6 THINGS T D THIS FALL F u n & Sa f Activitie e s in Ka n s a s C ity PAGE 46
DONUTS & CIDER FROM LOUISBURG CIDER MILL
HOW LONG CAN LOCAL MALLS SURVIVE? THE YEAR IN LOCAL BEER P A G E 8 8
PAGE 68
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When every week looks the same, give yourself a weekend! Escape to the great outdoors in Springfield, Missouri, where you will find endless activities in the beautiful Ozarks for the whole family and one-of-a-kind dining options that will give you the break you need this fall. And for those times you head indoors, like for some fun at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium, wear your mask to keep yourself and others safe.
Plan your Getaway at
SpringfieldMo.org
A masking ordinance is in place for the city of Springfield. For details, visit SpringfieldMo.org.
OFFERING THE FINEST FOR OVER 30 YEARS
PUBLISHER
Kathy Boos kathy@kansascitymag.com EDITOR IN CHIEF
Martin Cizmar martin@kansascitymag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Nicole Bradley nicole@kansascitymag.com EDITORIAL INTERNS
Izzy Curry Jordan Meier Lauren Underwood ART DIRECTOR
Katie Sloan katie@kansascitymag.com SENIOR DESIGN CONSULTANT
Julie Babcock julie@kansascitymag.com DESIGN INTERNS
Natalea Bonjour Sooim Kang Jocelyn Sands
COPY EDITOR
Kelsie Schrader SALES
Melanie Bremer melanie@kansascitymag.com AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
Lio Chen lio@kansascitymag.com WRITERS
Bryce Bailey, Natalie Gallagher, Abby Monteil PHOTOGRAPHERS & ILLUSTRATORS
Zach Bauman, Caleb Condit, Katie Currid, Amber Dawkins, Joanna Gorham, Chris Mullins, Jeremey Theron Kirby, Samantha Levi, Rebecca Norden, Brooke Vandever
OUR MISSION
We love Kansas City like family. We know what makes it great, we know how it struggles and we know its secrets. Through great storytelling, photography and design, we help our readers celebrate our city’s triumphs, tend to its faults and revel in the things that make it unique.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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Kansas City magazine is published monthly by 435 South, LLC. No part of this publication can be reprinted or reproduced without the publisher’s permission. Kansas City magazine assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Kansas City magazine adheres to American Society of Magazine Editors guidelines, which requires a clear distinction between editorial content and paid advertising or marketing messages.
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KANSAS CITY OCTOBER 2020
@kansascitymag @kansascitymagazine @kansascitymag
Features 46
14
62
68
Fall Fun
Still Truckin’
Shop, Drop
Sixty great ideas for safe seasonal fun in KC.
The race to make a complete collection of an iconic underground newspaper.
Checking in on the city's surviving shopping malls — and the ones that’ve closed.
KANSAS CITY OCTOBER 2020
44
Unexpected Swank A luxurious mansion in Bucyrus
Photo by Katie Currid
OCTOBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
15
Departments 34
42
THE LOOP
SWAY
DISH
EVERY ISSUE
23 Rush, Rush
37 Parisian Plains
87 Cinnamon & Sugar
18 Editor’s Letter
Just how much has traffic fallen off during the pandemic?
A new Fairway shop takes its cues from Paris and California.
A home baker took her
epic pastries pro during the pandemic.
24 Psych 101 A local social
40 Pro Day A local trainer to elite
88 Year in Beer
26 Runway Clear
42 Room Upgrade No Vacancy is like no
92 Newsfeed
44 Big in Bucyrus A home designer's posh,
94 ’Cue Card
worker opens a practice focused on psychedelic therapy.
Data shows flight traffic at KCI is still down big.
28 Mean Green
A new weapon in the war against invasive honeysuckle bushes.
athletes will also train amateurs who can handle it.
other Airbnb in town.
swanky and massive digs out south.
A look at 2020’s
10.2020 FA L L F U N G U I D E
Local rapper Danza just released his second record.
6 THINGS T D THIS FALL Fun & Safe Activitie s in Kansas City PAGE 46
DONUTS & CIDER FROM LOUISBURG CIDER MILL
HOW LONG CAN LOCAL MALLS SURVIVE? THE YEAR IN LOCAL BEER P A G E 8 8
KANSAS CITY OCTOBER 2020
PAGE 68
trends and standouts in local craft beer.
The latest news in
the KC food world.
A new local ‘cue cart is
34 On the Ride
16
87
ON THE COVER Photo of Louisburg Cider Mill taken by Samantha Levi.
built around a thirdgeneration sauce recipe.
31 Calendar 96 Backstory
SPECIAL SECTION 74 Ask the Expert
38
Green 2.0
The latest trends in houseplants.
MAMMOGRAMS SAVE LIVES.
YOU CAN NOW SCHEDULE ONLINE. VISIT WWW.DIC-KC.COM OR DOWNLOAD OUR FREE MOBILE APP. THERE ARE NEARLY 40% FEWER DEATHS DUE TO BREAST CANCER IN WOMEN WHO HAVE REGULAR SCREENING MAMMOGRAMS.
did you know? IT IS ESTIMATED THAT MORE THAN 40,000 WOMEN
IN THE U.S. WILL DIE FROM BREAST CANCER THIS YEAR.
EASY SCHEDULING. 9 LOCATIONS. SAME DAY RESULTS.
*We continue to follow local and state guidelines relating to COVID-19 to keep you and our staff safe.
www.dic-KC.com Independence
Lee’s Summit
Liberty
North
Olathe
Overland Park
Plaza
Centered on you. St. Joseph
Wyandotte County
From the Editor
Present Tense
T
wenty years ago this month, I started my journalism career. I’d like to say it was for a noble purpose, like covering the BushGore election, but the real story is that I wanted tickets to a Pearl Jam concert and my friend Chip shared a little life hack about getting into shows for free as a writer for our student newspaper. I dropped by the newsroom and signed on to write about music, got those Pearl Jam tickets and found a career by accident. For a long time now, I’ve remembered that event with a photo I took at the concert, which sat on the desk in my cubicle for nineteen years and now hangs on the wall of my office. That concert has been on my mind a lot this year, and not just because of the anniversary. The editor who graciously took me on as a writer and assigned that show review, my friend Rob Lucas, passed away over the summer after a long battle with cancer. Rob was an all-around great guy. He used the last years of his too-short life to check items off a sundry bucket list that included getting one of his films accepted to Cannes, where he walked the red carpet. A few weeks ago, I lost another former colleague, my dear friend Shanna Hogan. Shanna died suddenly after hitting her head and drowning in her pool in north Phoenix. Shanna was the only superstar I’ve ever been close with, a best-selling true crime author who nevertheless found time to be generous with her counsel—and good-natured gossip.
I bring all of this up because this issue is dedicated to fall fun—to getting out there and making some memories, despite the strangeness of this time. I’m sure not alone in finding that these odd and unpleasant times have awakened a yearning for things I used to take for granted. For me, that’s going out to concerts, as Rob and I did more times than I can count, or casually dropping by a cafe to sit for an hour and chat with a friend, as Shanna and I did so many afternoons. Sadly, we can’t offer you normalcy, but we have brought you a list of carefully selected picks for making the most out of this season. Fall in Kansas City is special— that light chill in the air, all those oaks about to burst orange and red. For me, at least, life is too short to let one autumn pass without hikes, pumpkin patches and apple cider doughnuts. I hope that the sixty ideas in our cover package will help you safely enjoy some time with friends and family. Our days are precious, now and always, so get out there and make the best memories you can. Sincerely,
Martin Cizmar, Editor in Chief martin@kansascitymag.com
NUMBERS FROM THIS MONTH’S ISSUE
1.5 million
$200
500
Patrons who visited Olathe’s Great Mall of the Great Plains when it opened in 1997. It was demolished only 19 years later
Going rate for a cutting of variegated monstera, one of the hottest houseplants on the market
Original acreage of the John Wornall House, covering up most of what's now the surrounding neighborhood of Brookside
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Illustrations by Sooim Kang
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Enjoy Life
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FIN A HOM L STO ESIT NE C ES REEK NOW & AVA ESTA ILA TES BLE
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NEW HOMES FROM THE $500's to $2 MILLION+
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Contributors
JORDAN MEIER EDITORIAL INTERN
The feature on the future of local shopping malls and the news story on flight data from KCI were both written by editorial intern Jordan Meier, who was born and raised in Olathe. Jordan has had a love of writing and storytelling her whole life and has known she wanted to be a journalist since she was thirteen. She graduated from the University of Missouri in May with a degree in journalism and is headed to Pittsburg, Kansas to jump start her career as a journalist. When not working, you can find her hammocking in a park or painting in her bedroom.
3
THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN THIS ISSUE
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KANSAS CITY OCTOBER 2020
JOCELYN SANDS GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN
The illustrations for our story on the latest trends in houseplants were created by intern Jocelyn Sands, a native of Lee’s Summit. A senior at Missouri Western State University, Jocelyn is majoring in graphic design and serving as the founder and president of the university’s American Institute of Graphic Artists student group. She discovered her passion for design, illustration and photography in high school. Along with developing design products, she enjoys strolling through the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, searching for her new favorite murals in Kansas City and viewing local creations at various coffee shops.
BRYCE BAILEY EDITORIAL INTERN
Several of the most interesting pieces in our cover package and our profile of up-and-coming local rapper Danza were written by editorial intern Bryce Bailey, a student at KU. Originally from the small Kansas town of Waverly, Bryce has been living in Lawrence for the past three years and plans to graduate from KU in December. He has had a passion for writing from a very young age and has been working to strengthen his writing skills through journalism and creative writing. He has also worked on the editorial staff of KU’s student-run literary magazine, Kiosk. After graduation, he plans on moving to Kansas City to pursue a career in editing.
“
It’s a matter of trying to protect what’s not dead yet.
”
— Linda Lehrbaum of Kansas City WildLands on the battle against invasive honeysuckle
Changing Lanes
Training Day
Sauce Boss
The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically altered travel patterns both at KCI (page 26) and on local highways (page 23).
A trainer who has worked with Tyreek Hill and Ochai Agbaji will give you the same workouts, if you can handle it.
A new KC BBQ cart has roots in Portland, Arkansas where the owner’s family ran a restaurant for forty years.
PA G E 2 3
PA G E 4 0
Illustrations by Joanna Gorham
PA G E 9 4
Left to right: Shannon McCoy, Nichole Shippee, Nicole Ervin
SPONSORED CONTENT
The Relationship Bank Sterling Bank brings its reputation for excellence to a new Country Club Plaza location.
W
hen choosing a bank, it can be difficult to determine which one will treat you as more than just an account number. Sterling Bank, a Missouri-chartered community bank, has recently opened on the Country Club Plaza. Sterling offers friendly service and a personal relationship with their customers—something that can be hard to find at bigger national banks. “We really get to know our customers and their businesses,” says Shannon McCoy, president of the new Sterling Bank location on the Plaza. “It’s the culture we’ve created inside the bank, and we like to push that out to our customers and clients. It’s about building and cultivating the relationship.” With locations already in the St. Louis area, southeast Missouri, and St. Charles, Illinois, the expansion to Kansas City made sense for the community bank. “We have a
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pride ourselves on our knowledge of our products and making sure we find the right fit for our customer.” One of the bank’s most popular features is their refund of customer ATM fees: “Given that you won’t see a Sterling Bank in every city or every town, we do offer free ATMs anytime, anywhere, meaning we refund the ATM fee you normally are charged for using another bank’s ATM.” Sterling definitely has many options for customers, but it is the culture of the bank that makes it so exceptional. “Sterling really invests in its people, its customers, and its locations,” McCoy says. “We believe it is all about having the right people and giving them a healthy place to thrive in. Our team of customer service professionals are what we attribute much of our success to. They help create our positive culture.” “In these uncertain times, you will see some banks are completely closing or certain branches are closing,” McCoy says. “But we want people to know that we’re here. We are here to stay in Kansas City. We truly believe in that relationship and serving customers.” Sterling Bank is located at 300 Ward Parkway, at the corner of Central and Ward. Call them at 816-627-6600 to make an appointment or for more information.
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OCTOBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
21
See the beauty of the United States through the lens of Ansel Adams, with 100 of the artist's photographs plus the art of 24 contemporary photographers influenced by his work.
479.418.5700 Bentonville, AR
Sep. 19–Jan. 3
Get tickets at CrystalBridges.org.
$12, FREE for members, veterans, and youth ages 18 and under.
This exhibition was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. SPONSORED AT CRYSTAL BRIDGES BY
ConAgra Brands • Reed and Mary Ann Greenwood • Harriet and Warren Stephens, Stephens Inc. Harrison and Rhonda French Family • Micky and Marybeth Mayfield • Donna and Mack McLarty Mark McLarty • Catherine and Stephan Roche • Lamar and Shari Steiger • Mark and Diane Simmons Rebecca Hurst and Jim Smith | Smith Hurst, PLC • Jim and Susan von Gremp • Galen, Debi, and Alice Havner Jeremy L. Goldstein • Dewitt and Cindy Smith • Anonymous
Ansel Adams, The Tetons and Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, 1942, photograph, gelatin silver print. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The Lane Collection, 2018.2733. © The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust. Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
The Loop L E A D I N G
T H E
C O N V E R S AT I O N
I N
K A N S A S
C I T Y
The Big Shift Remember rush hour? It’s now been six months since the city’s traffic patterns shifted almost overnight due to the coronavirus pandemic. As of early September, traffic by passenger cars in Kansas City was down about fifteen percent from previous years, according to Derek Olson, an engineer with the Missouri Department of Transportation’s local office. Meanwhile, commercial traffic was up about thirteen percent in the city. This is a big change from April, at the height of pandemic lockdowns, when passenger traffic was down by half in the city and commercial vehicle traffic was down by a quarter. For more on how the pandemic has affected transportation patterns, flip to page 26.
OCTOBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
23
The Loop
“You can decide to not have a psychedelic experience—you could just want a relaxed, open state if that’s what your treatment plan is.”
Mind Blown Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is now available in KC. BY N I C O L E B R A D L E Y
I N O N E M O D E S T, S E P I A - T O N E D M I D T O W N O F F I C E , a licensed social worker is trying a new weapon in the battle against anxiety, PTSD and grief— one that’s more closely associated with Jerry Garcia and Timothy Leary. Earlier this year, clinical social worker Anne Bethune launched a practice to provide psychotherapy to patients seeking therapy for mental health issues. Her practice uses ketamine, a scheduled psychedelic drug developed as an anesthetic in the sixties and later used recreationally by nineties club kids. In Bethune’s ketamine-assisted psychotherapy practice, clients lie comfortably in a recliner while wearing an eye mask and listening to calming music with no voice or recognizable beat. Bethune administers a ketamine
24
KANSAS CITY OCTOBER 2020
tablet under their tongues, and they begin to feel the effects in about twelve minutes. The effects last around forty to seventy-five minutes. “You can decide to not have a psychedelic experience—you could just want a relaxed, open state if that’s what your treatment plan is,” Bethune says. During the session, Bethune takes notes in case a client expresses a realization or awakening that they may not remember. This leads to a post-trip psychotherapeutic discussion along with periDID YOU K NOW ? odic follow-up sessions. “Ketamine is a pharmaceutical Ketamineproduct that has been around for assisted psychotherapy a long time,” Bethune says, adding was used by that this type of therapy can be used battlefield medics in with fragile clients, like those in hosVietnam and pice, under certain protocols. “The Afghanistan dosing strategies are very, very well because it does not depress understood.” respiration. Bethune assists a range of clients seeking help for a number of mental health struggles, from decades-long depression to PTSD to rumination and feelings of stuckness. During her own ketamine-assisted psychotherapy training in Austin in December 2019, Bethune underwent two ketamine therapy treatments. “It’s a lot of movement, images and patterns,” she says. “It’s just this feeling of expansiveness. But I also had some really specific insight and direction into some personal struggles in relationships.” She says that beyond the mental health benefits, clients can inadvertently have spiritual experiences. Bethune observed a psychiatrist from Texas of Sufi belief, or mystical Islam, receiving an experiential treatment. “When he was having his experience, he was chanting in Arabic,” she says. “Other people [say they] have encountered Jesus in their treatments.” Bethune says that eighty percent of the time, her clients are people who have not experienced the effects of psychedelics before, but the positive results keep them coming back—and asking for a higher dosage. “After the first treatment, everyone wants to go deeper,” she says. (kapkansascity.com)
Illustration by Natalea Bonjour
Sometimes you need the human touch. Technology can do a lot—but sometimes, there’s just no substitute for a real person. At Commerce Bank, we have the technology, and the people, to help with whatever financial challenges come your way. Visit your nearby Commerce Bank or call us to get in touch.
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OCTOBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
25
The Loop
Flight Patterns How the pandemic has affected traffic at KCI, by the numbers
5%
2,820,693
In April of 2020, with stay-at-home orders in effect to slow the Covid-19 pandemic, just over twenty-one thousand people traveled through KCI. That is just five percent of the number of passengers the airport had at the same time in 2019. Joe McBride, senior communications manager for KCAD, says what airports have faced during the pandemic is unprecedented. “We have never seen something this bad,” he says. “It’s hit us harder than 9/11.”
The total number of passengers KCI saw through July 2020. In 2019, KCI welcomed over 6.8 million passengers during the first half of the year, with over a million of those passengers traveling through KCI in July 2019 alone. The 2020 numbers are more than a fifty-nine percent decrease in passengers from 2019 until now, according to data from the Kansas City Aviation Department.
71%
The percentage change in passengers from July 2019 to July 2020. In July 2019, KCI had over a million passengers, but in July 2020, there were only a little over three hundred thousand, nearly three quarters below where rates were the previous year.
680,000 The total number of passengers that have flown Southwest Airlines from KCI in 2020. Southwest Airlines is the biggest passenger plane service in the country and it’s the biggest airline at KCI, accounting for forty percent of passengers.
