROM THIS ISSUE

10K $3K 19.43

People expected at the Juneteenth celebration in the Jazz District, which is becoming one of the nation’s largest.

PAGE 25

Price someone paid for the baseball that was Royals rookie Bobby Witt Jr.’s second hit.

PAGE 64

The official length in miles of the Indian Creek bike trail, as determined by Overland Park staffers at this magazine’s request.

PAGE 59

BREWING UP

The hottest topic in our world right now is beer— specifically, the best new breweries in KC. We’re working on our July issue, which will explore KC’s post-pandemic beer scene, and decided to ask members of the Beer Tasting KC Facebook group for their recommendations to make sure we weren’t missing anything. The response was great, so we’re sharing a bit of it here now in advance of that issue.

My favorite new brewery is Tall Trellis. I like getting Pathlight, Fields And Ivy, Sandhills and Limitless all in one spot, and the beers I’ve tried that they brew were good also. If someone was to say I’ll pay your tab right now if we go but it has to be one place, I’d say Diametric or Pathlight. Toss up because Diametric has that fire food also. But Pathlight nails every beer they put out. —Aaron Cohn Lots of great options, but I probably frequent Rockcreek Brewing Co. most in terms of newer breweries. Really love their patio. —Alex Andujar

If anyone was great during the pandemic it was Diametric. How many breweries and civilians did they take care of with their Together We Can events? —Ron DuBuque I’ve been drinking everything I see from Pathlight lately. —Jeremy Danner

The Goat in Lee’s Summit. They make some of the best beers in the KC metro. And if you’re a history buff, they’re inspired by the KC Mob. No relation… maybe. —Zack Thomas

Since 2020—ExBEERiment Brewing! The beer is good and the owners are so nice! And I love the science theme. —Melissa Huenefeldt

Iron Kettle in downtown Grain Valley. Great brews and whiskeys. Cool atmosphere. —Jerry Crisler

Gotta go with River Bluff. —Mark Scrivner

SHOUT OUT

A special thanks this month to Mike Burton, a manager for the Overland Park Parks and Recreation Department, who finally provided a definitive answer to the length of the Indian Creek bike trail, which varies by fifty percent among various credible sources.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Photographer Samantha Levi shoots GoGoBloom retro athleticwear by Molly Heise at her studio in Midtown.

CONTACT US Kansas City

P.O. Box 26823 Overland Park, KS 66225-6823 (913) 469-6700 EMAIL: editor@kansascitymag.com

So when you see me in the streets, it’s ShaeFromTheLou, but it’s Deona HuSTLe on air.”

—SHAE PERRY A.K.A SHAEFROMTHELOU D.B.A DEONA HUSTLE

LEADING THE CONVERSATION IN KANSAS CITY

THE HOLE STORY

Nordstrom backed out of building a new store on the Country Club Plaza, leaving a massive void— and an opportunity.

BY LAUREN FOX

What should take the place of Nordstrom on the Plaza? We asked 7 experts.

WHAT IF THE COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA had a park, a curling sheet or, as its name suggests, a piazza? These are the ideas real estate and architectural experts across Kansas City are spitballing now that there’s an empty block of prime real estate. That large hole has been staring people in the face for years. But up until recently, there had been plans for it:

Nordstrom was going to move from

Oak Park Mall to the Plaza. But in April,

Nordstrom announced that the department store was staying put. The space now sits empty, and there is not yet a plan for what will go there, according to a spokesperson from Taubman, the company that owns the Plaza.

“Taubman is actively reviewing alternative plans for the location and looks forward to making an announcement in the near future,” says spokesperson

Maria Mainville. Kansas City magazine talked to seven knowledgeable local people about what they think the Plaza can do with the space to help revitalize the century-old shopping center. Everyone we talked to shared a passion for the Plaza, but many admitted that it’s seen better days. They spoke of times when the

Plaza had a grocery store, when local events and races made it their starting and ending points, and when the Plaza tennis courts would be transformed into an ice skating rink in the winter.

As the Plaza celebrates its 100th anniversary, how can it use the Nordstrom space to pump energy into everything around it, instead of—as one interviewee noted—just choosing the highest paying tenant?

