51 minute read
LIVING IN KC
by KC Media
BY Patricia O’Dell
A Picnic Me Up
I’m not certain why someone—who loves warm weather as much as I do—moved north once my location was in my control. Still, I love Kansas City, though I’m much happier when the calendar reads “June.” (Perhaps you haven’t noticed, but “spring” in Kansas City is false advertising. April and May are soggy extensions of winter.) As a gift a couple of years ago, my husband gave me a fully stocked picnic basket lled with ne linen napkins, vintage atware and handblown stemless wine glasses. (Because a wine glass with a stem is a very tricky proposition when you’re sitting in the grass or on a blanket.) Whether you’re dining a deux, or with a group of favorite friends, hosting a picnic creates a certain mood. Your clothes can’t be too fancy, you may be eating with your hands, and it’s important that your wineglass is both full and not too tippy.
Faux bois melamine dinner plate, $8.95, from crateandbarrel.com. English Sky linen napkins, $12, from JSH Home Essentials (Westwood Hills Shops).
Poterie Renault soup crock, $28 (small), $32 (large), and escargot dish, $20, from French Market (Prairie Village Shops). Handblown Handblown Monarch Glass Monarch Glass Studio stemless Studio stemless wine glass, $56, wine glass, $56, from George, from George, (Crestwood Shops). (Crestwood Shops).
COLOR ME HAPPY
LOCAL ARTIST and Kan-
sas City Art Institute alumnus Marcus Cain draws inspiration from textiles, but his paintings capture the color and movement of the most engaging gardens. I have two of his paintings in my home o ce, and through the depths of winter—and, yes, the pandemic—they were a reminder that color, life, and joy were in reach. You can nd his work online and through Sherry Leedy Gallery in the Crossroads. sherryleedy.com Above: Color Structure 1 by Marcus Cain. Below: Color Structure II by Marcus Cain.
Jorjy is a lifestyle shop that offers a fresh take on wallpaper, fabric, art and accessories for the home as well as interior design and styling.
Jorjy is proud to be the exclusive retailer for Slim Aarons in Kansas City
YOU’RE INVITED! | June 21 3:00 p.m. ’til the sun goes down! First Annual Summer Jorjy Solstice Event
320 W. 63rd St. KCMO 64113
816.561.2272 shopjorjy.com @SHOPJORJY
Houseplant watering can, $28. Comes in forest green, cream, and mint green.
Metal watering can, $86 for nine liters, $76 for fi ve liters. Comes in cream and forest green.
BY Patricia O’Dell
Garden Troll
If you love the exuberance of bright, colored blooms in your garden, but not so much on your garden tools, Homesong Market in East Brookside should be your next stop. Both sizes of their chic, yet sturdy, metal watering comes in subdued hues of cream or forest green with a brass showerhead. (Because even your watering can could use a little jewelry.) A child-size bucket and shovel—sort of Skipper to the outdoor model’s Barbie—lets kids join in the fun. homesongmarket.com Kid’s sand bucket, sifter, and shovel set, $24. Kid’s sand bucket, sifter, and shovel set, $24. Comes in emerald and ruby. Comes in emerald and ruby.
BOULEVARDIA, the outdoor, beer-centric, live-music extravaganza is June 17-18. While the event has evolved since its days in the West Bottoms (which a few a cionados may lament), it allows us to focus on enhancing your beer drinking experience. Whether your preference is clean and crisp or hoppy and bitter, you might as well be drinking it out of a great glass. Don’t miss these pints, pilsners, and beer-can glasses which can be customized with your favorite city, which is Kansas City of course.
Both the 16 ounce pint beer glass, $19.95, and 16 ounce beer can glass, $16.99, feature an etched urban city map of Kansas City. Available at OrSomethingShop on Etsy.
words by Cindy Hoedel photo by Sean Hagwell
IN CONVERSATION WITH Rob Riggle
In 1994, while stationed in Corpus Christie, Texas, with the Marine Corps, Overland Park native Rob Riggle wrote down on a piece of paper, “I want to be on Saturday Night Live.” Ten years later, Riggle got a call from Lorne Michaels inviting him to join the cast.