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BY J O R DA N M E I E R
The number of pounds in cargo that have been through KCI as air freight in 2020. Like all other air travel, air freight has been affected by recent events. But, in total, the number of pounds handled for the year is only down six percent from 2019.
111.3
2,846 The number of KCI passengers who have traveled using a chartered plane in 2020. Chartered flights have been hit far harder than commercial airlines. The number of charter-plane passengers was still down ninety-seven percent as of July 2020 while normal passenger flights were starting to come back up. In 2019, over twenty-two thousand people came to or from KCI in a chartered plane.
Illustration by Sooim Kang
Birth of an Icon
:
PATRICK MAHOMES
Tailgate Parties
MAPPED!
What Will It Take
A Bandwagon-Bu
for the
CHIEFS TO REPEAT?
sting
CHIEFS HISTORY QUIZ
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10.2020
09.20 GUIDE S FA N
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FA L L F U N G U I D E
CHIEF
08 BE ST OF KC
L U F H T I A F D E BLE6SS THINGS T D 4 9 +2 THIS FALL BE THE
YOUR
U LT I M
20 AT E 2 0
CHIEF
GUIDE S FA N
Fun & Saf Activities e in Kansas City PAGE 46
DONUTS & CIDER FROM LOUISBURG CIDER MILL
WINNER
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H A R LI
AN M EX IC ER S / HOW ULONG LL R ID CAN LOCAL MALLS SURVIVE? AS B K A N STHE YEAR IN LOCAL BEER P A G E 8 8
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The Loop
“We can only work on very small areas because if we tried to clear all the honeysuckle in Kansas City, our heads would explode.” Honeysuckle is a problem. Although honeysuckle is not necessarily hard on the eyes, it is definitely a problem for Kansas City because it grows vigorously and is extremely hardy in cold weather. “Compared to native vegetation, bush honeysuckle leaves come out early in the spring and stay green longer in the fall,” says Dr. Denis Conover, a biology professor at the University of Cincinnati who researches non-native invasive species. “It shades out the native plants and it can spread very fast from the berries. Where you might have thousands of native species in a woodland, potentially you could wind up with just a monoculture of honeysuckle.” The plant is a major focus of Linda Lehrbaum, program manager of Kansas City WildLands, an organization that promotes biodiversity in local parklands. “At this point, there’s so much shrub honeysuckle out here producing berries that this is going to be an unwinnable war,” Lehrbaum says. “So it’s a matter of trying to protect what’s not dead yet.”
Stumping Honeysuckle Can satellite tracking help stop our most destructive invasive plant? BY L AU R E N U N D E R WO O D
B A C K I N 1 9 6 1 , Amur honeysuckle was only found in a few places around the country. In the sixty years since, it has become a growing problem throughout the Midwest. Forests from Pittsburgh to Minneapolis are choked with the honeysuckle’s bright green leaves, white-yellow blooms and small red berries. After a half century of losing the battle with this invasive species, recent developments in satellite mapping may make it easier to track down and eradicate patches before they spread.
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Satellite mapping could be the solution. The same trait that makes honeysuckle spread so fast can also be a key to stopping it, according to a University of Cincinnati study on the benefits of satellite mapping. Because it’s hardier than the plants around it, you can spot it as green in the late fall and early spring when other plants have died back. “You want to get an image when the honeysuckle is still green and the native vegetation is brown,” says Bridget Taylor, a former UC student who studied the plant in the Cincinnati area. “The season and the timing will be different, but the same method can still work.” If you are looking to get rid of honeysuckle in your yard, experts like Lehrbaum and Conover emphasize how important it is to apply herbicide on the stump after cutting the bush down. “If you don’t put herbicide on the stump, it’ll resprout,” Conover says. “This plant actually has the potential to destroy our urban forest,” Lehrbaum says. “We can only work on very small areas because if we tried to clear all the honeysuckle in Kansas City, our heads would explode.”
Illustration by Sooim Kang
OCTOBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
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4707 RAINBOW BLVD, WESTWOOD, KS ULAHKC.COM | 913-777-8734
“BEST MEN’S STORE IN KC”
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KANSAS CITY OCTOBER 2020
October W H E R E
Y O U
WA N T
T O
B E
T H I S
M O N T H
AIRED UP Are you missing live theater amid the ongoing pandemic? Kansas City Actors Theatre has a new solution—well, it’s actually something of an old solution. The company has started airing an old-fashioned radio play on KKFI 90.1 FM. Before the rise of television, radio stations routinely aired readings of theatrical performances. Now, a local theater company is reviving the genre with performances of classic radio shows from the golden age of radio, including episodes of The Bickersons (performed by married couple Hillary Clemens and Don Schrader) and episodes of the CBS thriller Suspense. KCAT will also put on Kansas City: 1924, a ten-part original series from playwright Forrest Attaway that will explore a big year in local history—including the city’s budding jazz scene, the Monarchs’ success in the Negro Leagues and the Mafia’s control of the vice industry. “A rich and fascinating time in the history of Kansas City fleshed out by a local playwright and performed by our talented pool of local actors—it’s a wonderful combination,” says KCAT artistic committee chair John Resenhouse. LISTEN: Weekly episodes of Kansas City: 1924 are being released at noon on Fridays. Tune in on 90.1 FM or KKFI.org.
Illustration by Natalea Bonjour
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October W H AT
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WA N T
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by his friends and colleagues. Afterword Tavern & Shelves in the Crossroads, which is both a bar and bookstore, will celebrate the release of Bourdain’s final book with themed cocktails. Entry, one drink and a copy of the new book can be pre-ordered for $40. Last Comic Standing alum Chris Porter is a Shawnee native who has made a career in Los Angeles with his brusque comedy, which often centers on his alienation from modern society. He’s back in town for a five-show stand at the Northland’s Improv comedy venue. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS VS. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
October 4
ARROWHEAD STADIUM,
1 ARROWHEAD DRIVE, KCMO. 3:25 PM. LIMITED TICKETS
WILL BE AVAILABLE. GAME
with a series of chamber music concerts in parks all around the city. This Thursday night showcase will take place in the ornate columned pavilion at the city’s largest and grandest greenspace, Swope Park.
WILL AIR ON CBS.
This game could be seen as a changing of the guard in the AFC, as the long-reining New England Patriots, minus Tampa Tom, come to town to take a ceremonial beating at the hands of the new class of the conference. Then again, Patriots brain Bill Belichick has done a lot with a little throughout his storied career.
CHRIS PORTER AT THE KANSAS CITY IMPROV
October 9-11
7260 N.W. 87TH ST., KCMO. $18
PER TICKET, SOLD BY TABLES OF
TWO OR FOUR. IMPROVKC.COM.
ANTHONY BOURDAIN’S WORLD TRAVEL: AN IRREVERENT GUIDE
October 14
AFTERWORD TAVERN &
SHELVES, 1834 GRAND BLVD., KCMO. AFTERWORDKC.COM.
The late, great food writer Anthony Bourdain left the world way too soon. At the time of his 2018 passing, Bourdain left an incomplete manuscript for this world travel guide, which has been supplemented with essays
SUMMER IN HINDSIGHT AT THE BOULEVARD DRIVE-IN
October 16
BOULEVARD DRIVE-IN THEATRE,
1051 MERRIAM LANE, KCK.
SCREENINGS AT 7 AND 9:30 PM.
The West 18th Street Fashion Show is KC’s original fashion event, taking place on a hundred-foot runway in the Crossroads. To mark the milestone, West 18th Street partnered with local director Peregrine Honig to make a feature film, Summer in Hindsight, starring local musician Calvin Arsenia. The director’s cut of the film will be screened at Boulevard Drive-In on October 16 in lieu of this year’s live event. Tickets are tiered based on need, between free and $500 per carload.
TECH N9NE AT KC LIVE!
October 30
KANSAS CITY LIVE! BLOCK, 13TH
& GRAND BLVD., KCMO. $27.50.
SYMPHONY CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERTS IN THE PARKS
October 8
SWOPE PARK SHELTER 3, E. MEYER BLVD. AND SWOPE PARKWAY. 6 PM. FREE. KCSYMPHONY.ORG
The Kansas City Symphony had to shelve its plans for the fall, but it’s stayed busy
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KANSAS CITY OCTOBER 2020
POWERANDLIGHTDISTRICT.COM.
KC horrorcore king Tech N9ne is scheduled to stage a Halloween weekend show in the heart of Power & Light District, a show that is likely to be among the hottest tickets in town. Note, however, that the show is listed as having a no refund policy, which can be a bit dicey these days.
Chiefs photo by Jeremey Theron Kirby, Chris Porter photo from respective Facebook page, Tech N9ne photo by Zach Bauman
OCTOBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
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October
Danza’s Magical Ride
that ever made me pick up a pen and actually get me to start writing was Kanye West. When did you start looking toward music as a potential career? When I started writing, I would go to open-mic’s around the city. It was just all about trying to get in front of people at first. I had been trying to get into bands and make beats for people at the time, but nothing ever really worked out. Then one of my friends came back home from music school. He was a sound engineer and made hip-hop beats. We started working together and that’s when I started taking everything seriously. After about three years of working together, around 2017, we made my first album, Danza Special.
Up-and-coming KC musician Danza drops his second record. I F Y O U ’ R E looking for some
uplifting music to get you through the election year blues, local rapper Danza is someone to keep an eye out for. After releasing his debut album back in 2017, Danza is back this year with feel-good, socially conscious rap music. “Life is like a journey on a magical ride,” he sings on the hook of his single, “Magical Ride,” and he’s ready to take fans on that journey with him. Read on to find out all about Platte City’s own. — BRYCE BAILEY
What does your creative process look like? I still work with my sound engineer, and my brother-in-law mixes my music. I write every day. I write poetry, jingles and verses. Whenever I find a song I like or someone sends me a beat that I like, I will kind of put the puzzle pieces together. It’s a very disorganized process.
When did your love for music start? Growing up, I always had a melody in my head. I was obsessed with jingles. I can still remember jingles from the commercials when I was a really little kid. When I first started, I was trying to produce, but I feel like my success with music really started once I put my energy into what I knew best. I embraced my obsession with jingles and put that energy into creating powerful hooks.
Q & A
KC FAVORITES
Anita B. Gorman Conservation Center “I live right by Kaufmann Park and I’ve been taking a lot of walks lately, so I’ve been going there a lot. It’s really lush and beautiful. I go there to write because I can hear my thoughts.” Ragazza Food & Wine My late night popin is Ragazza. I love a late night Fernet or some kind of negroni before I walk home.
Who are some of your influences? I liked West Coast hip-hop a lot growing up. I liked Snoop [Dogg] and his sound a lot. I think you can probably hear his smoothness in my music and I like that funky sound he had in his music. I liked Lil Wayne because he always has a strong melody in his music. But I think the first rapper
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The Ship I miss live shows, dancing and music so much. I miss Friday nights at The Ship so much. Those nights were special. Photo by Caleb Condit & Rebecca Norden
Where did the inspiration for your single, “Magical Ride,” come from? This was a song where I heard the music first. It was the day after the [Brett] Kavanaugh [hearing] and I was feeling everything about America—the division, the hate and the greed. The verses just spilled out of me from there. The goal of the hook was to just bring people back together and to see the beauty in the harsh truth.
Many Custody Cases Being Complicated by Some Schools Not Reopening
August is almost always a tough month for parties going through divorce or custody disputes. In many cases, parties have trouble agreeing on where the children will go to school. The parties might also have trouble agreeing on who is going to pay the cost of private school if the children do not go to public school. Prior to school beginning in August, many parties, unfortunately, end up in court on motions to modify or motions for contempt as it relates to these kinds of school issues. The litigation often involves where the children will go to school and who will be paying. Many custody schedules have it setup where custody exchange revolve around the beginning and ending of school days. In other words, many parents drop off the children at school. The other parent then often picks up the kids after school is over. With COVID-19, many school districts will not be opening up this Fall in a traditional sense. Instead, many school districts are going to be opening
virtually. By opening virtually, many parents will now have to co-parent as it relates to homeschooling their kids through an online program. Many school districts are making this decision due to safety reasons. With the spread of COVID-19, many school districts are concerned that students and teachers can quickly spread the virus. In some cases, the parties will now end up having more face-to-face encounters where they are exchanging the children because it cannot take place at school. Custody exchanges can be a source of dispute. One party could be late for an exchange. Sometimes, somebody does not show up. In other cases, parties might engage in verbal discourse that is not productive. As it relates to virtual schooling, one parent may have a concern that the other parent is not equipped or capable of handling virtual schooling during their custody time. Some parents might also be unable to do virtual schooling because they have to work. It might be that the children have to go with the other parent or the parties might need a tutor or childcare to assist with schooling. In other situations, one party might wish to send the children to a
private school that is going to be open versus leaving them in the public school, which will not be open. In some cases, parties might be able to agree. In other cases, they may not. For many parties, they might consider engaging in mediation or collaborative law to attempt to resolve these disputes. For others, they may end up having to file a motion to modify to change the existing custody schedule because no agreement can be reached. COVID-19 has been challenging on many levels. But the impact on custody cases with many schools not reopening is, unfortunately, going to be seen for many involved in the family court. Stange Law Firm, PC limits their practice to family law matters including divorce, child custody, child support, paternity, guardianship, adoption, mediation, collaborative law and other domestic relation matters. Stange Law Firm, PC gives clients 24/7 access to their case through a secured online case tracker found on the website. They also give their clients their cell phone numbers. Call for a consultation today at 855-805-0595.
Here to Help You Rebuild Your Life®
To schedule a consultation:
855-805-0595
WWW.STANGELAWFIRM.COM The choice of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Kirk Stange is responsible for the content. Principal place of business 120 South Central Ave, Suite 450, Clayton, MO 63105. Neither the Supreme Court of Missouri/Kansas nor The Missouri/Kansas Bar reviews or approves certifying organizations or specialist designations. Court rules do not permit us to advertise that we specialize in a particular field or area of law. The areas of law mentioned in this advertisement are our areas of interest and generally are the types of cases which we are involved. It is not intended to suggest specialization in any areas of law which are mentioned The information you obtain in this advertisement is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Past results afford no guarantee of future results and every case is different and must be judged on its merits.
Overland Park Office 7300 West 110th Street, Suite 560
Overland Park, KS 66210
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Lee’s Summit, MO 64086
Kansas City Office 2300 Main Street, Suite 948
Kansas City, MO 64108 *by appointment only
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KANSAS CITY OCTOBER 2020
Sway C U R AT I N G
A
B E A U T I F U L
L I F E
Ivy League Sophisticated formal prep meets vibrant and bold with this striking look. A forest green suit pops against the sheen of a silky amethyst-hued blouse. Accessories like black-andwhite two-tone leather booties and a leopard pearl pendant necklace add texture and pattern. Get the look at Parisian chic-inspired boutique Clairvaux (2710 W. 53rd St., Fairway), which opened in the Fairway Shops in mid-September. Dorothee Schumacher Emotional Essence Coat, $900 Dorothee Schumacher Emotional Essence Pants, $340 Dorothee Schumacher Hot Lila Colorful Volumes Top, $380 Little Liffner Oyster Clutch, $650 Just Female Madrid Boots, $273 Maison Irem Chain with Leopard Pearl, $195 Jenny Bird Gold Ring, $95
Photography by Samantha Levi
OCTOBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
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LIFESTYLE
Going Beyond Green
HOYA
Funky houseplants that are hot right now.
“I really love having a selection of hoyas at the shop if I can,” Hamilton says. Grown in ideal conditions, these plants sprout eyecatching star-shaped cluster blooms.
BY N I C O L E B R A D L E Y
BROMELIAD EVEN IF YOU’RE A NOVICE
plant parent, you can probably recognize a snake plant or a palm without a second glance. But what about those more uncommon or rarer varieties? “The biggest things that I get asked are like, ‘I want something funky,’ or ‘I want something that I’ve never seen before,’” says Reba Hamilton, owner of Virgil’s Plant Shop. Hamilton started Virgil’s— named for her trusty border collie-boxer mix—last year as a mobile shop out of a renovated school bus that she bought from a depot in Belton. She spent a year selling houseplants out of the bus on First Fridays and parked in front of local businesses to relearn her hometown of Kansas City after spending ten years living on both coasts. As of June, Virgil’s officially has its own storefront at 27th Street and Troost. From patterned leaves to structural blooms, here are a few offbeat houseplants Hamilton recommends for those looking to spunk up their urban jungle.
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KANSAS CITY OCTOBER 2020
Bromeliads bring a wild pop of color, and Hamilton recommends two varieties: guzmania and vriesea. She says vriesea has “a spear-shaped bloom that shoots up in different colors.”
CALATHEA The funky leaves on calathea are a standout in any space, but Hamilton warns that this houseplant is a little trickier to take care of and might not be for beginners.
BIRDS OF PARADISE
VARIEGATED MONSTERA “Variegated monstera is very hot,” Hamilton says. “You can sell cuttings for like $200, which is crazy.”
“These are really great, but they’re a little trickier to get to bloom,” Hamilton says. It takes about five to eight years for these plants to reach maturity with the right nutrients, so fertilizer is key.
GO: Virgil’s Plant Shop, 2711 Troost Ave., KCMO. 816-305-1510, virgilsplantshop.com.
Illustrations by Jocelyn Sands
OCTOBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
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into a positive and said, “You know what, I’m in the gym, I’m going to work [my tail] off.” And that’s what I did. Every year, I kept improving. I went to KCK Community College for a few years. Then I went to the University of North Dakota and then spent my last year at Lincoln University. Then I started to play overseas in Europe, South America and India. I did that from 2006 to 2014.
How was playing overseas? I liked it, but it was different. You have to get used to the culture. I played in some thirdworld countries and, not going to lie, it was tough. Some of the toughest months of my life. But the experience was worth it.