“With Nordstrom no longer coming to the Plaza, there is a real opportunity to think outside the box and create some new kind of new destination. It could be a place like Eataly that combines the restaurant experience with a marketplace. Or there’s an opportunity to anchor the Plaza with not only iconic architecture but also a significant open space that rethinks the streets by designing a curb-less environment that allows access to the retailers but balances the pedestrians with the cars and has the ability to be temporarily closed to traffic for special events or at certain times during the week.” — Lynn Carlton, director of planning at HOK

“I think the ex-Nordstrom space is a chance to make a new park: a place where you could sit with a friend or your dog, meet someone new, get a coffee or a drink, buy a snack, people watch… Maybe in the wintertime, there could be a curling space.” — Mike Sinclair, professor of practice in KU’s School of Architecture and Design

“I would love to see the Plaza provide more of a mixed approach, where it’s a combination of smaller, pop-up restaurant-type establishments or pop-up retail, giving people an opportunity to grow their brand in Kansas City. It’s called the Plaza, and when I think of that, I think of a public piazza space. And yet there really isn’t a large space for gathering and entertainment.” — Dominique Davison, founder of DRAW Architecture and Urban Design

“The Plaza is at the heart of Kansas City and should always be one of the epicenters for entertainment, activity and social gatherings in KC. The Plaza Lights Ceremony and the Plaza Art Fair are great examples of that. So whatever goes into the plot of land that Nordstrom was going to take over needs to be anything that excites Kansas Citians and visitors.” — Greg Moore, chief operating officer at Charlie Hustle

“What the Plaza has to do, in my opinion, is make it a space for both business and residents. You’ve got to have people closer by who will support [the Plaza] and support the existing restaurants that are there and support the existing shops that are there.” — Tony Tocco, professor of accounting at Rockhurst University

“The site is unique and somewhat tucked into the Country Club Plaza. Utilize the parcel to test specific consumer demand. E-commerce and BOPIS (buy online, pickup in store) has changed a lot of the landscape. I do think that the right high-quality, mixed-use development with multi-family atop would be a great addition.” — Michael Collins, founder and CEO of Grayson Capital

“Malls and shopping centers faced a very uncertain future. The initial assumption was that online would continue to dominate, but there has been a return to traditional habits from an interesting group: the Gen-Z consumers. They were forced into isolation for two years and now emphasize personal contact and interaction. They are returning to the mall for social contact as much as for shopping. Retail has always been partly about entertainment, but with Gen-Z, this aspect is now paramount. If the Country Club Plaza wants to capture this Gen-Z renaissance, it needs to play to the social contact aspect of the shopping experience.” — Chris Kuehl, director of Armada Corporate Intelligence

Desiree Scott

TURNING TIDES

KC Current is receiving unprecedented backing, with a state-of-the-art stadium in the works.

BY MARY HENN

NOT LONG AGO, Kansas City’s professional women’s soccer team played matches at Swope Park. The two-time league champion was disbanded in 2017, and a new local women’s soccer team was founded in early 2021 under a generic temporary name.

Last October, the team got a proper name, the Kansas City Current, and a permanent crest. In May, the team’s new jerseys were revealed.

It’s just a start for the team, which is about to get its own stadium, the very first designed specifically for a professional women’s team in North America. The multi-million dollar project at Berkley Riverfront Park is set to open in 2024. In the meantime, the Current plays at Sporting’s stadium.

We talked to Sam Mewis and Desiree Scott, captains of KC Current, about the latest with the team and women’s soccer at large.

Scott is an NWSL veteran with nine years in the league. Last summer, she won an Olympic medal with the Canadian national team. Mewis has three league titles to her name and regularly plays on the U.S. Women’s National Team, where she’s won a World Cup and a bronze medal. She was named the best women’s soccer player in the world by ESPN in 2021 and joined the Current in December.

Desiree, you played here in 2013. At that time, the women’s soccer team played at Swope Park. What’s it like knowing that a stadium is being built specifically for women’s soccer at Berkley Riverfront Park? Scott: We’ve come quite a long way since then, I can tell you that. To see the investment that our current ownership Angie and Chris are putting in to provide us with our own facilities and our own field is incredible. In 2013 we barely had a locker room. We were in such a small space, we didn’t have a training facility, and we were sharing a field. It just wasn’t a place where we could feel like we could truly shine as professional soccer players. Now, nearly a decade later, we’re seeing investment in the game and in us, and seeing where women’s sports can go is incredible.

Why do you think that development took so long? Mewis: I mean, we’re part of a growing league. Ten years ago, the two prior leagues had folded. So owners and people involved in the business side of things were obviously cautious about investing before making sure that the league was stable.

I think that everybody getting more excited and more eager to invest is a sign in and of itself that the league is more stable. And just generally, women’s soccer is booming right now.

Do you see that boom as a nationwide—or even worldwide—movement? Mewis: I think that women’s soccer is definitely showcasing itself as a good investment worldwide. I definitely think that things are picking up. We get news every week that new stadiums across the world are being sold out and breaking records, and players are getting paid more than ever. I think that there are so many signs pointing to the growth of women’s soccer around the world.

We’re lucky to have such a great example being set here in Kansas City by our owners, our staff and all the fans here who believe in the team and have demonstrated that they don’t want to just stick to the status quo and let old ways of thinking dominate. They want to change things. They want to treat women’s soccer how it deserves to be treated and really use it as a business opportunity.

Scott: We still have a ways to go. I also play on my Canadian national team, and we’re seeing the discrepancies between the men and the women. So the fight is not over in that sense.