Riggle graduated from Shawnee Mission South in 1988 and earned a bachelor’s in theater and film at University of Kansas in 1992 before joining the Marines, where he served nine years on active duty and 14 years in the Reserves.
Riggle is best known for being a correspondent on The Daily Show and roles in hit movies and TV shows, including The Hangover, 22 Jump Street, and Modern Family. He currently co-hosts the miniature golf game show series Holey Moley on ABC.
He is also founder and one of five hosts of The Big Slick, a weekend- long fundraiser for Children’s Mercy Hospital that has raised more than $13 million since its inception in 2010 and has grown to become one of the highest profile annual events in the city. This month, June 24th and 25th, marks the in-person return of the celebrity softball game at Kauffman Stadium and performance at T-Mobile Center.
Riggle spoke with IN Kansas City by phone from his Los Angeles home, reflecting at length about his upbringing, his unusual path from Marine flight school to comedian, and his current aspirations.
As an alum and a big fan, you hosted Late Night in the Phog at Allen Fieldhouse back in October, the annual pep rally that gives fans the first look at the basketball team each year. Did you have a feeling that night that the Jayhawks might go all the way? I always think they’re going to go all the way. I pick them every year, in every bracket. I’m so predictable. I also hosted (Late Night) in 2011, when they made it to the final and lost to Kentucky. So, I have a pretty good track record when I do Late Night.
They should have you every year, Rob. [Laughs] Where did you watch the championship game? I watched it at home with my son. It was everything I hoped it would be. Obviously in the first half—what, were we down 15?
It was 40 to 25 at the half. Yeah, a record amount down. But even if we’re 15 down, with KU I always feel like, “Alright, that’s just a big number that we have to overcome.” I’ve seen them do it many times. So, my faith was not rattled. Of course, I had friends from all over the country—Marine buddies, college friends, Hollywood friends—texting me throughout the game saying, “Looks like it’s not their night! Uh-oh!” And I very calmly and coolly told them all to… Well, I can’t tell you what I told them to do. But I never panicked. I even told my son and my daughter at halftime, “Relax! Everything’s going to be fine. That’s why they have two halves.”
What kind of a little kid were you? Uh, I think I was a pretty good kid. Bad student, good kid.
Were you the class clown? No, here’s the thing. I was voted “most humorous” in my senior class, but I think I was more introverted in grade school. Also, I don’t like the word “class clown.” Class clown to me is the jerk in the back making armpit fart noises. In high school, I was on the radio station during lunch, and I would do funny things. I was never disruptive.
What was the family dynamic? Do you have siblings? I have a wonderful older sister, Julia McKee, who is one of the best labor employment lawyers in Kansas City. She and her husband, Mark McKee, who is the president of the Kansas City Monarchs [professional baseball team], do a lot of work for Big Slick.
When you were kids, would Julia have been surprised if someone told her you were going to be a famous comedian and actor when you grew up? No, I don’t think so. I was blessed with a very fun family. My dad is a
great storyteller. My mom is very quick-witted. She’s more puns and little quips. I grew up with that combination, and then my sister is just a really fun-loving person who wants to laugh and enjoy things.
We’d go down to Lake of the Ozarks, and we didn’t have a TV or a telephone down there. So, we would play charades at night, or board games. We learned how to be animated and tell great stories and listen to people tell great stories and laugh and enjoy each other.
While you were earning a degree in theater and film at KU, you got a pilot’s license. Why?
Well, my grandfather served in the 8th Army Air Corps in World War II, and he wanted to be a pilot. They made him an intel guy instead. When I got up to KU, I was trying to decide what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. I knew I liked theater and film, but I also didn’t think there was a future in it.
One day I remember thinking, “Maybe I want to be an FBI agent.” So, I picked up the phone and called the FBI.