How’d you get into personal training? It was 2011 and I was in Helsinki, Finland. My team went bankrupt and my coach gave me a lot of referrals. He asked me to workout with these young European kids and help them out with basketball skill development, which I really enjoyed. I got my undergrad in business and minored in kinesiology, so I was familiar with the biomechanics of the body. After moving from team to team for a few years, in 2014, I got tired of bouncing around and settled here and opened this gym.
Skill School Luther Glover trains high-profile athletes in his Lenexa facility. BY N I C O L E B R A D L E Y
I T TA K E S A N AT H L E T E to train an athlete, and Luther Glover
is training some of Kansas City’s elite. The personal trainer works with every type of athlete in his souped-up Lenexa facility, from Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill to KU basketball prodigy Ochai Agbaji. Glover also co-owns Training for Warriors, an affiliate gym “for adults who want to train like athletes,” Glover says. Hear about his start in sports and how it led him to working one-on-one with a few of the world’s finest athletes.
Tell me a little bit about yourself and your sports background. I’m from Kansas City. I started playing basketball my sophomore year at Washington High School and I really loved it. I was kind of the underdog. People used to say, “You can’t do this, you can’t do that.” It was hard and I used to be bothered by it. I turned it
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KANSAS CITY OCTOBER 2020
How did these high-profile athletes find you? I didn’t really post a lot—it was more so word of mouth. But it’s hard because everything is now about social media. So I actually started a YouTube page and have recently got into making videos and posting and doing all that stuff. I think I started becoming more wellknown when I started training Tyreek Hill last year during the offseason. He started telling his teammates, and now we’ve got a few guys that come in on the regular, including Sammy Watkins, Bashaud Breeland and Demarcus Robinson.
Tell me a memorable story off the top of your head. [Former Pembroke Hill and Mizzou star turned NBA journeyman] Kareem Rush trains here. He’s actually a really good singer—he’s got a soprano voice. He started singing “All My Life” by K-Ci and Jojo to himself one day while he was at the weights. One of my other clients stopped working out and she just fawned at him, blushing and everything. He then started singing Rascal Flatts. He can impersonate other artists really well.
Photography by Caleb Condit and Rebecca Norden
LUTHER’S F AV O R I T E KANSAS CITY THINGS: Halls They have a great selection of jeans. Parents My parents are my heroes because they worked super hard to help me get to this point I’m at now. They made financial sacrifices to make sure I had what I needed for sports. Liberty Memorial I like to go here to train [on the lawn]. I love the scenery and it’s a great atmosphere.
Breast Health Starts Here
The AdventHealth Shawnee Mission High Risk Breast Clinic provides specialized care for individuals with an increased risk of breast cancer due to family history or specific breast cancer risk factors. Feel confident knowing you’re in the care of a women’s health care network specifically recognized by the American College of Radiology as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence in mammography, MRI (including MRI biopsy), stereotactic breast biopsy and breast ultrasound. Meeting your every need, we extend a proactive approach to breast care, offering screenings, diagnosis and treatment for breast health issues – especially breast cancer – within one care network. Call 913-632-9100 to schedule an appointment or visit BreastHealthKC.com to learn more.
OCTOBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
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Mini but Mighty No Vacancy is the Crossroads’ latest boutique personal hotel concept. BY L AU R E N U N D E R WO O D | P H OTO S BY B R O O K E VA N D E V E R
N O VA C A N C Y isn’t a typical Airbnb. Rather, think of this former Crossroads office space like a miniature boutique hotel, with eight unique rooms and a courtyard for hosting events. Spencer Sight, the main designer and founder of No Vacancy (novacancykc.com), wanted to create a charming oasis where guests could find a higher level of elegance. “People feel like when they stay here, it takes them elsewhere,” he says. “So I’ve had a lot of people come on staycations and feel like they have escaped the Midwest for a little while.” With its chic, ultra-detailed design and trendy decor, the place truly has its own personality. Some features include a restored original clawfoot bathtub, a chain of seashells hanging from the ceiling and a repurposed steel door. There’s even a seventeen-foot long L-shaped banquet that was sourced from an out-of-business casino. “When move in day came, it became clear fairly quickly that the piece wouldn’t fit up the stairwell,” Sight says. “I proceeded to have it cut into three different pieces, taken up to its final destination, repaired and reupholstered in place. I opted for copper-toned velvet with fringe accents.” Because of No Vacancy’s smaller size and the hotel buyout option, it has proven popular during the pandemic, even as most hotels have been hammered by revenue woes.
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Photography by Brooke Vandever
HIS & HER FITNESSTM Est. 2004 “Helping one person at a time live a healthy lifestyle.”
HI! I’M KATY TORRES. I am a working mom, teacher, wife, and friend during the Covid pandemic. Today I can say I feel less stressed and I am in the best shape of my life, I was inspired by my friend Melissa to workout, got a meal plan, and learn creative cardio at His & Her Fitness. I enjoyed virtual training to start, then group personal training 2x a week with friends, and once a week one-on-one personal training.
RESULTS BEFORE
• Down 31 lbs of fat • Down 28 inches • Down 22 lbs on the scale
TODAY
I felt like I ate healthy and loved running. Could not lose a pound or feel good.
I lift 3x week, do creative cardio for 30 minutes, and eat more than ever.
HIS & HER F ITNESS TM Est. 2004
STATS • Mother of 2 • Teacher • Support from
husband & friends • Success in 8 weeks
If you want to feel good like sweet Katy during uncertain times JOIN US call 913-206-7645 or email us through the website www.hisandherfitness.net READ sweet Katy’s blog about her pandemic success story. Join her at His & Her Fitness where she continues her accountability 5 am workouts with her friends Melissa and Christyn. INSPIRE SOMEONE to be healthy with you TODAY, lets go!
5328 W 151st St Leawood, KS 66224 913.206.7645 www.hisandherfitness.net
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Party of Six A luxurious home in Bucyrus is a retreat for this family. BY N I C O L E B R A D L E Y | P H OTO S BY C H R I S M U L L I N S
THE BIGGEST INFLUENCERS in Kristeena Budig’s home design aren’t
bloggers or Pinterest feeds. They’re her four kids and her husband. When the interior designer and her husband, Chris, built their sprawling home in Bucyrus five years ago, the family’s goal was to make it functional. On top of that, Kristeena describes her design style as: “classic, timeless design elements paired with a bit of unexpected swank” and “transitional elegance.” Her combined talent of assembling extravagant flower arrangements with picking the perfect knick knacks is the icing on the cake of the beautiful residence built by Bickford and Company. One of the most sought-after skill sets that Kristeena markets in her own interior design business, Designs by Kristeena, is holiday decorating—she already has twelve clients lined up for this holiday season. See how Kristeena combines luxury and amenities to make a perfect home for her family of six.
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KITCHEN
Kristeena loves to cook and spends a lot of time in the kitchen, so she had a long wish list when it came to designing this space. “I love chandeliers and wanted to give this area a splash of class, so adding two chandeliers above the island was the perfect touch,” she says. The creamy multi-tone backsplash tile and painted range hood add a dash of Tuscan style to the kitchen. The long-stretching island where everyone has a seat at the table was a must for her family. “My goal was to have a space where we could all sit, fit and have plenty of room,” she says.
2
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OUTDOOR DINING AREA
The family loves to have company over and when they do, they spend a lot of time in this outdoor gathering space. For Kristeena, one huge component in making a house a home is a charming tablescape. “My mom is actually a caterer, so we would always have tablescapes,” Budig says. “She was kind of the inspiration behind this.” 3
POOL
“We live so far out, so I wanted my kids to be able to have friends over and hang out at home,” she says. The pool, designed by Banks Pools, was a huge factor in this and is what most of the Budigs’ heart and
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time went into when designing their home— between the waterfalls, sunken fire pit, hot tub and hidden water slide, the pool keeps her family busy, especially during a pandemicera summer. 4
FORMAL LIVING ROOM
The two-story formal sitting room exudes elegance: A black grand piano is situated against large windows that curve around the half-rotunda room and the velvet furniture pieces add a glamorous touch.
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DINING ROOM
A major game-changer in Kristeena’s design is her keen attention to minute details, like floral arrangements, which she constructs herself. “If I could just go in do florals in homes, I would,” she jokes. The dining room gives off a warm yet grandeur ambiance with its glistening, intricate chandelier, mixed metals, textured faux wall paint and dark wood dining table, buffet and framed mirror.
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Fall W O R D S B Y B R Y C E B A I L E Y, N I C O L E B R A D L E Y, M A R T I N C I Z M A R , I Z Z Y C U R R Y, A B B Y M O N T E I L & L A U R E N U N D E R W O O D P H OTO B Y K AT I E C U R R I D
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Fun 60
Fun & Safe Things to do in Kansas City This Fall
We’re still living in unusual times—but with crisp autumn weather arriving after a long and hot summer, it’s a good time to get out and (safely!) enjoy Kansas City. Here are sixty fun but safe ideas for getting the most out of your fall.
Guide
NUMBER 01
Let’s start with the one you know and love: It really doesn’t get much better than the Louisburg Cider Mill (louisburgcidermill.com) if you’re looking for instant autumnal fun. This eighty-acre farm offers pick-your-own pumpkins, of course, and a socially distanced wagon ride down to the patch. There’s also a corn maze and a slide they’ve deemed “Mount Sunflower” after the tallest hill in the state. Oh, and a giant swing set, rentable fire pits and a beehive exhibit. (Masks are required any time you’re indoors this year, including inside the popular country store.) The best thing about Louisburg Cider Mill is the cider. Since the seventies, they’ve been pressing eight varieties of apples to make cider without concentrates or preservatives. In addition to their time-tested blend, they’ve also got a newer version made just from Honeycrisp.
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PHOTO BY SAMANTHA LEVI
Get fresh cider & donuts at the Louisburg Cider Mill
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The John Wornall House (wornallmajors.org) was built in 1858 on a five-hundred-acre farmstead that’s now Brookside. Used as a hospital during the Civil War, it now serves as a museum, and you have a couple opportunities to get a scare there this year. The museum is offering two Halloween tours, starting with a self-guided “Spectral Distancing” audio tour. For $20, you go at your own pace to learn about the house’s legends. (Tours run Oct. 16, 17, 23, and 24 from 6-8:30 pm.) The house is also offering tours guided by a professional paranormal investigator. For $50, you tag along as they use actual ghost hunting gear and attempt to communicate with one of the House’s ghosts. (Tours run Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 10 pm and 12:15 am). Registration and masks are required, and space is limited to ensure proper social distancing.
Leaf peep by bike on Cliff Drive
NUMBER 03
HAUNTED WORNALL HOUSE
Curvy, steep Cliff Drive climbs up the limestone bluffs east of downtown, starting at the Paseo. America's shortest scenic byway feels more like a trail than a road, traveling four-anda-half heavily wooded miles. It has traditionally been closed to cars on weekends, but during the coronavirus pandemic, it’s only been open to cyclists and walkers daily. There’s no better place to leaf peep without having to leave the city.
GET AUTHENTIC GERMAN SAUSAGES AT W E R N E R ’ S I N M I S S I O N
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Oktoberfest is canceled this year, in Kansas City and abroad. But if you want to replicate the Marzen-fueled debauchery of the festhalles under your own backyard canopy, make a trip to Werner’s in Mission (5736 Johnson Drive, Mission), which specializes in imported German fare and house-made sausages. For Oktoberfest revellers, the top picks are traditional German bratwurst and knockwurst, plus the house’s cheddar-stuffed bier brats. PHOTO BY NATALEA BONJOUR
NUMBER 05
Get a small-town spook at Child’s Play Cemetery
In rural Coffey County, Kansas, it’s a rite of passage for teenagers to visit Child’s Play Cemetery. For generations, teens have gone to the cemetery outside of Le Roy officially known as Lorenz Schlichter Memorial Cemetery to see if what people say about it is true. The rules are as follows: Wash your car before you go, drive down the twisty gravel roads to the cemetery and once you’re there, turn your car and all of the lights off and sit in silence. Don’t get out of your car and don’t touch anything. You can only leave once you hear a noise, like someone slamming something against your car. Once you get back home, your car will be dirty from the gravel, but you’ll see more than just dust. The cemetery is infamous for leaving small handprints all over people’s cars—actual fully formed handprints. The legend is that the handprints come from the ghosts of the cemetery, specifically from the children buried there.
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See a spooky movie NO. 6-10 Despite movie theatre closures and paused film productions this year due to the pandemic, scary movies are still making their mark this spooky season. From psychological thrillers to horror fantasies, these upcoming releases are must-watches for your next night in.
OCT 11 I AM LISA
The new film from local horror director Patrick Rea (Nailbiter, Arbor Demon) follows a girl bitten by a werewolf who enacts revenge on the sheriff who left her for dead.
OCT 21 REBECCA
Rebecca is a remake of a film from the forties, but not the Hitchcock one— rather this gothic tale is about a young newlywed who is haunted by the memory of her husband’s beloved first wife.
S P E N D F I R S T F R I D AY IN THE WEST BOTTOMS ON OCTOBER 2
First Fridays in KC is typically associated with the Crossroads Arts District, but the West Bottoms brings a whole new element—the streets of the historic district are blocked off and filled with antique sales, street painters and live music into the evening. This is also a good chance to try out Chef J BBQ’s Texas-style brisket in The Beast building; pitmaster Justin Easterwood typically only operates on Saturdays, but fires up the smoker Friday through Sunday on First Friday weekends.
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NUMBER 12
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Kansas City native Janelle Monáe stars as an author who is mysteriously transported to the dark reality of the Antebellum South in this horror thriller that will be released via video on demand.
OCT 9 POSSESSOR
Possessor, written by the son of controversial filmmaker David Cronenberg, takes place in a futuristic world where a secret agent is able to inhabit others’ bodies—until things take a turn for the worse.
O C TO B E R 3 0 CO M E P L AY
A mysterious creature that manifests itself inside electronic devices invades the world of a young boy with autism who finds comfort in his tablet.
Get a close look at Mars on October 13 If you want to get a good look at Mars, your last best chance until September 2035 comes on Oct. 13. The Red Planet is currently “at opposition” and not only very close to Earth right now but also at an angle that’s very favorable to skywatchers in the northern hemisphere. With clear skies, you should be able to see Mars and its two moons with binoculars or a small telescope.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY VENUES/RESPECTIVE FACEBOOK PAGES
SEPT 18 ANTEBELLUM
NUMBER 13
Stroll through a lit-up fall forest at Crystal Bridges There are a lot of reasons why Crystal Bridges (crystalbridges.org) in northwest Arkansas is a world-class art museum. But given our current predicament, this outdoor art installation soars to the top of the list. The museum has lit up its north woods for the season, using lights and sound to turn the forest into an immersive art installation with the help of Montreal-based multimedia artists Moment Factory. The ancient trees of the Ozarks talk as viewers gather around the warm glow of a sculpture meant to mimic a bonfire. The installation is open after dusk on weekend nights and running at one-third capacity, with face masks required.
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S E E FA L L F O L I AG E AT P E R R Y L A K E If you’re in the Lawrence area, take Ferguson Road north from the town of Perry to see great fall foliage. The best viewing spot is near the Perry Public Use Area. You’ll first be engulfed in the trees, but once you hit the bridge crossing over the lake, there is an amazing view of the water and the colors of autumn. If it’s warm enough outside, you might still see some boats out on the water, making the location especially photogenic.
15 RENT A CAMPFIRE AT L I B E R T Y CORN MAZE
Want to have a fall bonfire without chopping wood or risking your eyebrows to kerosene? The Liberty Corn Maze (libertycornmaze.mazeplay.com) has you covered with campfire rentals. For the individual admission cost ($10 children, $12 adults) plus a campfire rental fee of $40, you and up to fourteen friends can sit back on hay bales for three hours starting at 7 pm. You can add s’mores and/or hotdogs for a modest upcharge. The campfire rentals run on weekends starting Sept. 26—you should book in advance.
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Have your own Oktoberfest NO. 16-23
PHOTO BY NATALEA BONJOUR
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Prost Marzen Denver is home to some of the nation’s top German breweries (hallo, Bierstadt Lagerhaus!) including Prost, which recently began distributing in KC. Their traditional Marzen has perfect balance and manages to be both interesting and crushable.
24 PHOTO BY CHARLIE BURT
LAGER UP!
Free State Octoberfest The second beer ever brewed by the granddaddy of Kansas breweries, this amber lager with Reagan-era Hersbrucker hops is a reliable classic with a bright, floral nose.
Logboat Brewing Knot Hole Oktoberfest Columbia’s Logboat Brewing has grown by leaps in the last few years, and this crisp, clean lager is a tad boozier than others here.
Martin City Oktoberfest Martin City is more known for their hoppy IPAs, and you’ll notice a nice bite to this spicy, bready beer.
Boulevard Bob’s ’47 Oktoberfest This dark amber lager is a local classic, a Munich-style Marzen that’s been brewed every year for a quarter century.
Public House Bierleichen Marzen-Style Lager Public House hails from Rolla, in the foothills of the Missouri Ozarks. Brewer Matt Burkhardt is a German-trained lagerhead who made this with a grain bill that leaves it round and earthy.
Surly Hell This offering from the beloved Minneapolis brewery is a limited release in KC, so nab this pale lager on sight. Surly is known for their IPAS—and this beer is layered with luscious hops—but the founder’s mother comes from Germany and asked her son to make a Helles like home.
KC Bier Co. Festbier This large Waldo brewery had to put its big downtown festival on hold this fall, but you can still enjoy a glass of this malty Vienna-style lager made with yeast from Bavaria’s Andechs brewery.
Level up from the PSL at Wild Way This fall, the pumpkin spice latte craze will hit coffee shops across the country. And while I won’t judge you for donning your Uggs and shuffling to your nearest Starbucks, I do want to let you know this one thing: There’s another path for you, friend. The Wild Way Coffee Camper is a mobile coffee Eve’s Fallen Apple shop found throughout the Kansas City metro on • 3/4 cup cold brew a rotating schedule (find them on Instagram • 3/4 cup apple cider @thewildwaycoffee). Wild Way highlights a •2 tablespoons different fall flavor with a little something called heavy cream Eve’s Fallen Apple. This iced beverage takes Wild • 1 teaspoon cinnamon Way’s house-made nitro cold brew (beans from Lawrence’s Repetition Coffee) and marries it with Fill a 12-ounce glass apple cider from Louisburg Cider Mill, a dollop of with ice. Add cold fresh cream from local Hildebrand Farms Dairy brew, cider, cream and a pinch of cinnamon. It’s finished with a crisp and cinnamon and apple slice coated in coconut, sugar and caramel. stir together. “We're around farmers all the time, and we try to use ingredients that they have in season,” says Wild Way co-founder Christine Clutton. “Weather is so unpredictable in Kansas City—it can still be really hot, so you need an iced drink, but you want to feel cozy.” Eve’s Fallen Apple has just the right notes of tart apple and sweetness, plus a big jolt of caffeine, and it puts you in the mood to lace up your boots and map yourself to the nearest orchard.
FIRE THE CORN CANNON AND PICK YOUR P E R F E C T P U M P K I N AT FA U L K N E R ’ S R A N C H
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Faulkner’s Ranch (faulknersranch.com) in Raytown is a relative newcomer to the Halloween fun game, having opened in 1998. This rootin-tootin’ pumpkin patch is a country-fried alternative to the tweedy Louisburg Cider Mill, with “hillbilly golf,” horseshoes, a cow milking contest and a Western-themed playground all included in the standard admission ($10 weekday, $15 weekends). For an extra $5, you can fire a corncob out of a cannon or ride the mechanical bull. Advanced tickets are required this year, so order online.
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Weston NO. 26-33
No town relishes in the autumn season quite like Weston does. Here is a list of must-see stops for a perfect fall day in the charming town.
Every year for thirty-one years now, apple lovers have made the pilgrimage to Weston to indulge in apple dumplings, cider, pies, butter and cookies. The thirty-second year will look a little different: To eliminate crowds, Apple Fest will be taking place over a series of weekends in September and October as opposed to one singular weekend. Follow Weston MO Chamber of Commerce on Facebook for week-by-week Apple Fest updates.
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Tobacco Barn Weston has a flourishing tobacco history— until 2001, the small Missourian town was the only tobacco market west of the Mississippi. Today, Platte County honors their biggest cash crop through Weston Tobacco cigar lounge on Main Street and the old tobacco barn still standing in Weston Bend State Park.
O’Malley’s Pub The historic bar alone is worth the hour or so drive up to Weston. It sits six stories
below the limestone bones of the old Weston Brewing company, which dates back to the mid-1800s. They plan on releasing a Festival Ale as an ode to Oktoberfest this fall. The bar will also host a pumpkin chainsaw carving demonstration on Halloween.
McCormick on Main Whether you’re looking to snatch a bottle of lauded Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur to take home with you or want to try out the newest funky flavor in the 360 Vodka collection, this is the place to belly up to the tasting bar and do it.
PHOTO BY KATIE CURRID
Apple Fest
Hiking Also at Weston Bend State Park are trails with some of the area’s most scenic hiking views, especially in fall. The West Ridge Trail is known to be the best: A large portion of the two-and-a-half-mile loop abuts the Missouri River and gives hikers amazing sweeping views of the other side of the state line. There’s a lookout point a few feet from the West Ridge Trailhead—we recommend saving this for the end of your hike as a reward for your efforts. The scenic overlook, a planked deck tapered around a tree, gives panoramic views of the state line river and Fort Leavenworth’s imperial-looking clocktower.
Buffalo Ranch If you’re one of those people who insists on drinking peppermint mochas and watching Hallmark Christmas movies before the leaves even change, Weston has its own little winter wonderland for you. Buffalo Ranch has two storefronts in little Weston. The one on Main Street is the traditional home furnishings store. The one on Thomas Street is their magical seasonal Christmas shop filled with all the handmade ornaments and yuletide trinkets, opening the first weekend of October.
Weston Orchard & Vineyard Inside the bright red-roof barn at Weston Orchard and Vineyard is a spacious spread of caramel apples, house wines, bottles of apple cider and locally canned salsas and pickled goods. Rows of trees in ten apple varieties for picking stripe the fields outside.
Tin Kitchen Located inside an old hardware store on the main drag, Tin Kitchen (tin-kitchen.com) is a BBQ pit that smokes up competition-style 'cue on straight pecan. The ribs are our favorite, but don't skip the pimento cheese appetizer.
34 / Tour the Haunted 1859 Jail Museum If you’re looking for something a little bit different to try this fall, you might consider the 1859 Jail Museum (jchs.org) in Independence. The museum features history dating back to the Civil War and is said to be home to the ghosts of past residents. Tom, a ghost tracked down by the paranormal investigation team Dusk 2 Dawn, is said to still be lurking in his jail cell, and some say you’ll even feel him pull your hair. Scents of cigar smoke, baking bread and lady’s perfume have also been reported by museum staff and visitors. The Jail Museum has ghost tours every Friday and Saturday in October (tour times are 7, 8, and 9 pm). Enjoy a tour through the jail to learn about its dark history, then take a covered wagon ride through Independence Square afterward. Tickets must be purchased in advance due to limited space, and masks are required.
35 / Shop for specialty popcorn in Amish country Snuggling up with a fresh batch of popcorn and a Halloween movie is a nice way to spend a chilly fall evening. Instead of nuking another bag of Jiffy Pop, try some artisan kernels from Kuntry Bulk Grocery, an Amish country store in Windsor, Missouri (11217 Brandon Road). This shop has no electricity and only accepts cash, but the unparalleled selection of popcorn sorted by kernel size, flavor and color will wow you. According to the folks at city hall, the shop has remained open throughout the pandemic.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY PRECISION MAZES
NUMBER 36
Find your way through an elitedesigned corn maze A nationally renowned corn maze design firm out of Lee’s Summit uses advanced GPS technology to create elaborate corn mazes in cornfields around the country. “If you name a state on this side of the Rocky Mountains, we probably created a maze in it this summer,” Precision Mazes owner Rob Stouffer says. The main design starts with the client. “I try really hard to elicit a concept or an idea from the client,” Stouffer says, “because they're the ones who will be marketing and merchandising and need to be excited about the idea.” Then, Precision Mazes designers draft a custom concept that fits what the client is looking for and one that will also fit the parameters of the field they’re working on. Once the client approves the image, Precision Mazes employees create geographic data to display on a screen in the rototilling machine. Stouffer then steers the machine to match the design. Precision Mazes creates mazes in about thirty different states each year. The latest one to make headlines was at Walters Farm in Burns, Kansas (about forty-five minutes northeast of Wichita)—a Kansas City Chiefs logo with “Chiefs Kingdom” plowed underneath.
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37 SIP WINE & GHOST HUNT A T B E LV O I R WINERY
If wandering around an abandoned—and supposedly haunted—orphanage and nursing home with a glass of dry red in hand sounds like your kinda spooky fall Friday night, take a trip up to Belvoir Winery in Liberty (1325 Odd Fellows Road). The former Odd Fellows District on a two-hundred-fortyacre farm in Liberty was once an almshouse—a charity house for poor people to live in—where orphans, widows and the elderly could stay. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows was a national secret society with its own system of rules and passwords whose Liberty chapter occupied the buildings where Belvoir stands today. One of three buildings in the Odd Fellows District has been restored into a winery tasting room and an inn with several private party rooms. The other two buildings, the Old Folks Building and the Old Hospital, are completely abandoned. Trails through the property let you get an up-close look at the vacated buildings, and the winery offers monthly tours of the buildings led by equipped paranormal investigators.
43 SPEND A WEEKEND AT B I G CEDAR LODGE
Big Cedar Lodge (bigcedar.com) in the Missouri Ozarks is the state’s premier resort, a magical place with oodles of activities from spas to target shooting. Tiger Woods is hosting a Ryder Cup-style tournament there in late September to celebrate the opening of the legendary golfer’s first-ever public course, which is on the resort’s grounds in Ridgedale. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better fall Saturday than one spent on the lake here that ends by the bonfire or in one of the resort’s hot tubs.
PHOTO BY NATALEA BONJOUR
44 / Take a tour of haunted spots in downtown Lee’s Summit on October 17 Downtown Lee’s Summit (downtownls.org) is organizing evening tours of purported haunts in the quaint downtown, which will start at 6 pm and go until 10:30. The tours, which last about an hour, will cover the ghostly occurrences at an old downtown hospital that’s now an office and a former morgue, which sat above a furniture store where bodies were purportedly stored when they needed the space. The tours are $25, require advance purchase and will be outdoors only with masks required.
45 / Brave the Trail of Terrors NO. 38-42
Try a whole collection of pumpkin beers Lots of breweries make pumpkin beers, but we’re not sure any have gone as wild as O’Fallon Brewery in the suburbs of St. Louis. This year, O’Fallon has released a suite of five different pumpkin beers, starting with real pumpkin in the mash plus the usual assortment of spices. They have variants that add up to a whole dessert table of offerings: pumpkin stout with whipped cream, a light-bodied pumpkin cream ale, Mexican hot cocoa and salted caramel variants.
Want to get your annual fix of jump-scares without going into a dark, cramped space where dozens of others have been pawing around and yelling? Kansas City is lucky to have one outdoor haunted house, Exiled: Trail of Terrors (exiledkc. com). This haunt takes place on a one-mile trail through the woods near Bonner Springs. Hikers have to crawl, bend and climb by the light of a small red LED flashlight. This year’s version will have timed entry, and masks are required.
46 / VOTE!
Don’t forget to vote in this year’s extremely important election.
PHOTO BY MIKE DAY PHOTOGRAPHY
Crunch into a caramel apple from Sweet Caroline’s in Overland Park
NO. 47
The picturesque Platte County town of Parkville has actually been recognized as one of the best places to see fall foliage nationally by Country Living magazine. The town is notable not only for its antique shops, limestone buildings and gabled roofs but also for its proximity to the Missouri River, which, in autumn, reflects the golden, red and orange hues of the oak and hickory forests. If you want to add a walk into the mix, the Green Hills of Platte Wildlife Preserve has two short, heavily wooded trails.
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NUMBER 48
Go leaf peeping in Parkville
For fifteen years, Sweet Caroline’s candy store in Overland Park has been channeling the nostalgic vibes of old-school sweet shops. New owners have kept the vibe, along with rows of candy that line the walls and range from licorice to sour treats. With the arrival of fall, the mustget treat is the seasonal caramel apples, made in twenty-plus flavors. A popular choice is apple pie—a crisp green apple coated with caramel, cinnamon, sugar and icing. Other options include apples coated in pretzels, coconut and M&Ms.
49 FORAGE WILD PERSIMMONS
Persimmon trees are native to Kansas City. Come autumn, they yield a round orange fruit that looks something like a clementine with the skin of an orange plum. The trees tend to grow in rich soil at the edge of farm fields and along the roadside. You’ll know persimmons are ripe and ready to eat when they’re super soft, almost mushy, and when the astringent bite of the unripe fruit has given way to a sweet, date-like flavor. You can chop them up and eat them plain, but there are also lots of great persimmon recipes online.
50 / Get your porch music fix on October 3 Kansas City’s annual Porchfest is normally one of the most unique and anticipated musical events on the city’s calendar. Unfortunately, the full-scale event with a hundred-strong houses is canceled due to Covid. However, you can get a small fix at this one-off porch concert in the West Plaza, just a block east of the state line. The home of Larkin Sanders and Taylor Block (the intersection of 45th Street and Bell in KCMO) will host between three and seven musicians on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 7:30 to 9 pm. It’ll also be live streamed via Facebook, in case you want to sit on your own porch and listen instead.
51 / Get your annual dose of Halloween horror with Panic Film Fest’s “Tricks and Treats” from October 30 to November 1 North Kansas City’s Screenland Armour has forged ahead during the coronavirus pandemic, showing new releases and indie classics since reopening in June. Screenland owner Adam Roberts also co-founded the annual horror film festival Panic Fest, which takes place early in the year. This year, they’re bringing Halloween programming to audiences with Tricks and Treats (panicfilmfest. com/tricks), a new, three-day virtual event on Halloween Weekend. “We were actually one of the only film fests that happened in-person this year with Panic Fest at the end of January,” Roberts says. “Tricks and Treats is more of a celebration of Halloween.” A $30 ticket gets you access to a full lineup of horror movies, shorts, live script readings and games you can play at home.
PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK PAGE
NUMBER 52
Harvest sorghum at the Mahaffie Fall Harvest Festival on October 17
Celebrate fall like its 1860 at the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop’s fall harvest festival (mahaffie.org). The annual get-together at the historic site in Olathe celebrates the harvest and processing of the farm’s trademark crop, sorghum. During the festival, visitors can help cut sorghum stalks and juice them through a horse-powered press. The juice is then boiled down into a syrup and used in goods like cookies and bread. “It has a sweeter taste to it,” Alexis Radil, events coordinator through the City of Olathe, says of sorghum. “The best that I can describe would be like molasses.” The Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm was named for the Mahaffie family, settlers from Indiana who bought the land on the Sante Fe Trail in 1858.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAYLA SZYMANSKI
NO. 53-58
Fall Hikes Prickly Pear Nature Trail (2 miles, easy) Located in Lee’s Summit, the Prickly Pear Trail contains a variety of rock formations that keep the hike interesting throughout. Be sure to use the trail on a dry day or else the mud will prevent you from passing certain areas. A variety of wildlife and hidden gems, such as the pond, make this trail a must-do if you’re looking for a short trek on a nice autumn day.
Carl L. Chinnery Nature Trail (3 miles, easy) Unity Village is the headquarters of an international spiritualist movement founded in the late 1800s. Although it’s incorporated as a village, to the public it’s mainly a conference center with bucolic grounds, including this three-mile trail which begins just beyond the labyrinth in the parking lot. The trail is wide and mostly covered in crushed stone. It travels through thick forests and along the edge of two lakes and rolling corn fields, making it an ideal jaunt on a crisp fall day. A bonus side hike to a damp cave, called a natural bridge, is a must.
Directions: From I-470, take exit 11 onto Strother Road then turn right onto 83rd Street. Turn right onto N.E. Todd George Parkway, left onto Leinweber Road and stay right onto Beach Road. Park in one of the lake’s lots. The trail will be on the opposite side of the street.
Directions: From I-470 east, take exit 7A to go north on Blue Parkway, then follow signs to go east on Unity Circle into the Village.
Rozarks Nature Trail (4.5 miles, moderate)
The beginning of this hidden gem trail can be found in Mill Creek Streamway Park in Shawnee. However, there are at least eight different access points, as the trail stretches across Shawnee, Lenexa and Olathe. The trail is completely paved with mostly flat terrain, though there are some hills here and there. There are many sights to see along the way, including heavily wooded areas, a railroad and Mill Creek. If you start at Wilder Drive, keep an eye out for the photo-worthy bridge, which you’ll see about a mile into the trail.
Rozarks Nature Trail is proof that a moderate-difficulty trail can exist in an urban setting and even make you feel like you’re tucked away in a state park. Just off Southwest Boulevard, the trail includes some moderately steep elevation changes and sharp turns. There’s even an obstacle section of the trail dedicated to bikers or parkour, if that’s your thing. After your hike, follow the road up to the Rosedale Memorial Arch, where you’ll find killer skyline views. Directions: From Southwest Boulevard, turn onto Rainbow Extension (near the Sonic and Home2 Suites). Take the winding road up to Park Drive. The trailhead is at the first parking lot.
Hidden Valley Park (3 miles, easy) This three-mile trail begins in an open field but soon takes you into a beautiful, shaded woodland. Named for the valleys hidden behind the trees among the trails, this is a great smooth and easy trail to try out on a cool autumn day. Directions: From I-29 north, take exit 6. Turn right onto Armour Road, then left onto Searcy Creek Parkway, then right on N.E. Russell Road. There will be a parking lot for the park on the left side of the road. The trail is located on the other side of Russell Road and
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is marked by a sign in between the rocks that line the street.
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Gary L. Haller Trail (13.5 miles, moderate)
Directions: To start at Wilder Road access point, take I-435 west to Shawnee. Take exit 8A toward Holliday Drive. Follow signs for Mill Creek Streamway Park.
Deer Run Trail at Wallace State Park (2.1 miles, moderate) About forty-five minutes out of the city, Wallace State Park—and its centerpiece, Lake Allaman—is a quiet and serene getaway. Deer Run Trail loops just over two miles—three if you decide to take the Deer Creek outlet, which was closed when I was there due to bridge issues. Cool off after your hike by dipping your feet in the lake, which is plenty clean and filled with anglers. Directions: Take I-35 north about 45 minutes. Take exit for US-69 toward Lawson/Cameron. Take a left on 121, which will take you into the park. Follow signs to the lake.
ROZARKS NATURE TRAIL
59 / Get creeped out at a museum in St. Joe When an occupational therapist in St. Joe asked some of his patients to create replicas of old psychiatric devices, the Glore Psychiatric Museum (stjosephmuseum.org) was born. In 1968, George Glore started the project of recreating antiquated mental health treatments for a display during Mental Health Week. Now, it’s a large museum of psychiatric exhibits. Some of most disturbing exhibits include the “lunatic box,” which was an upright box that contained patients until they calmed down, a “tranquilizer chair” that some patients were forced to remain in for up to six months, and a display of four hundred fifty-three nails that were swallowed by a resident at the hospital.
60 / Pick a peck at Cider Hill Family Orchard Cider Hill Family Orchard (ciderhillfamilyorchard.com) in KCK is an apple lover’s dream. This thirty-eight-acre farm has more than eighteen hundred apple trees representing more than twenty different cultivars, with more being added every year. Harvest has been going on for more than a month now, but you’ll still be able to fill a bag or two, plus pick a pumpkin and treat yourself to a cider slushie and a donut. Masks are required in common areas, and there will be a timed reservation system during the height of the season.