No way. Yeah. I just called and asked, “What do you guys look for? And how do you become an agent?” It’s funny, when I try to explain that to young people, they go, “Why didn’t you just look it up?” And I have to explain, “There was no internet. We had Yellow Pages.”
The person I got on the phone was very forthcoming. He said, “We like lawyers, and we like accountants.” And I thought, “Good God. That takes me out of the game right away.” I was about to get off, and then he said, “Oh, and we tend to take a lot of Marine Corps officers.” And I thought, “There’s something I might have an angle on.”
So, I talked to a buddy who was going through the Marine Corps program at KU. I thought highly of him, and I just kept pulling on that thread and eventually went into the recruiting office and they said, “Listen, kid. The best way to get in is to get one of the flight contracts.”
This is more detail than I’ve ever given anybody…
It’s interesting. Thank you. At that point, I said something offhand to my grandfather about it, and he said, “If it helps, I’ll help pay for your pilot’s license if you’re really interested in doing that.” There was a school at the time out at the Lawrence airport. They had a Cessna 152, a little two-seater with basically like a lawn-mower engine in it.
I guess I had a natural touch for the stick and rudder, and I got a pilot’s license a couple of days after I turned 20. And I joined the Marines’ officer program when I was 19. I was in a Platoon Leader’s Course. They didn’t pay for my school, which gave me the option of, when I graduated, I could take my commission as a 2nd Lieutenant, or not.
So, I graduated as a theater and film major, but that still seemed like such a pipe dream. And I could be a 2nd Lieutenant and flying planes. I used to fly a lot when I was in Lawrence. I would take my buddies up all the time. We’d fly over campus, up to Manhattan, out to Hutch[inson]. We’d fly to football games and basketball games in other college towns. It was a lot of fun, and I got a lot of good flight experience.
But when I got to flight school in the Marines, I felt like I liked flying. I didn’t love it. I think if you’re going to fly off a ship at night with a bunch of Marines in the back, you better be passionate about it. It had better be your life’s calling.
And, thanks to the Marines, I got enough confidence to think, “You know what? I think I want to try being a comedian or an actor.” I thought if I failed, I could live with that better than never knowing.
So, then I switched over to the ground side and completed my required service. Then I thought, “OK, I’m going to move to Chicago and study at ImprovOlympic and Second City.” And then the chief of staff for 2nd Marine Air Wing grabbed me and said, “What would it take for you to stay in?” And I said, “I don’t know, sir. If you can get me to New York City or Los Angeles, I would consider giving you another three years.”
He called my bluff. The next day I had orders to New York City. I moved there to a 350-square-foot apartment, sight unseen.
I did Marine Corps work from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day and tried to pursue comedy every night. I didn’t know what I was doing. I found a standup club that offered classes. I took the first class and I hated it. It was awful.
What was awful about it? I like storytelling comedy. I loved Eddie Murphy—I thought Raw and Delirious were the best because he would tell these great stories with these great characters. But they said, “Nah, nah, nah. We don’t tell stories here. You tell three jokes a minute: Set up, punch. Set up, punch. Set up, punch.
It was like an ill-fitting shoe. But I had spent what limited money I had on the classes, so I followed through. At the end of the eight-week class, you had to get up and do five minutes of material. I got up and did it their way. I hated my material. I have never been so scared in my life—and I used to fly planes upside down over the Gulf of Mexico. The adrenaline pulsing through my body felt a little bit like shock. When I was finished, they handed me the videotape and said, “Hey, good job!” But I didn’t remember anything. It was like a car accident.
I got home and watched the tape, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but I definitely wasn’t listening to the crowd. I would say a joke and there would be a laugh, and I would be moving on to the next one before they even had time to laugh.
Then I panicked. I thought, “I can’t believe I gave up flying for this.” I was lamenting to someone that I had made a huge mistake, and they said, “You ought to talk to this guy, he was just on Saturday Night Live, he’s a really nice guy.” I thought, “Oh, my gosh, I don’t want to bother this guy.” But I called him up. It was Dave Koechner.