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TOKIN’ COW (VOL. 2, NO. 2) “This was done by Gary Peterson. It’s basically a joint-smoking cow sticking his head through an interdimensional hole,” Giangreco says. With Peterson’s request and Giangreco’s blessing, the artwork eventually became the logo for the legendary music venue Cowtown Ballroom in May of 1971.
KC culture makers of the hippie era are banding together to find and preserve copies of the wildly influential underground newspaper WESTPORT TRUCKER BY NICOLE BR ADLEY
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of LaBudde Special Collections at UMKC’s Miller Nichols Library sits a growing stack of the Westport Trucker, their covers scattered in neon colors and psychedelic designs, printed on crinkled paper that is now yellowing.
That stack will grow just a little taller if Chuck Haddix can help it. Haddix’s title at the library is curator of special collections, but he’s better known around town as Kansas City’s premier cultural historian, the host of a well-loved radio show and the author of books about Walter Cronkite and Charlie Parker. Haddix’s latest project at the library is an attempt to assemble the only complete collection of Kansas City’s earliest and most notorious underground newspaper, the Westport Trucker. The Trucker, which was published between 1968 and 1974, influenced an entire generation— including Haddix himself. “The Trucker is very important to me—it’s the stuff that shaped my life and career and sparked my interest in writing,” says Haddix, who grew
up north of the river but bought the newspaper at a shop called Tiny Tim’s Magic Circus in Westport. “In those days, there was no internet. You had these underground radio stations, but this is what brought the community together. This is where you found out who was playing Volker Park that week.” If you know what Volker Park is, you can thank the Trucker—the publication is responsible for popularizing the colloquial name for Theis Memorial Mall in front of the Nelson-Atkins Museum. About a year ago, Haddix started working with the man behind the paper, Dennis Giangreco, on the collection. Giangreco, who has also published under the name D.M. Giangreco, is also something of an institution—he moved from KC to
FALLING PIANO (VOL. 3, NO. 18, ISSUE 69)
This cover was done by Martin Muller, also known as Neon Park, who is best known for the Weasels Ripped My Flesh album cover he produced for Frank Zappa.
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KOSMIC CITY, MISSOURI (VOL. 1, NO. 5)
This was the first multicolored Trucker cover and was drawn up by Giangreco himself.
The final ‘‘sanitized’’ Neon Park art as it appeared on the back cover of a September 1971 edition of the Westport Trucker (above).
NYC and founded a little magazine called High Times before becoming an eminent military historian and author. Dennis Giangreco’s career started in the summer of 1966 when he hitchhiked to San Francisco at fourteen. The teen spent a few summers out there, working odd jobs for Family Dog Productions, parent company of the Avalon Ballroom, and heading post-show cleanup for the Rolling Stones’ infamous Altamont show. Giangreco left school after his junior year at Center High School to commit his time to booking acts, renting out music halls around Kansas City and negotiating with the city to hold
weekly Sunday concerts in city parks. The first rock concert at Volker Park featured an act called the Amelia Earhart Memorial Flying Band—whose lead vocalist, Sylvester James, later became the city’s mayor. In 1968, Giangreco worked as a top-selling street vendor at the Kansas City Screw, an underground newspaper that printed ten issues before a failed merger with what Giangreco calls “a somewhat more doctrinaire publication out of Lawrence,” Reconstruction. The resulting paper was Vortex. Most of the staff bailed, and Giangreco spent time in California and Denver before returning to KC, rounding up most of the
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THE MILLIGRAM MAN (VOL. 3, NO. 19, ISSUE 68)
The Trucker’s Milligram Man was a spoof on the “Hi Neighbor” Milgram Man of KC’s Milgram Grocery stores, which had locations sprinkled around the city.
According to Giangreco, for the sake of speed, most full-color separations were kept as simple as possible.
original staff and changing the name of the publication to Westport Trucker. “The big catch phrase at the time was, ‘Keep on truckin’,’” he says. “It was built off of [cartoonist] Robert Crumb’s idea of: Movement! Action!” The successful Trucker, which Giangreco says printed ninety issues from the tail end of 1968 through the spring of 1974, operated out of a few different spaces in Westport surrounding areas over the years. The paper was sold at local head shops and by street vendors. “After about a year, we never had an edition that sold less than four thousand copies,” he says. “After the third year, we never had an edition that sold less than seven thousand copies.” Alternative content and inconspicuous headlines like “Did
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Waterbuggers Assassinate JFK?”, “Tums Spelled Backward Is Smut” and “Zippies Indicted For Miami Firemob” attracted an audience that ranged from hippies to the Mission Hills set, according to Giangreco. The paper’s street vendors were routinely arrested when selling the paper on the Country Club Plaza, with detainees being charged for “interrupting pedestrian traffic” and being taken to a precinct on 63rd Street in Brookside to be locked up for a few hours. “When that would happen,” Giangreco says, “the first person you call is not the attorney. The first person you call is the office or Tiny Tim's Magic Circus, which was our distribution point on Broadway. And they would round up more vendors.” The cops eventually let up on the Trucker team, Giangreco says. “One judge said: ‘I don't want to see you continuing to bring this
stuff to us. I just don't want to see it. It's wasting everybody's time.’ After that, we were pretty much left alone.” Former Trucker National Affairs Editor John LaRoe says his pay included a third-floor attic apartment at the newspaper’s office, on Harrison Street at the time, and he’d often host contributors passing through town. (The Trucker also had staff out of New York City, where Giangreco moved in 1974 to start High Times). “I think one of the things that is remarkable about the Trucker is that it really was about Westport,” LaRoe says. “Then, it was probably even more of a dynamic neighborhood. And there were actually a lot of older people, people that are my age now, reading it. I think at one point even my mother helped distribute the Trucker.” Haddix’s efforts to collect every edition of the Trucker—“Before your grandkids throw them in the trash…” is the campaign’s tagline—is spreading rapidly over Facebook. Meagan Glass, also a longtime Trucker admirer and once patron of Volker Park and Cowtown Ballroom concerts, has spent the last year hyping up the UMKC Trucker collection by posting in community Facebook groups and branding herself as Giangreco’s “office manager.” Glass is taking this role seriously for now, but her husband is hoping she’ll cut back soon. She and Giangreco say that Tommy Greene, former Trucker bee and Kansas City rock history aficionado, is supposed to eventually get on Facebook and take over the outreach. “Greene has been promising for almost a year to start handling the page but, as I've said before, I suspect that it will be later rather than sooner,” Glass says. “My poor, neglected Bill says, ‘It can't come soon enough for me!’” But, as it goes with so many of these lax hippie chain-of-command operations, Glass is taking the wheel until further notice.
PSY-KEE-DELIK (VOL. 2, NO. 6)
“Yeah, we did start drifting more in the direction of whacky,’’ Giangreco says, ‘‘but we sure weren't done with psychedelia by a long shot.”
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Surviving
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Mall-
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Pocalypse how much longer can kansas city malls hang on? B Y J O R DA N M E I E R
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icture it: Kansas City, 1985. Crowds of kids gathered around cheap tables and chairs. Parents corralling their kids as they beg to go on the merry-go-round. Men carrying bags upon bags from a variety of stores for their girlfriends or wives. All the while the smell of Cinnabon and greasy pizza wafting through the air as Madonna’s hits play over the speakers. This is life inside a shopping mall, and it is good. At their height, local shopping malls were not only hotspots of community commerce but also gathering places. Kids skipped school to hang out in the food courts, families descended upon them in the fall to shop for back to school and people spent untold hours in December going store to store for holiday gifts. But malls have been on steady decline nationwide for decades now, and Kansas City is not immune. At the height of mall culture in the 1980s, Kansas City had over fifteen enclosed malls scattered around the city. But now that number has dwindled to just four—Oak Park, Crown Center, Independence Center and The Landing—and they’re fighting to stay alive by grabbing the few bucks otherwise headed to Jeff Bezos. The global pandemic has not helped matters, and the remaining malls are fighting tooth and nail to stay alive and relevant. A recent study by Coresight Research even predicts that recent economic challenges could trigger at least a quarter of the remaining U.S. malls to close over the next five years. We talked with KC’s surviving malls to see what their futures entail and how they plan to stay in business.
THE EARLY DAYS
Like casinos, you’ll rarely find a clock in a mall. Nor will you ever see a store with outside-facing windows. The idea is to get you to lose track of time.
Many people see malls as an icon of 1980s culture, but they’ve been around a lot longer. Jeff Hopkins, an associate professor of cultural geography, specifically public places, at Western University in Ontario, says American shopping malls as we know them originated in the 1950s. “After WWII, you had this big demographic boom,” Hopkins says. “Lots of babies were being born, and that fueled the economy and set the scene for massive economic growth for the next several decades. With that came the need for housing, and this is where you see the rise of suburbia. Well, those people living in the suburbs need a place to shop and, thus, the shopping mall.” Hopkins says that in addition to all those factors, the growth of massive department stores—like Dillard's and Nordstrom— as well as the rise of TV all created the spark that would flame into the phenomenon of the mall.
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“Now you’ve got this rise of consumer culture,” he says. “It’s this idea that to be successful you need things. The more the better.” However, Hopkins says, for mid-century suburbanites, malls were more than just a place to shop. “They were one of the few public places where people could come together as a community of strangers,” he says. “It was a gathering place, and in a consumer society that makes sense. You go to the place where consumption occurs and you get to eat, walk around, engage in shopping. You see and you get to be seen.” Then the internet changed everything.
THE DEATH OF THE MALL
As the internet boomed, in-person shopping slowly began to die off. This is not news. Everyone knows that online shopping has been killing retail. But economist Chris Kuehl, managing director at Armada Corporate Intelligence, says there’s more to it. “The consumer never really changes,” he says. “The consumer is always interested in low prices and convenience. That drives the decisions they make more than anything else.” Kuehl says that over-saturation of the market and a lack of store diversity also contributed to the death of malls. “They used to have a lot more unique stores that you couldn’t find any place else, but over the years they have become too much like one another,” Kuehl says. The surviving malls of Kansas City have always been home to unique attractions—the ice rink outside Crown Center, the selfie studio at Oak Park, the art installations at Independence Center, the one-of-a-kind stores at The Landing. The malls that have survived and even thrived have only done so because they stood out among the crowd.
retail properties in twenty-six other states, announced they were entering a financial restructuring agreement with shareholders as the threat of bankruptcy looms. The agreement will hopefully eliminate up to $1.5 billion in debt for the company and would allow them to avoid closing a significant portion of their properties—mostly malls. However, to implement the terms of the agreement, the company will be filing chapter 11 bankruptcy by Oct. 1. Even without these new financial troubles, Oak Park is still going to lose one of its anchors: Nordstrom. The Seattle-based department store announced it would be closing its Oak Park location by 2022 and moving to a new space at Country Club Plaza. Oak Park also recently lost unique attractions like the American Girl Doll store and Microsoft. Kuehl also points out that this change in the retail market is not new. “Ironically, the malls killed off Main Street, and now they are being killed off, and it's really the same process,” he says. “It’s a constantly moving target.” Kuehl again emphasizes that for a consumer, it's all about convenience. Main Street was killed off because it was more convenient to go somewhere that had everything you needed rather than twelve different storefronts, and now you can buy everything you need from the comfort of your house. “I think I actually got an Amazon package delivered while we have been talking,” he says. “It’s just so easy. Why would I leave my house when I can get the same thing without having to leave my couch?” Whatever follows the era of online shopping is yet to be seen, but Kansas City’s surviving malls will have to keep innovating to avoid living on borrowed time.
THE SURVIVORS Oak Park Located in the heart of Overland Park, Oak Park Mall opened in 1975 with four stores:
Macy’s, Montgomery Ward, JCPenney and St. Louis-born Stix, Baer & Fuller. Since then, the mall has become an icon of retail in the Kansas City area, and its success has pushed out a number of competitors. Stacey Keating, the PR representative for CBL Properties—owners of Oak Park Mall and ninety other retail properties around the country—attributes the longevity of Oak Park to its willingness to change with consumer trends. “As consumer preferences have changed and certain retailers have fallen out of favor with customers, we replaced them with new retail and other uses,” Keating says. Some of these changes have included renovations. In 1984, the food court was added. In the mid- to late-1980s, Dillard’s brought in their stores. In the late nineties, the mall underwent expansion and renovation with the addition of Nordstrom. Then in the mid-2000s, the mall expanded with Barnes & Noble and completed another full renovation. “The shopping center continues to be a modern and vibrant epicenter of Johnson County’s retail market,” Keating says. Although Oak Park is one of the few malls to survive closure, it’s had struggles. Recently, the company that owns the mall, as well as
Left: The Landing Shopping Center, Kansas City, Missouri provided by J. C. Nichols Company Records, 1896-2007 (K0106), The State Historical Society of Missouri, Manuscript Collection Right: Crown Center viewed from east side of complex showing square, shopping center and hotel. photograph provided by Missouri Valley Special Collections
Crown Center The founders of Hallmark opened Crown Center in 1973 as the Crown Center Hotel. In 1981, they converted part of the complex into a shopping center now known as Crown Center. Currently, the Center's biggest draw isn’t the stores but the entertainment options, including an aquarium, Legoland, a winter ice rink and two theaters. It’s even home to the iconic Fritz’s, which delivers your food via a complex miniature train track system. “The Crown Center Shops has never been a typical mall,” says Anne Deuschle, marketing manager for Crown Center. “It was an early adopter of an entertainment strategy to bring customers to our destination. We are now home to live theater, four attractions and a variety of shops and restaurants that are uniquely Kansas City.” Although the center has remained relevant with new entertainment opens that appeal to families, it’s likely the mall’s location near downtown and connection to Union Station that has saved it from the same fate as other malls in the area.
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Independence Center This million-squarefoot shopping center opened its doors in 1974 with Macy’s, Sears and Stix, Baer & Fuller’s as its anchors, along with over a hundred other storefronts. Independence Center has seen many renovations over its lifetime, the last of which was completed in 2015. It’s also created a number of events to get patrons through its doors. There’s a rotating art display on columns throughout the mall, and there are special walking hours on the weekend to encourage people to get their exercise. Independence Center did not respond to Kansas City magazine’s multiple requests for comment.
To create a pleasant atmosphere, some malls waft certain scents through the air vents, like pizza or cookies.
The Landing In 1960, at the intersection of Troost Avenue and 63rd Street, The Landing Mall opened as an open-air shopping center with inspiration from the story of Noah’s Ark woven into the decoration. It was home to a Macy’s and Radio Shack, as well as a few local stores. In 1970, it was renovated into a small enclosed shopping center. The Landing—also known as the New Landing Mall—is still thriving in its eastside neighborhood. “It markets to all types of demographics and draws from a very large area in KC,” says owner David Block, president of Block & Company Realtors. However, instead of trying to be home to a massive amount of department stores, the Landing has leaned into being a home for more one-of-a-kind stores, such as the Deep Rooted Clothing Company and Monteils Skincare & Aromatherapy.
“The tenant mix is very diverse,” Block says. “We want to give entrepreneurs the chance to be successful.” To do that, Block says they have a much lower rent than other malls in the area and they are working to get smaller storefronts up and running within the mall to give up-and-coming minority-owned businesses a chance. “Our focus is on meeting the needs of the surrounding community,” Block says. Unlike other mall owners, Block doesn’t really have many concerns about the Landing. He says redevelopment in the area—new apartments and restaurants— will be good for the mall. “We see it as being a long-term driver for the area,” he says. “The future is bright.”
IN MEMORIAM Ward Parkway HEYDAY: Located at the foot of Ward Parkway, the mall opened in 1959 with a Kroger’s Market and Montgomery Ward store. It later became one of the first malls with a movie theater, two screens owned by AMC. NOW: While a small indoor section remains, it’s been redeveloped into an open-air shopping center anchored by Target, Trader Joe’s and TJ Maxx. Bannister Mall
Left: The ark was the centerpiece at the main entrance of Macy’s in The Landing Shopping Center. Photograph provided by J. C. Nichols Company Records, 1896-2007 (K0106), The State Historical Society of Missouri, Manuscript Collection Right top: Overland Park Right top: Independence Center Right bottom: Crown Center
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HEYDAY: Bannister Mall opened in 1980 at the intersection of Bannister and Hillcrest roads in south KC. The two-level mall was home to Macy’s, JCPenny and Sears and was adorned in many red-brown tile foundations with plants surrounding them.
NOW: After an uptick in crime and a downtick in customers, Bannister closed its doors in April 2007. The mall was completely demolished in 2009, and in 2013 Cerner bought the property to redevelop. Great Mall of the Great Plains HEYDAY: Olathe’s Great Mall of the Great Plains opened on the tail end of the mall craze in 1997 with anchor stores Dillard’s and Burlington Coat Factory. It attracted about 1.5 million patrons in its early years and had over one hundred fifty open stores, plus Jeepers Amusement Park and a glow-in-the-dark mini golf course. After a steady decline, the DMV was the biggest draw. NOW: Most all of the tenants were forced out in 2015, and the mall closed for good that fall. Demolition of the one-million-squarefoot facility began in 2016, and today only the Burlington Coat Factory storefront— which is still in business—stands, along with a handful of restaurants. Developers spent years fighting about what to do with the one-hundred-acre space, but in 2018 Utah’s Woodbury Corporation proposed a $300 million renovation of the area, which would include a small arena, apartments, office space and, of course, retail. There are no updates on that project. Blue Ridge Mall HEYDAY: Originally developed as an openair mall, Blue Ridge opened in 1957 in Independence, just off I-70. It was later converted into an enclosed mall in the 1970s with anchor stores JCPenny and Montgomery Ward. NOW: After a jump in crime, Blue Ridge
started to go downhill, and in 2004 management announced they were going to demolish the mall and build a Walmart Supercenter in its place. Demolition began in 2005, and in 2007 the space reopened as Blue Ridge Crossing. Metro-North HEYDAY: Located on Northwest Barry Road next to Highway 169, Metro-North Mall opened its doors in 1976 with one hundred and fifty open stores. At the time, it was the only enclosed mall in the Northland and the second largest in the area behind Oak Park Mall. It boasted the classic eighties style with a bright green color scheme and a center stage area. Metro-North also had four large department stores, including Dillard’s, JCPenny and Macy’s. NOW: Metro-North Mall closed its doors in April of 2014 after years of steady decline. At the time, only three stores remained: a nutritional store, a wig shop and Macy’s. Macy’s is still open here despite the rest of the mall being demolished around it. Antioch Center HEYDAY: The Northland’s Antioch Center opened its doors in 1956 with eighty storefronts. It started as an open-air mall but was renovated in 1978 to be an enclosed shopping center. NOW: While the building still stands and is operational, Antioch Center technically closed in 2012 after it was nearly completely vacant. The center has been renamed to Antioch Crossing and is home to stores and restaurants like Vintage Stock and Five Guys. Indian Springs HEYDAY: Located in KCK, this two-level mall opened in 1976 anchored by Dillard’s, Montgomery Wards and JCPenny. NOW: This mall folded in 2001
before many of the others, in part due to the competition of Oak Park Mall. Indian Springs converted their larger stores into a USPS customer service center and office space for the KCK School District. Since its downfall in 2001, many ideas have been floated about repurposing the space—including leveling it to create an outdoor shopping center—but so far none have panned out. Mission Center Mall HEYDAY: Mission Center opened in 1956 off Shawnee Mission Parkway in Mission. It opened with a Macy’s and was an openair mall until 1989, when it was torn down and completely rebuilt. The enclosed mall had fifty storefronts and a Dillard’s. NOW: Mission Center remained largely profitable at nearly seventy-five percent capacity until 2005, when it was announced that the mall would be vacated and demolished. In its place would be built a “mixed-use development” called Mission Gateway. The mall was demolished in 2006 and sat vacant until 2019, when developers broke ground on the area that, when finished, will include apartments, restaurants and a large indoor entertainment facility with a movie theater and ziplines. The entertainment center and the first round of apartments were scheduled to open in 2020. Metcalf South Mall HEYDAY: Metcalf is a major thoroughfare in Johnson County, and in 1967 a shopping mall opened at the 95th Street intersection in the hopes of attracting massive amounts of customers. The mall had a movie theater, a Macy’s and a Sears. NOW: After years of renovations and expansions, the mall finally had to close in 2017. A Lowe’s and Andy’s Frozen Custard have been built in its place.
The medians that divide walkways in malls into two lanes are not there to create a distinct traffic pattern but rather get you closer to storefronts so you’re more inclined to pop in.
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When considering any task, it’s important to do your homework. These professionals offer their expertise on an array of popular subjects in order to help you decide what’s right for you.
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Michael LeBlanc, D.D.S. ABOUT Dr. Michael LeBlanc is a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Since completing his residency at Children’s Mercy Hospital, he has had the privilege of providing dental care for countless children in the greater Kansas City community for the last 15 years. Along with his three remarkable colleagues, also Board Certified Pediatric Dentists, he continues to provide outstanding dental care for your children with an added focus of cultivating a culture of positivity and fun. Our entire team of compassionate professionals is dedicated to achieving the best possible experience for you and your family.
Pediatric Dentistry Q: When is the best time to take my child to their first exam? How often should I take them? A: “First visit by the first birthday” is a great general rule. This first visit is a great opportunity for you and your pediatric dentist to establish a patient/provider relationship. It allows us to give you the tools and knowledge you will need to help keep your children’s
naturally, but they also play a vital role in the proper eruption of permanent teeth. By restoring primary teeth, we are not only prolonging their presence in the mouth for proper development, but we are also decreasing harmful bacteria in the mouth. Untreated caries may lead to pain, mild to severe infection, premature loss of teeth and impairment of general health. Proper care and restoration of baby teeth is instrumental in overall wellness. Q: Why should I take my child to a pediatric dentist instead of my general dentist?
teeth healthy. After the initial visit, we recommend your children see a pediatric dentist every 6 months for their recall exams. Q: When do the first teeth start to erupt? A: The two front lower teeth (central incisors) generally erupt through the gums between the ages of 6 and 12 months, followed shortly after by the two upper central incisors. The remainder of the baby teeth will continue to erupt through toddlerhood. By 3 years of age, all 20 primary teeth should be present. Q: If my child gets a cavity in a baby tooth, should it still be filled? A: Great question! The short answer is yes, in most cases. Not only do primary teeth help children speak clearly and chew
A: Pediatric dentists extend their education an additional 2-3 years to understand the specific dental needs of children from infancy to adolescence. This extensive training is required to understand both the physical and psychological development of children. Equipped with this knowledge and the understanding that dental visits can be scary for some kids, pediatric dentists are fully prepared to deliver the best possible experience. When your child arrives at our office, they will be greeted with a friendly, fun, and colorful environment designed with them in mind. From beginning to end, their visit will be full of kindness, positivity and reward incentives for a job well done.
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Tim Herre, DDS ABOUT
and stressed, wreaking havoc on our personal and professional lives. The good news is we have the ability to permanently change the size and volume of ones airway for 24/7 improved breathing with the use of a biological dental appliance. No more managing with just a nighttime appliance or CPAP. My goal is to help you BREATHE,
Dr. Tim Herre is a graduate of Saint Thomas Aquinas and UMKC dental school. He is a third generation dentist in Johnson County and is passionate about Kansas City. He practices holistic and biological dentistry with an emphasis on treating TMJ disorders, childhood growth and development and airway/ sleep concerns for all ages. His wellness philosophy aims at treating the root cause of disease, which enables you be the best version of yourself.
SLEEP, THRIVE!
Q: Should I be concerned if my child snores, mouth breathes, grinds their teeth, has ADHD or wets the bed?
Holistic Dentistry Q: Is there a solution to my chronic TMJ pain? I can’t deal with this! A: Jaw pain, worn teeth, receding gums, headaches, earaches and clenching or grinding your teeth are all common TMJ symptoms. These are all signs that the chewing system is breaking down and not functioning properly. By focusing on the root cause of the symptoms, the chewing system is able to be conservatively rejuvenated back to a state of optimal health and well-being. This type of dentistry isn’t focused on managing the disease with
a typical night guard but asking why and what is causing the breakdown and providing a permanent fix. The good news is there is hope for those suffering from long-term chronic pain. Q: I don’t sleep well: I snore, I never feel rested when I wake up, and I’m tired of wearing a CPAP. What is going on? A: Up to seventy million Americans are affected by chronic sleep disorders. It’s well known that sleep apnea can cause systemic disease such as high blood pressure, fatigue, weight gain and diabetes. Now we know that grinding one’s teeth and snoring can be directly linked to the size of one’s face, jaw and airway. When our jaws don’t grow properly, our airway from inside the nose to behind the tongue become a choke point to our breathing. As a result, we aren’t able to breathe properly, we get inadequate restorative sleep, and our health suffers. This can make us more irritable, anxious
A: YES! The above symptoms, plus crowded teeth, enlarged tonsils, tongue tie and inability to nurse, are all signs there is a problem. In our modern society, there is an epidemic among children due to poor growth and development of their jaws and face. If not addressed early in life, the airway becomes constricted and may predispose your child to needing teeth removed for orthodontic purposes, sleep apnea, TMJ and other health issues. We screen and evaluate all childrens’ growth, airway and tonsils with a 3D scan of their jaws. The ideal age for this is three to six years old to harness the child’s true growth potential. My goal is to catch any potential airway issue at an early stage so your child can grow and develop to their full potential.
Dental Health by Herre | The Breathe To Thrive Center 11201 Nall Ave., Suite 120 Leawood, KS | 913.491.4466 | dentalhealthbyherre.com | breathethrive.com
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C. Lan Fotopoulos, MD ABOUT
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C. Lan Fotopoulos, M.D., is an interventional physiatrist specializing in minimally invasive and interventional procedures in the treatment of spinal disorders, including epidural injections, vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, radiofrequency ablation, spinal cord stimulation and sacroplasty. From skillful diagnosis to advanced treatment options and attentive follow-up care, you’ll find a comprehensive range of orthopedic services at DicksonDiveley Orthopaedics.
Physiatry
A: Intracept is indicated for patients with chronic low back pain who don’t have a spinal instability or scoliosis, but they do have changes present on an MRI, called modic changes. These patients generally have experienced chronic low back pain for more than six months and have not responded to nonsurgical treatments. Intracept addresses modic changes that stem from degeneration rather than a tear or rupture. An MRI and physical examination will be performed to determine patients who qualify.
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Q: What are the key benefits of the Intracept Procedure?
A: When patients don’t respond well to nonsurgical treatment methods for lower back pain, they often think spinal fusion surgery is their only remaining option. But for some, there is another type of treatment that could relieve their back pain: the Intracept Procedure. It’s an outpatient, minimally invasive procedure that
targets the basivertebral nerve, which is located in the bones of the spine (vertebrae). Q: How does Intracept help relieve chronic low back pain? A: The pain-sensing basivertebral nerve is responsible for applying innervation to the bony end plates of the vertebral body. When the Intracept probe burns that nerve, it blocks the pain signals before they have a chance to branch to those end plates.
A: Intracept is a minimally invasive, outpatient procedure, so the recovery period is rapid—often not more than a couple of days. It is implant-free and preserves the structure of the spine. There are no restrictions placed on patients afterward, and in many instances the pain relief is almost immediate.
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Core Bank | SBA Lending Team ABOUT
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As an SBA Preferred Lender, our team has been trusted by countless businesses to guide them through the process of obtaining an SBA loan. With extensive, specialized experience, Core Bank is the trusted resource small businesses lean on for the financing needed to grow.
SBA Loans Q: Who qualifies for an SBA loan? A: The vast majority of businesses are eligible for financial assistance from the Small Business Administration. Your business must operate for profit and not be a passive investment. The business must operate in the United States or its territories. The owners must have reasonable equity to invest. Lastly, the business must meet the SBA’s size standards. The size standard test is usually determined by number of employees and/ or average annual revenues. The definition of “small” varies by industry.
Q: What are SBA loans used for? A: There are several different programs within the SBA, all of which encompass the following use of proceeds: 1. Purchase Commercial Real Estate 2. Acquire a Business/ Start a Business 3. Franchise Financing 4. Refinance/Consolidate Existing Debt 5. Business Expansion 6. Purchase Equipment, furniture, and(or) fixtures 7. Tenant Improvements 8. Partner Buyout 9. Working Capital There are many different structures that may add value to your business. The SBA is designed to provide solutions and capital to small businesses that do not qualify for conventional commercial financing.
A: There are many benefits to the SBA program. The SBA provides financing for companies in all stages of the business cycle, whether your business is a start-up with no historical financial performance, your business is expanding, or if you are ready to exit your business. The standard operating procedure of the SBA provides flexibility to small business owners so their goals and aspirations are obtained. The time it takes to obtain an SBA loan is largely dependent upon how quickly the necessary information and documentation is obtained. There is also great value added when working with a preferred lender like Core Bank that understands the program and all that it entails. Being a preferred lender allows us to make decisions on behalf of the SBA. The average time frame from start to finish to obtain financing is 45-60 days. For more information please visit our website at sbakansascity.com and reach out to any of our SBA experts.
Core Bank | SBA Lending Team 7400 College Blvd., Suite 205, Overland Park, KS | 913.490.7400 | www.corebank.com
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Maniza Ehtesham, MD, FACP ABOUT Q: How do I know I may have a sleep disorder?
Dr. Ehtesham is a board certified sleep physician and the medical director at Excellhealth Sleep Center. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Missouri Kansas City and enjoys teaching medical students. She has also served as an Associate Residency Program Director at UMKC SOM. She is currently a staff physician at Advent Health Shawnee Mission and Excellhealth Sleep Center.
A: Common symptoms include snoring, gasping/choking in sleep, excessive sleepiness or naps in the day, attention/ concentration/focus/memory problems during daytime, weight gain, trouble with sleep onset or maintaining sleep, frequent awakenings, frequent urination at night, headaches, decreased productivity at work, nightmares, acting out dreams, restless legs etc.
Sleep Disorders
Q: What are the risks of leaving a sleep disorder untreated?
Q: How many hours should an average adult sleep? A: Preferably seven to eight hours, but a minimum of six hours. Q: I am stressed amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and can’t sleep. What can I do? A: Try to set a consistent sleep and wake up routine even if you are working from home or doing school online. Try to expose yourself to a daily dose of sunlight and do a few relaxing activities close to bedtime like stretching, listening to soft music or massaging your hands and feet with a cream or lotion. Avoid the TV or your phone. If sleep hygiene tips don’t help, try melatonin a couple hours before bedtime and contact your doctor for further advise. Digital CBT-I and/or shortterm medications may be options for you.
Q: What is Covid Somnia? A: Increased sleep disturbances in people recovering from Covid19 and others whose lives are affected by the pandemic. It can vary from bouts of insomnia to hypersomnia, nightmares or shifts in sleep cycles. If you are experiencing the above, please contact your doctor. Q: I tested positive for Covid-19. Do I continue to use my CPAP/BIPAP therapy? A: Please continue to use your PAP device but make sure your partner is sleeping in a different room. PAP can help you breathe better and recover better from lung infections including COVID 19 so please don’t stop your PAP. Change your filters and sanitize your PAP after you recover. Q: I think I have a sleep disorder, can I still do a sleep appointment or sleep testing during the pandemic? A: Video telehealth and in person visits are available. You will be asked screening questions and have your temperature taken and require masks. We also require strict hand hygiene including washing hands on entry and sanitizer use. Home sleep testing is available, so you can do the test safely in your own home. For severe disease patients, we are arranging in-lab tests but with strict protocols. .
A: Sleep disorders have been linked to cardiovascular diseases including high blood pressure, stroke, heart attacks, irregular heartbeat and heart failure. Laboratory research and epidemiologic studies have found that short sleep duration results in metabolic changes that may be linked to obesity and diabetes. Studies have also indicated that depression, anxiety and ADHD/ ADD may improve once sleep disorders have been effectively treated and sufficient sleep cycles are restored. Q: What are other common conditions associated with untreated sleep disorders? A: Memory problems, migraine headaches, seizures, acid reflux and chronic kidney disease are some other common conditions related to sleep disorders.
Excellhealth Sleep Center 8901 W 74th St., Suite 350 Overland Park, KS | 913.203.4040 | excellhealthsleep.com
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Katie Dunn Fitzgerald ABOUT US
Mariner Wealth Advisors, a privately held national advisory firm founded in 2006, offers clients wealth management services designed to help them navigate their financial future. Our teams, including tax, estate planning and trust services, investment management and insurance, are under one roof, which provides clients with a coordinated, personalized experience. Our advisors are focused on partnering with clients for whatever life brings their way and are committed to always putting their interests first. As a senior wealth consultant, Katie Dunn Fitzgerald helps business owners and senior-level executives formulate and implement financial plans, while actively volunteering in the Kansas City community. Katie’s current community involvement includes serving the following organizations: the University of Kansas Health System, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, the Foundation board for Johnson County Community College, the United Way of Greater Kansas City Tocqueville Society, BOTAR, multiple women’s causes and her children’s grade school.
Act authorized the Small Business Administration to provide Paycheck Protection Program loans to small businesses to cover payroll and other basic expenses. The added benefit of these loans is they can potentially be forgiven if certain rules are adhered to. The other option we’re recommending small business owners explore are Emergency Injury Disaster Loans. These already existed prior to the CARES Act but were expanded significantly to provide additional assistance. If you own a business, I highly recommend visiting MarinerWealthAdvisors. com for a more in-depth discussion of both of these loan options.
Wealth Advice Q: What is the most pressing topic you see clients needing to address right now? A: With the ongoing personal and economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, clients who own small businesses are having to navigate a crisis that’s truly unprecedented. At Mariner Wealth Advisors, we’ve been really focusing on educating those clients about what their options may be in pursuing financing for their business as a result of the recent legislation passed and how those decisions will impact their personal financial plan. While we don’t know how this whole thing will end up, our objective is to make clients educated and updated on the legislation to help them make informed decisions for both the short- and long-term. Q: Should I apply for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan? A: In short, if you own a small business, even as a sole proprietor or as an independent contractor, I recommend that you seriously consider applying for these loans. The recent CARES
*MWA does not provide all services listed in this piece. Some services are provided by affiliates and are subject to additional fees. Additional fees may also apply for tax planning and preparation services. This article is limited to the dissemination of general information pertaining to Mariner Wealth Advisors’ investment advisory services and general economic market conditions. The views expressed are for commentary purposes only and do not take into account any individual personal, financial, or tax considerations. As such, the information contained herein is not intended to be personal legal, investment or tax advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any security or engage in a particular investment strategy. Nothing herein should be relied upon as such, and there is no guarantee that any claims made will come to pass. Any opinions and forecasts contained herein are based on information and sources of information deemed to be reliable, but Mariner Wealth Advisors does not warrant the accuracy of the information that this opinion and forecast is based upon. You should note that the materials are provided “as is” without any express or implied warranties. Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict future performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Consult your financial professional before making any investment decision. Mariner Wealth Advisors (“MWA”), is an SEC registered investment adviser with its principal place of business in the State of Kansas. Registration of an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. MWA is in compliance with the current notice filing requirements imposed upon registered investment advisers by those states in which MWA maintains clients. MWA may only transact business in those states in which it is notice filed or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from notice filing requirements. Any subsequent, direct communication by MWA with a prospective client shall be conducted by a representative that is either registered or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration in the state where the prospective client resides. For additional information about MWA, including fees and services, please contact MWA or refer to the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). Please read the disclosure statement carefully before you invest or send money.