I told him everything I just told you, and he said, “I think improv might fit you better.” At the time, the only improv place in New York was called Chicago City Limits and it was short-form improv, little games, like you see on Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
And he said, “I have some friends who just moved out from Chicago, and they’re starting a theater, and it’s called the Upright Citizens Brigade, and they’re teaching classes. You ought to go catch their Sunday night show, it’s called ASSSSCAT.”
So, I went and saw the show. The four founding members of Upright Citizens Brigade are Matt Walsh from Veep; Ian Roberts, one of the best improvisors ever; Matt Besser, and Amy Poehler. It blew my mind how good they were. It was like an epiphany. I went up to Matt Walsh after the show and said, “I want to sign up for classes.” And he said, “Cool!” And that was it.
For the next seven years, I took classes, I taught classes, I did sound and tech for other people’s shows, I hung out at the theater and found
like-minded people and I would write with them. And eventually I caught a break and got an audition for Saturday Night Live and I got on it.
People in Kansas City are so proud of the Shawnee Mission comedy mafia: you, Paul Rudd, and Jason Sudeikis. When did you meet Paul and Jason? I met Paul at KU, at a party. Paul was a sophomore when I was a freshman. When Paul left KU to go to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York—I think around his junior year—I remember watching a football game and a Miller Lite commercial came on, and it was Paul. I remember jumping out of my seat, going, “Oh, my God, that’s Paul! He got a commercial!”
A couple years later, he showed up in Clueless and he was wearing a KU hat. I remember bragging about that to everyone. He was always the guiding light, the guy who made it. He was an inspiration.
What about Jason? I show up for my Saturday Night Live audition, and he was also invited to audition. Unbeknownst to me, Jason was doing all this great improv and sketch comedy with Second City in Vegas at the time, so our paths never crossed.
We’re out in front of this stand-up club at 79th and Broadway. Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey and all the head writers and producers are inside sitting in a booth. This is the dream shot. So, everyone is stressed out. And Jason makes a reference to Kansas City, and I look up and say, “I’m from Kansas City.” Then we start doing that thing: “Oh, I lived here, and I went to that school…” We became pretty fast friends right there on the sidewalk.
Who came up with the idea for Big Slick? It was me. In 2009, Children’s Mercy asked me to host their Red Hot Nights ball, the one they do in February. They had me kind of performing some corny jokes, and we raised a lot of money.
But they were really smart. They took me on a tour of the hospital. At the time I had two small children. So, I immediately felt a connection to that place and empathy for the parents. I watched them do openheart surgery on a 9-day-old baby. Just a year prior, that baby would have perished. But because of the advancements they were making, they were able to save that baby’s life with these robotic techniques. I said, “You got me. I’m in. I want to be part of this, but I don’t want to do Red Hot Nights. Let me think of something and get back to you.”
Then I was sitting on the dock of my parents’ Lake of the Ozarks house with my brother-in-law, Mark, and we were spitballing ideas about how to get celebrities to come to the middle of the country. I mentioned a poker tournament because celebrities love to play poker. But I didn’t want to do it as an individual, because there is much more energy as a team.
That Christmas, I was at The Daily Show Christmas party, and Paul popped in to say hi to Jon. So, I asked him if he would co-host a poker tournament with me, and he didn’t miss a beat, he was like, “Yeah, I’m in.”
Then I called Jason and said, “Rudd and I are going to co-host this poker tournament in Kansas City for Children’s Mercy. Do you want to do it with us?” And Jason didn’t miss a beat and said, “I’m in.”
Kathy Sudeikis (Jason’s mom) did all the travel because she’s a travel agent. Gloria Rudd (Paul’s mom) did all the marketing because she works in PR and marketing, and my sister and brother-in-law organized the wiffle ball game and the show and the auction.
The first year, I was shooting a movie called The Other Guys with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Adam McKay was the director. Adam used to host a poker night on Friday nights during production, so I just threw it out there, “Hey, I’m doing a charity event in Kansas City with Jason and Paul. It’s our hometown. It’s for Children’s Mercy Hospital. It’s a worthy cause, but I can’t promise you anything because I have no idea what to expect.” And everybody at the table said yes.