Mariner Wealth Advisors 5700 W 112th St., Suite 200, Overland Park, KS 913.647.9700 | marinerwealthadvisors.com
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John Humphrey Jr. D.D.S. ABOUT Dr. John Humphrey Jr is husband to Kansas City native Charity Humphrey and father to Hudson, Lola and Elle. His health journey and fatherhood have both been integral in shaping the care he provides his patients. Charity’s experience as a mother-baby nurse and lactation consultant helped inform his desire to care for the mother baby relationship. He enjoys cycling, exploring the local KC food and coffee culture and spending time in nature with his family. Dr. Humphrey studied at Dr. Richard Baxter’s TongueTied Academy, The Breathe Institute, The American College of Integrative Medicine and Dentistry and is active in the IAOMT, IABDM, AAOSH and the HDA. Kansas City Dental Works was founded in 2013 with the goal of providing the KC Metro with a holistic perspective on modern dental care.
Holistic (biological) Dentistry Q: What is holistic (biological) dentistry? A: Holistic dentistry is a treatment philosophy that looks to find the safest, least toxic methods to deliver modern dental care. Another important component is
Q: What is the best way to prevent gum disease and cavities from a holistic perspective?
the consideration of each individual’s biological terrain as we deliver care. Holistic dentistry is concerned with the whole body effects of dental procedures, techniques and materials. One of the most surprising things our patients experience is how much time we spend with them during their evaluation, time learning about them as a person rather than just an isolated mouth. A full picture of each patient, mind, body, and spirit, gives us so much valuable information to help them in their wellness journey. We offer services such as biocompatibility testing, Oral DNA bacterial testing, dental ozone therapy, CO2 laser tongue and lip tie release, orofacial myofunctional therapy and Myobraces as part of our holistic approach to dentistry. Being “mercury safe” is also an important aspect, meaning that we do not place mercury amalgam fillings and are also certified to remove them in a way that greatly reduces mercury exposure. We also work with an amazing network of various health care and wellness providers as many times our patients need a team approach to achieve their health and wellness goals.
A: Many people may think the answer to this question lies in the oral care isle at Target, however, the best way to prevent these infections is through proper nutrition and proper breathing. Each person has their own individual nutritional needs, but there are basic things that all of us require if we want to prevent gum disease and tooth decay. Giving the mouth proper nutrients is extremely important, fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin D, Vitamin A and Vitamin K2 all play vital roles in oral health. Another important factor is creating a diverse and balanced Microbiome (the bacterial population in your body) by eating foods rich in probiotics and prebiotics. A healthy gut will help lead to a healthy mouth! Proper breathing through the nose helps with structural development of the jaws and allows for optimal oxygen uptake and reduction of inflammation in the mouth. Providing options such as symptomatic tongue and lip tie release procedures, take home sleep studies, Myobraces and orofacial myofunctional therapy we are able to help improve our patients’ breathing, from infancy to adulthood.
Kansas City Dental Works 12705 W 87th St Pkwy, Lenexa, KS | 913.432.9414 | kcdentalworks.com OCTOBER 2020 K ANSASCITYMAG.COM
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Sicily Von Overfelt ABOUT
the decision making process informed.
As the Market Director of Diamond Banc’s Kansas City location, Sicily helps clients get the most value for their fine jewelry assets. She is GIA Diamonds Graduate, and is working on completing her Graduate Gemologist degree on scholarship. Sicily has over 13 years of experience in jewelry and has extensive training in diamond evaluation, luxury watch and designer jewelry authentication.
Q: Why choose Diamond Banc over a competitor?
Jewelry Buyer Q: What services does Diamond Banc provide? A: The name Diamond Banc derives from our mission to offer clients the same professionalism and confidentiality of a traditional bank, allowing clients to turn to their jewelry for their liquidity needs. We offer this through purchasing your jewelry or providing a Jewelry Equity Loan. We also offer consignment services. Our expert staff takes every value-adding factor into consideration to offer you the maximum value. Q: What is a Jewelry Equity Loan? A: A Jewelry Equity Loan is when you borrow funds against the value
of your fine jewelry. The loan value is solely determined by the liquid value of the jewelry. The items are kept at a non-disclosed, secure location. Once the loan has been paid back, the jewelry is returned to you. Diamond Banc is unique in the flexibility we offer our clients when structuring a loan based on their personal needs. Q: What items does Diamond Banc accept? A: • D iamonds (0.75CT+) and fine diamond jewelry •D esigner Jewelry: David Yurman, Tiffany & Co., & more • Luxury Watches: Rolex, Patek Philippe, & more • L uxury Handbags: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, & more •P recious Metals: Gold, Platinum, Gold Coins/Bullion, Sterling Silver Flatware Q: I inherited jewelry from my family. What do I do with it? A: Allow us to help you by providing the true liquid value of your inherited items. There are two types of appraisals that come up frequently with estate jewelry: insurance and liquidation appraisals. Insurance appraisals reflect the full retail amount, which is ideal if you wish to retain and insure the item. Liquidation appraisals provide the amount an item is likely to sell for in an immediate payment situation. We provide free liquidation appraisals on items you’re wishing to part with. This enables you to accurately determine the value of the inherited pieces and go into
A: Most jewelry lenders & buyers rely on inflexible, fixed formulas to evaluate your jewelry’s worth, offering the lowest possible price for your items. In contrast, Diamond Banc assesses the quality of your jewelry and the state of the market to provide unbeatable offers for your luxury items. We give you time to research other alternatives or receive additional bids. We provide a no-pressure luxury environment where you can complete your transaction with peace of mind. Once you accept the offer, payment is instantly issued. You can begin the process at home online or visit our office and we’ll provide you with an initial offer within 24 hours. Q: How does it work? A: Whether you want to sell a piece of jewelry or obtain a loan, our transparent process is easy. Start by filling out our simple, no-obligation form on DiamondBanc.com. We will review the information and contact you with an initial offer. Or contact me directly; we can set up an appointment at your convenience in my secure and confidential office on the Country Club Plaza. After reviewing the items and accepting the offer, I will issue funds immediately.
Diamond Banc 435 Nichols Rd., Suite 200 Kansas City, MO | 816.977.2677 | diamondbanc.com
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John Bleazard, D.O. ABOUT
A: The benefit of ankle replacement is retention of ankle motion. When the ankle is replaced, the majority of movement is retained. Also, the remaining joints of the foot are under less stress. In contrast to an ankle arthrodesis, or ankle fusion, where the ankle is fused solid and the motion for ambulation is reliant on the joints of the foot, which adds increased wear and arthritis to the foot. Over the last 10 years, there has been a dramatic improvement in technology in implant designs and techniques. This has led to a significant increase in patient satisfaction, allowing them to live a more active and healthy lifestyle.
Dr. Bleazard has a passion for foot and ankle surgery. He performs complex foot and ankle reconstruction, including total ankle replacements, flat foot and cavovarus deformities, as well as tendon and ligament reconstructions. Prior to joining Kansas City Bone and Joint, Dr. Bleazard practiced at North Kansas City Hospital and St. Luke’s North-Barry Road. He graduated from Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine in Pikeville, Ky., and completed his orthopedic residency in Kansas City at St. Mary’s Medical Center. After residency, he completed an orthopedic foot and ankle fellowship under Dr. Gregory Pomeroy at New England Foot and Ankle Specialists.
Q: What happens after the surgery?
articular cartilage from the ankle joint due to the effects of aging or an injury such as repeated ankle sprains, fractures or dislocations.
Ankle Arthroplasty
Q: Who is a good candidate for total ankle arthroplasty, and who should avoid it?
Q: What is total ankle arthroplasty? A: Total ankle arthroplasty, or total ankle replacement, is a procedure used to treat ankle arthritis. Ankle arthritis is a loss of
A: Patients who have failed conservative treatments for pain in the ankle due to arthritis are candidates for total ankle arthroplasty. Conservative treatments for ankle arthritis include antiinflammatory medications, bracing and physical therapy. Patients with significant deformity, history of infection or poor bone quality are not good candidates for total ankle arthroplasty. Q: What is the benefit of an ankle replacement?
A: After the surgery, the patient is immobilized with a splint or cast and is nonweight-bearing for a period of time to allow the incision to heal. During this period, the patient is under strict elevation requirements to control swelling. After the incision is healed, patients often begin gentle motion exercises before beginning to bear weight. Weight-bearing can take four to eight weeks, depending on healing of the incision and X-rays.
Kansas City Bone & Joint Clinic Overland Park: 10701 Nall Ave., Suite 200 | Lee’s Summit: 3151 NE Carnegie Drive, Suite B 913.381.5225 | kcbj.com
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Roses Ammon, Vice President ABOUT As Vice President, Roses handles the Sales and Marketing for Staffing Kansas City. She works with clients to determine their needs and how to best fill those needs. Marketing the brand is simple when everyone involved is striving for a win-win-win. Staffing Kansas City is an independently owned, WBE certified employment agency. Ammon works with small to mid-sized companies and their office support teams to determine their hiring needs and the best strategy to fill them. At Staffing Kansas City, through the recruiting process, experienced recruiters interview, reference check and skill test candidates for each of our clients’ specific hiring needs. Clients choose direct hire, contract-to-hire, or contract placement services. They are confident in Staffing Kansas City’s replacement guarantee offered with a direct hire or contract-to-hire. A team of hands-on owners and powerhouse recruiters, along with a desire to help top companies and top talent find each other, has led to a track record of more than 20 years of successful client partnerships. In many cases, Staffing Kansas City has identif ied and placed candidates who became longtime employees and are now hiring managers themselves.
Staffing Q: Is there one ‘key’ attribute or trait you look for when recruiting? A: While experience may be top of mind, moving forward, soft skills, or people skills, will be important to focus on because it seems change is the only constant. Overnight, we discovered different ways of working and living that were new to many of us. While by no means perfect, collectively businesses and employees found new ways to get work done amid stay-at-home orders. Earlier this year, few of us would have thought any of this possible. What was impossible to see in the moment and in the long days of isolation was that throughout this time, change was happening on many levels. Each person was making emotional and mental changes that have in part prepared them for the next steps forward. As we begin to contemplate the next level of change as businesses make plans to return and bring employees slowly
Staffing Kansas City 9930 College Blvd. Overland Park, KS | 913.663.5627 | staffingkc.com
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back into offices, many of us are considering what this next level of personal and professional reinvention might look like. While everyone has a guess and opinions on the “right” way to do things are abundant, it is likely this too will have its own phases and adjustments. What is clear is that throughout this process, employers and employees alike will need to bring with them a full line-up of soft skills. This includes communication skills, leadership, critical thinking, teamwork, work ethic and a positive attitude. However, flexibility and adaptability is top of the list. The hard skills likely have not lost their edge, but in new situations soft skills, or people skills, are especially critical to help navigate the unknown. While some will be excited to begin this new chapter and will embrace the reinvention required, others will be apprehensive. As we collectively navigate the new challenges and scenarios think of and cultivate these soft skills as the ultimate tools for reinvention personally and professionally.
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Barbara Mahaffey
Reggie Banks II
Skin Care Q: What advanced skin care treatments do you offer? ABOUT ABOUT Black Label Threads sells custom clothing for both men and women. The clothing boutique merchandises exclusive collections like Sagii, Jovani, Tayion, Black Halo, as well as brand names like Nike and Adidas.
Custom Clothing Q: Why did we open a clothing store like this? A: To bring a unique, elegant, European, and athletic approach to fashion, combined with distinct styles . Q: What are we bringing to the Kansas City/ Leawood area?
A: We want to bring a distinctive design, decor, and concept to the store with an exclusive taste to cater to the needs of the upscale, elite, discerning community of Leawood and the surround area. Q: What are you designing!? A: We specialize in athletic wear because of health reasons. Everyone wants to be healthy, comfortable, and look good while reaching fitness goals. When you look good, you feel optimistic and positive, which motivates you to be better and builds confidence. The correct design and clothing will achieve that purpose. My designs are made of dry fit, moisture wicking materials, which wick moisture throughout the garment to dry faster. Sagii Athleisure wear, and many more exclusive, local and nationwide brands are featured at Black Label Threads.
Black Label Threads | Reggie Banks II 4760 W. 135th Street Leawood, KS | 913.232.7906 blacklabelthreads.com
Experienced and diverse with a deep understanding in the skin care industry, we excel at helping clients better understand and care for their skin. We are 100% focused on skin care and deliver the highest quality, customized esthetic treatments that are safe and effective. In addition to advanced facial treatments, we are highly skilled at waxing and specialize in full body waxing with our luxurious Italian hard wax. Another experience you will have with us is learning about our Lira Clinical Professional skin care line. We will take your skin to the next level. It is formulated with high quality plant stem cells which makes it an important part of all our advanced treatments after care program.
A: Our newest is HIFU. High intense focused ultrasound (sometimes called the “lunch time facial”) will produce small, microthermal lesions at precise depths in the dermis up to the fibromuscular layer, causing thermally induced contraction of collagen tissue. Q: Who is a good candidate? A: This is for all skin types for face and body treatments. Great for maintenance and advanced aging cases. Q: Will I notice immediate and permanent results? A: You may notice some initial effect of tightening and firming, but ultimately lifting and firming will take place over approximately 3 months, as collagen is renewed and replaced with stronger collagen. Regardless of the service you choose, to continue to maintain good skin-quality, it is required to engage in a continuing skin care regimen. Results should last 12-24 months. Q: Does the treatment hurt? A: Most individuals do not report pain. There can be a slight “zing” over bony areas or a warm sensation in the skin during treatment. No numbing is required.
Pollie Skin + Nail Bar 4752 W. 135th St, Leawood, KS | 913.499.7626 | polliekc.com
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RockTops | Mike Hyer
Mariah Kinkade Beef Q: What makes your steaks and burgers unique?
ABOUT The Upper Cut is a premium butcher shop that specializes in Akaushi (aka-ooshie) beef raised on their own local farm. They also hand make all of their own delicious brats, sausages, jerkys and burgers. The Upper Cut is the type of old-fashioned butcher shop you don’t find anymore: the staff remember what you had on the grill last weekend, steaks are hand-cut to order and you won’t have to request help carrying a hefty order out to the car. As owner Mariah Kinkade says it, they’re “still old school when it comes to giving great service, we believe it matters.”
A: We’ve been around for five years, but I’m a sixth-generation rancher. We raise our own cattle, there’s hardly any butcher shops still raising their own beef anymore— we want to be in control of the entire process. We are one of the few in the Midwest that both raise and sell Akaushi, which is a prime Japanese breed —some people call them the “Lamborghini of beef.” We finish with root-tostalk silage, which gives the beef great marbling and flavor. We grow GMO-free corn and harvest the corn, which we sell as a commodity, and then we feed the cows the rest of the plant, from root to stalk, which is actually really nutritious for them. After the cattle are taken in, we age the meat for 21-35 days, making it more tender and even more flavorful. Then we cut everything from steaks to briskets, tri-tips to roasts to order in our store front. Q: What mistakes do people make buying steak? A: Everyone goes to the grocery store now, they don’t really have the experience with selecting meat like you did in the days of the neighborhood butcher. So it’s up to us to educate them. We ask them their preferences—maybe have them show us a picture—and we’ll take them through the process of picking the best cut. What we get them will probably be better than anything they’ve ever had- it’s not only cut for them, it’s free of any dyes, fillers, antibiotics or enhancing products. For me, I like to be able to go in somewhere and say “I like my ribeye two and a half inches, I want the cap end and I want them bone-in.” It’s all customizable here, which is really unique. It’s just not done that way anymore.
Mariah Kinkade | The Upper Cut KC 9769 N. Cedar Ave., Kansas City, MO 816.781.8694 | theuppercutkc.com
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ABOUT Mike Hyer started Rocktops in 2013. As a general contractor that had used other countertop companies, he recognized their shortfalls in creating a good customer experience. The idea was to offer better material options, more efficient communication, turn-key installations, and ultimately an overall experience! We have grown to 75 employees and have installed over 12,000 jobs in KC and beyond.
Countertops Q: What countertops should I buy? A: Ah - the world’s easiest and hardest countertop question; The easy answer – pick whatever looks good. That’s where a lot of fabricators will steer you.
That doesn’t make them bad fabricators – but it does put you in a potentially bad spot – one you may not know you’re in until years down the road. The downside to just picking what looks good is that you’ll have to live with that pick for as long as you own your home, or as long as you can afford to stand dealing with the downsides of what you picked and things you may not have been warned about like scratching or etching on marble, sun bleaching/discoloration on quartz, natural fissures and inclusions in granite. Countertops have an alarming amount of things to consider before you purchase; stone types, harness, quartz brands, finish options, features, size limitations, advantages, and disadvantages. Point blank - you need a team of pros to aid in helping you make this decision. A company that top-down takes the time to learn about the materials they choose to include in their offerings and a company that knows what they’re doing.
RockTops Granite & Stone Fabrication 1140 S Enterprise St, Olathe, KS 913.782.0802 | rocktopskc.com
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Seeing Red Red velvet cinnamon rolls are a magical mashup BY N ATA L I E G A L L AG H E R
Photo by Caleb Condit and Rebecca Norden
WE’RE ALL DISCOVERING new
things in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Me, I’ve spent the last several months finding new and exciting ways to avoid cleaning my house. Xandria Andrews has gone and started a mobile baking business. “I’ve been baking just for my family and close friends for years, and I wouldn’t charge anybody,” Andrews says. “But during Covid, in the last part of March, a friend of a friend offered to pay me.” Andrews doesn’t have a storefront for Miss Sweetie’s (misssweetiesbakery.com). Instead, she offers drop-off and delivery. Word has spread quickly: Within weeks, she had a website up, and orders came in for Andrews’ enormous cinnamon rolls, celebration layer cakes, pound cakes and Bundt cakes. All of the recipes are from the family cookbook, with a few twists from Andrews. “My baking stems from all the time that I spent in the kitchen with my grandmother and my mother,” she says. “My grandmother used to bake for the church she went to. There are still people who remember my grandmother’s lemon pie and lemon cake.” Soon to join the renowned ranks: Andrews’ own red velvet cinnamon roll. Roughly the size of a Mastiff puppy, Andrews sells these by the half-dozen. There’s a warm cocoa flavor folded into the dough, and inside the spiral there is not only cinnamon but also—surprise— hefty chunks of chocolate chips. The entire roll is finished with a snowcap of silky vanilla buttercream.
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The Year In Beer We drank to remember, we drank to forget: notable happenings of 2020 in KC’s craft beer scene BY BY M A R T I N C I Z M A R A N D N ATA L I E G A L L AG H E R
P H OTO G R A P H Y BY CA L E B C O N D I T A N D R E B EC CA N O R D E N
Newcomer of the Year
IT’S BEEN A BIG YEAR for drinking
in Kansas City—and not just because we’ve needed a constant stream of alcohol to get us through the drudgery and blinding anxiety of existing during this era. No, we’ve been drinking for better, less cynical reasons. We’ve been drinking because, in spite of the ennui that has pervaded the local and national consciousness, Kansas City has had a banner year in beer. Let’s look back on the good times.
Openings Apace It’s been a brutal year for everyone, especially the food and beverage industry. But while some cities have seen a cascade of brewery closures, KC has seen net growth. Johnson County has had a trio of notable openings. In Lenexa, longtime homebrewer Patrick Davis opened Lost Evenings with his wife, Heather. Along with the very European no-tipping model, the brewery features a tap list that leans heavily on British pub favorites like mild, stout and brown ales. In Shawnee, Pathlight is making single-hop pale ales and a Helles featuring only imported ingredients from Germany. In Mission, Rockcreek Brewing opened in May, owned by a group who met while working at Cerner—they even offer occasional discount nights to Cerner employees. Rockcreek offers a standard assortment of craft beers, and it’s been actively attracting food carts serving everything from tacos to barbecue to fancy grilled cheese. Down in Grandview, Transparent recently opened behind a Harley dealership with a classic line of craft beers including an amber, a California com-
mon and an IPA with the four “C” hops. The industrial-chic space features large garage doors that open to turn the whole taproom into a covered patio, a nice feature in these times. Even KC’s most beer-dense neighborhood got a new opening, as longtime homebrewer Kevin Gittemeier opened Nimble in the Crossroads mid-May. Gittemeier and his wife, Jodie, have six kids and live in old Leawood. Kevin started homebrewing with a focus on beers he could make cheaper than he can buy— so look for milkshake IPAs instead of lagers. “I like all kinds of beer,” Gittemeier says. “But I’ve always brewed what I wanted to buy in the store that is too darn expensive. Stuff that’s twenty dollars for a four-pack? Yeah, I can make that. With most of the traditional stuff, I can go to the store and buy a good sixpack of that for five bucks.”
LEFT: Dope Lemon Gose Sour Ale at Nimble in the Crossroads. RIGHT: Lost Evenings Brewery in Lenexa specializes in British ales.
The middle of 2019 saw two huge new brewery openings: City Barrel in the Crossroads and Alma Mader on Southwest Boulevard. Alma Mader owner-brewer Nick Mader had just opened when we made our 2019 beer issue, and if you haven’t yet sampled his wares, know that this brewery a few blocks from Boulevard has quickly grown into one of the top destinations in town, especially for fans of craft lagers that are packed with character yet still go down smooth. Likewise, City Barrel was very new last year and has continued to grow, continuing its serious culinary program and adding a large sidewalk patio to battle the plague. The past year’s smaller class has already given us one brewery that’s now unquestionably among the top ten in town: Liberty’s 3Halves Brewing, led by the talented Rodney Beagle. Beagle is a self-taught brewer who formerly worked at Colony KC, which shuttered its brewery last summer. After a few months as a freelance collaborator around town, Beagle landed at 3Halves, which sits just off the town square in Liberty and shares a space with Jousting Pigs BBQ. Beagle’s brews push the envelope with exotic ingredients—witness a honey ale with smoked pineapple, a Moscow mule sour or a pineapple upside-down cake milkshake IPA—but always seem to find perfect balance. It’s worth mentioning that in the lockdown phase of the pandemic, Beagle also helped run Quarantined Beer Chugs, a Facebook group that helped provide a little levity during dark days.
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Over the last several years, there was a trend in craft beer to over-flavor things... Now, it’s trending back, and craft beer drinkers are wanting beer-flavored beer.”
BKS Goes Stratospheric For beer fans in the know, BKS Artisan Ales has been at the top of the heap locally for a while now—we named their Tiny Clouds hazy pale our 2019 Beer of the Year, a nod we won’t be giving out to anyone this year because the pandemic has made it irresponsible to do the amount of legwork necessary to credibly hand out that award. However, if you ask most local beer geeks for a Beer of the Year, they’d likely nod to something from Brookside’s tiny BKS, which has had a breakout year. BKS makes the finest hazy IPAs in town but keeps superfans tuned in with an unpredictable and impressive array of one-offs like a crisp, clean Pilsner and a wet hop IPA. BKS has closed its intimate taproom indefinitely and pivoted to selling everything brewer Brian Rooney can make in cans to-go. Those cans are listed for sale on BKS’ website at 7 pm sharp every Thursday, and by 7:05 they’re gone.
Sparkly Metal This past year in KC beer has seen the explosion of two beer trends that had already begun before the pandemic. Remember when canned craft beer was an exception to the brown bottle rule? During the pandemic, breweries that used to sell most of their beer over their own bartop have switched to packaged product. And the vast, vast majority of them have opted for cans over bottles, with local shelves now brimming with aluminum. Hard seltzers, likewise, were growing before the pandemic but have become a supernova since. According to Nielsen, which not only rates the popularity of broadcast television but also booze,
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TOP: A bartender pours a Muddy Paws milk stout at Lost Evenings in Lenexa. LEFT: Nimble Brewing in the Crossroads was scheduled to open for March
Madness but waited two months because of the pandemic.
during a fifteen-week period that ended in midJune, retail hard seltzer within the U.S. quadrupled year-over-year. Craft beer has adapted to the surging seltzer market by making its own sparkles. Boulevard introduced Quirk, a line of seltzers that use real fruit juice and boast “clean, all-natural ingredients.” We like the pear and yuzu, which is well-balanced. In downton Overland Park, Brew Lab made a wonderful seltzer named for the old Zambezi Zinger roller coaster at Worlds of Fun. Unlike others, it comes out of the tap plain, with bartenders mixing in flavors to-order.
New to Town We’ve got no shortage of fantastic local beer in and around Kansas City, but being in the middle of the country, we’re also on the distribution path for some great regional beer—Iowa’s Toppling Goliath and St. Louis’ Perennial Artisan Ales are at the top of the list. KC was even gifted a limited run of cans from Minnesota’s famed Surly this year. This year saw two notable newcomers, Wichita’s Central Standard and Denver’s Prost. Central Standard—not to be confused with Chicago’s Central State—could stake a claim to being the best brewery in the state of Kansas. With its wild popularity in Wichita, where the brewery is anchored by an epic patio bar, they typically only came to KC to pour at festivals or sell a few random kegs. But now you can find small-format bottles of farmhouse and sour beers at Mike’s Wine and Spirits and other local shops, says Mike’s manager Jeremy Morton. Look for Peach Contrails, a wild ale brewed with Kansas peaches and wild yeast. Lagerheads should grab some cans from Prost, a German-stye brewery from Denver. Their Dunkel is brewed with grains imported from Munich, and their Helles—a Munich-style lager—is smooth and crushable. The Pilsner, with subtle flavors and lively effervescence, is Prost’s bestseller. “The thing I like the most about them is that their beer is easy to drink,” Morton says. “Over the last several years, there was a trend in craft beer to over-flavor things, and you were seeing beers flavored with chocolate bars, hot pepper, sheet cake. Now, it’s trending back, and craft beer drinkers are wanting beer-flavored beer. That’s where Prost is cool.” DID YOU K NOW ?
The city should get at least one more new brewery this year, as Strawberry Hill Brewing is slated to open sometime this fall.
Patiopalooza! Patios have been premium real estate throughout the pandemic across the spectrum of food and beverage businesses, and that includes breweries. Along with the continued popularity of large patios at places like Boulevard,
KC Bier Co. and Brewery Emperial, the city has seen a number of breweries adding or expanding their outdoor spaces. In North Kansas City, the pandemic gave Callsign Brewing owner Steve Sirois an opportunity to add the eight-hundred-square-foot patio he’d been planning for a long time. “After the [shutdown] restriction was lifted, the patio was a great thing to have—right now, that’s the first place people like to go,” he says. Likewise, the owners of Strange Days in the River Market added a patio after working hard to pivot to to-go beer. When the two-year-old brewery reopened with limited seating, the Strange Days team added a parking lot patio with twenty-eight distanced seats. Within a month, they doubled it. “Our patio space is definitely busier than our taproom right now,” says co-owner Chris Beier. “We’re still trying to figure out the best option for cold weather. We’ll try to have the patio set up with heat lamps. People so far have been great about coming out and wanting to support us.” In Mission, Sandhills Brewing has closed its bar and only has three tables indoors. Instead, they’re counting on their patio to serve customers until finishing an expansion into a neighboring space. Sandhill’s long-planned patio opened in mid-August, giving the brewery an additional eighteen seats. “Dealing with Covid has been interesting, for sure,” says taproom manager Emily Hink, adding that the brewery is looking into outdoor heaters to extend patio season. “Initially, we had a huge boost in to-go sales, especially during the lockdown. That has leveled off as the pandemic has continued.” Likewise, Raytown sourmasters Crane Brewing added onto a tiny patio that was an afterthought before the pandemic. There is now seating for thirty next to the gravel parking lot in front of the building, says co-owner Christopher Meyers, which has already been very popular. “We think that will increase as we get more moderate fall days,” he says.
RIGHT TOP: Gravel Beach, an unfiltered Pilsner from a strong lineup of lagers at Alma Mader on Southwest Boulevard. RIGHT BOTTOM: Nick and Tania Mader opened their brewery last year, and its quickly become one of the city's best.
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What’s New in Kansas City Food & Drink Kansas City is getting its first dedicated Vietnamese coffee shop courtesy of Jackie Nguyen, who just moved to town from New York. Nguyen hails from San Diego but worked on Broadway before being taken in by the coffee culture on a trip to her mother’s native Saigon. Nguyen’s project, Café Cà Phê (cafecaphe.com) will start off as a mobile truck shuttling between stops including Peaches Vintage on Troost. If you’ve tried Vietnamese coffee at a local pho shop, you may have encountered the iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk. Café Cà Phê will have “lots of sweetened condensed milk” but is also bringing a third-wave specialty approach, starting with Vietnam-grown beans from hyped roaster Nguyen Coffee Supply and using flavors like lychee, salted lemon, ube and cardamom. “You will be able to find the classic Vietnamese iced coffee in all of the local Vietnamese restaurants, but they are made from beans that are not imported from Vietnam,” Nguyen says. “It's still quite delicious, but the quality of the beans is not guaranteed. Most local Vietnamese restaurants have a limited drink menu, as their specialty is the food. Not only will we be the only coffee shop that serves these beans in Kansas City, but [customers] will notice the strength of the coffee, the low acidity levels, a really smooth and nutty taste.” Café Cà Phê is launching with a few seasonal specialties: pumpkin-flavored iced coffee, pumpkin sesame hot chocolate and a lychee apple cider.
Talkin’ Turkey Also incoming from the East Coast: Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, which roasts turkey on-site and uses American wagyu for its cheesesteaks. The original Capriotti’s comes from the Little Italy neighborhood in presidential candidate Joe Biden’s home of Wilmington, Delaware, and has been around since the seventies. The first local location, just south of JCCC in Overland Park, makes a mean cheesesteak with spicy hot peppers and a crunch-able bun. The OP shop is owned by locals Dean and Carol Doria. Dean previously worked as an executive in the casino business and first encountered Capriotti’s while in Las Vegas.
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Photo of Jackie Nguyen by Noah Ursy
Iced Imports
Brookside Shuffle Several known names in Brookside have shuffled spots. Stalwart fried chicken spot Brookside Poultry is moving a few blocks east to 751 E. 63rd St. and adding a sister spot, a casual steakhouse called Brookside Beef Company. The former chicken spot has already morphed into Brookside Sushi, helmed by longtime local sushi chef Salvador Cerritos-Ortiz, formerly of Kabuki. Brookside Sushi had formerly been a popup in the same space and makes traditional rolls and sashimi, plus a few lesscommon items like fried whole soft shell crab and squid salad.
Turkish Delight Kansas City has a new Turkish restaurant, though it’s not how it was planned before the pandemic. Clay & Fire is in a Westside space owned by restaurateur and developer Adam Jones, who according to Feast magazine had been saving the space for a Turkish friend named Orcan Yigit. The pandemic shut down international travel, but construction continued apace on a large clay oven used to make “near-Eastern” dishes like Turkish pide. That oven is helmed by one of the city’s best pizziolas, Brent Grunnels of the pop-up Cult of Pi, which Kansas City named the best backyard pizza party in town.
Photos from respective venues Facebook pages
Thank you to the speakers, sponsors, co-chairs and attendees who made the 2020 Living in Vitality conference a success.
Your Good Life Save the date for our 2021 event: Friday, October 1. Visit AdventHealthKC.com/LIV for information about other events throughout the year. Presented by
Supporting Sponsor Arvin Gottlieb Charitable Foundation
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Hittin’ the Sauce Earstin Sanders brings his family’s barbecue legacy—and secret sauce—to KC. BY N ATA L I E G A L L AG H E R
A U N T M I L D R E D ’ S # 1 0 has been open only a couple months, but Earstin
Sanders’ barbecue story started more than sixty years ago. “Our story goes back to 1944,” he says. “My grandpa, MacArthur Williams, had a restaurant called Mac’s Barbecue for forty years in Portland, Arkansas. He came up with the sauce and he passed it onto my mother, Mildred, and she gave me the recipe about thirty years ago.” During the Great Migration, Mildred Williams moved her family to Rockford, Illinois, a couple hours from Chicago. After years of preparing barbecue for church dinners and selling it hot off her portable grill in parking lots around town (often with her ten children helping her), she opened her own restaurant called The Rib Cage in 1996. There, she served up the smoked ribs she’d become famous for—along with her dad’s barbecue sauce. Sanders, who had relocated to Kansas City in 1985, moved back to Rockford to help his mother with the restaurant.
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“She worked at the restaurant until about 2000,” Sanders says. “She had lupus and became too sick to work, so she had to shut the restaurant down, and she moved to St. Louis to be with her sisters. But I’ve always wanted to continue her legacy.” Sanders came back to Kansas City in 2004, and last year, he began bottling the family barbecue sauce. Mildred had two recipes: classic and sweet and spicy, the latter of which Sanders has tweaked only slightly from the original. “I think people’s palates have changed over the years, and now people are liking spicy food quite a bit more,” Sanders says. “She did have a spicy version, but hers wasn’t as noticeable as mine.” Both sauces are Southern-style, which is tomato-based and noticeably sweeter and thinner than the thick and tangy sauces traditional to Kansas City. There are several different types of sugar and seven different spices used in Mildred’s classic sauce. (Good luck getting any further details about the recipe.) You can watch Sanders prepare the ribs in his smoker on the edge of Truman Road in Independence. In a nod to his mother’s early days, Sanders has continued the family barbecue legacy with a food truck bearing the name Aunt Mildred’s #10. “Growing up, we had a big, busy household,” Sanders says. “My mom had ten kids, and her sisters and brothers lived with us and they had kids as well, and they would be saying, ‘Aunt Mildred, can you make this, can you make that.’ That name stuck. And the number ten is an ode to all her kids.” Sanders and his wife, Penelope, opened the truck in August. They run it together, serving up brisket sandwiches, ribs, pulled pork tacos and Chicago-style hot dogs. The pulled pork sandwiches are a bestseller, and it’s no wonder with the way those tender, juicy mouthfuls get a sleek coating of that sticky-sweet sauce. Sanders’ ribs follow what he calls the “three-two-one process”— three hours in the smoker, then a spritz of vinegar and spice mix, then two more hours in the smoker and one hour of resting before a slab is smothered in sauce and sent off to a happy customer. The sides get a saucy treatment, too. Sanders’ baked beans are cooked in the classic sauce, and his barbecue fries are crinkle-cut and covered with a generous drizzle of sweet and spicy sauce. “I’m mixing three different regions, with the Southern history, the Chicago influence and of course the Midwest,” Sanders says, “and just trying to build on that family legacy.”
Photography by Zach Bauman
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Backstory I M P O R TA N T
M O M E N T S
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K A N S A S
C I T Y
H I S T O R Y
1974 How a hippie art collective called the Foolkillers staged what was likely the first haunted house in Kansas City
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he haunted house was an outgrowth of the Foolkillers, a countercultural organization that started in 1970 in Kansas City. We wanted to change the world through creating our own culture. The idea being that once people become more aware of art and their ability to create, they become more aware of their humanity and therefore the culture would change and modify politics. We thought we changed the world in some small way. Some people came from the Carolinas and they approached us because they were looking for actors that were willing to put out a lot of hard work. It was really actor-driven and we were naive about the possibilities of what could happen in a haunted house. You get the best scares when you are up close and personal. We would alter people’s perception by putting foam on the floor or at odd angles. There were strobes and blacklights. Instead of using mechanics, there were real people shining lights on their faces. At a time there were fifteen or twenty people trying to scare them. We quickly learned that
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you couldn’t scare people as they first came in because they would go backward and then you had to scare them back this way but then there was a bottleneck. We had no idea it was going to be successful. For the two weeks that we operated this thing people were lined up down the block. We had to have some people come in to give the actors a breather because it was just nonstop. You were moving and jumping around in a gorilla costume, which is a lot of hard work after three or four hours. Most people were there to have a good time and get scared, especially couples. But occasionally you would have fifteen and sixteen year old males who are full of testosterone with their buddies trying to be cool. And if you really scared them, like we did, they would take a punch at you. It got to the point where some of the female actors would carry squirt guns and spray guys who would act out.” — Foolkiller Bob Suckiel as told to Izzy Curry of Kansas City magazine
Photo courtesy of the Foolkillers
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