We set a goal to try to raise $50,000, and we raised $100,000. It was at Harrah’s. And now we’re at the T-Mobile Center. In those first few years, we were inviting Eric Stonestreet and Dave Koechner, and then we thought, “They’re Kansas City guys, they should be hosting it with us.” Then Koechner’s sister, Joan Charbonneau, and Eric Stonestreet’s sister, Mauria Stonestreet, became part of the family team.
At this point do you feel like you’re already famous, so you can just bounce along and pick from projects that come your way, or do you still have aspirations? There’s no finish line in show business, and you’re never satisfied. Even if you’re in a hit TV show or a hit movie, it goes, and you have to get another job and another job. I want to work with good people, try to do good things, make people laugh, raise my kids to be good people.
My ambition is always there. I still want to do good work. I’ll stay out there as long as people will have me.
Has the not-work part of your life become more important than when you were starting out? Absolutely. Show business is without a doubt one of the toughest businesses. It’s so subjective. It’s so competitive. It’s really, really hard. It’s hard on your psyche, and it requires maximum effort every day. And you do get to a point where you’re like, “God bless, I just want to find some peace.”
What does peace look like to you? Peace to me would be, first, spending time with loved ones: friends, family. And still being passionate, still being driven but not having to do ten things at once. Just finding one thing that comes with good people around it to enjoy spending your hours with and working on that.
photos by Aaron Leimkuehler
Man Up!
WE SCOURED THE CITY FOR THE VERY BEST FATHER’S DAY GIFTS
TRAVELING MAN Clockwise from top left: Gentlemen’s Hardware Buff & Shine shoe polish kit, $28, The Little Shop Next Door (Westwood Hills). Pig & Hen bracelets, each $109, Peters Clothiers (123rd and State Line). Brouk travel power bank holder, $62.50, Trapp and Company (Midtown). Randolph sunglasses, $386.50, Hudson & Jane, (Crestwood Shops).
THAT’S THE KEY Clockwise from top right: Secrid mini wallet, $109.50, Trapp and Company. Hudson & Jane leather box, $95, from Hudson & Jane. Japanese-made bottle opener, $34, and Daines and Hathaway stud box, $90, both from George (Crestwood Shops). Brackish feather bow tie, $225, The Little Shop Next Door.
GAME NIGHT Clockwise from top left: Smathers & Branson handstitched flasks, $65 each, Peters Clothiers. Madmen waterproof playing cards, $17, Trapp and Company. Chart Metalworks KC map money clip, $54, The Little Shop Next Door. Zambezi Grace crocodile wallet, $375, Hudson & Jane. Gentlemen’s Hardware waterproof playing cards, $12, Ulah (Woodside Village).
TAKE THE WHEEL Clockwise from top left: Woodford Reserve five-piece bitters set, $28, Trapp and Company. Two’s Company bottle opener, $31, The Little Shop Next Door. Foxtrot Studio coasters, $19 for two, Ulah.
LOOKING GOOD Clockwise from top left: Cork catchall, $48, George. Barrel and Oak exfoliating bar, $6, Trapp and Company. Urban Cowboy soap, $8, Ulah. We Took To the Woods candle, $52.50, Hudson & Jane. Silk pocket square, $60, Halls (Crown Center). Aogami folding knife, $40, George. Moncler sunglasses, $365, Halls. Prairie by Ulah candle, $35, Ulah.
BY THE BOOK Clockwise from top right: Raien sunglasses, $135, Ulah. Christian Louboutin wallet, $290, Halls. Torino leather belt, $99, Peters Clothiers. Lifestyle beaded bracelet, $28, Sunkissed Earth bracelet, $48, Ulah. Denim pocket square, $59, Peters Clothiers.
WORDS BY Bob Luder
A FourSport City
HOPE IS REVIVED FOR NBA AND NHL MAJOR LEAGUE TEAMS TO RETURN TO KANSAS CITY
Kansas City sports fans have been on one heck of a ride the past eight years. Think about it. The list of major-league cities that have had a professional baseball team play in back-to-back World Series and football team compete in back-to-back Super Bowls in the last decade can be counted on one fi nger.
Add to that the fact that both the Royals and Chiefs won league championships—the Royals winning the Series in 2015 and the Chiefs taking home the Vince Lombardi Trophy for winning Super Bowl LIV in 2020—and it can safely be said no other city in the country has enjoyed the pinnacle of major-league sports success as much as Kansas City, at least in recent memory.
Still, even with those highest of highs, this is the time of year where a good number of KC sports fans can’t help but feel a little left out. Sure, there’s the NFL Draft coming in May 2023. The Royals are still playing meaningful games, as are the city’s two professional
have the passion for it. We don’t want to let that die now.”
Jarrett Sutton, an NBA scout born and raised here, formed a small group six years ago and believes the time is ripe for his hometown and the NBA to reconnect.
“Now is the perfect time,” he says. “The league is expanding, probably in 2024-25, or 25-26. This market is so untapped. There are too many positives. It makes too much sense for an owner to step up. There’s not going to be a better time for the NBA, and the time is now to put it in gear.”
soccer clubs, Sporting KC and the Current.
But June marks the pinnacle of the NBA and NHL playoffs. While there are plenty of basketball and hockey fans around town who pull for various adopted favorites, it’s been quite some time since they’ve had teams here to call their own.
Kansas City hasn’t had an NHL team for 46 years, nor an NBA team for 37. There have been all kinds of reasons for that—nationwide market forces that come with being a relatively smaller-sized market, sharp cost appreciations in franchise fees, questions about finding local ownership, and having a suitable arena (though that was one question answered with the construction of the Sprint Center—now T-Mobile Center—downtown, which opened in 2007) to name a few.
But with all the challenges, there are just as many advocates, pushing, prying, and promoting, doing whatever it takes to one day bring the NBA and NHL back to Kansas City.
“College basketball has had such a big impact here with the Big 12 tournaments,” says 13-season NBA veteran Scott Wedman, who played for the Kansas City Kings from 1974-81. “I think that would translate (to the NBA), like it has in Charlotte, North Carolina. It’d be great for the city, I think.”
Gary Emmons, who played with the Kansas City Blades of the International Hockey League from 1992-96 and today coaches youth hockey in the area, says, “I would love to see an NHL team here. We were teased by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2007, when Mario Lemieux came to town and there were questions about their arena in Pittsburgh.
“If you could bring in a team that could contend right away, I think it would go over big. I don’t know that will happen.”
There are a couple of advocacy groups—one three decades old, the other much younger—that have kept in communication with civic leaders about trying to lure an NBA or NHL franchise back to town. Local businessman and former pro-sports franchise owner Paul McGannon formed NHL 21 in 1993 and has been passionately pushing for a return of NHL hockey for nearly 30 years. His persistence in returning major-league hockey back to KC is only matched by his passion for the sport.
“Having a passion for it is half the battle,” McGannon says. “We ‘‘ Now is the perfect time. The league is expanding, probably in 2024-25, or 25-26. This market is so untapped. There are too many
– Jarrett Sutton
THE GLORY YEARS So many years, decades, and generations have passed that not many around these parts remember or realize that, for two glorious years—1974 to 1976—Kansas City was a four major-league sports town, one of just a select few in the U.S. The Chiefs were five years from winning their first NFL championship in 1970 in Super Bowl IV. The Royals were entering a period when they dominated the American League West and played in their first World Series in 1980.
Down in the city’s West Bottoms, at newly opened Kemper Arena, the Kings were duking it out in the NBA, while the expansion Scouts were trying to get a footing in the NHL.
But KC ranking with larger metros of Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago of the sports world was to be short-lived.
The NHL granted Kansas City a team as part of its ’74 expansion which also included the Washington Capitals, but for two seasons the Scouts struggled, both on the ice and at the gate. They averaged just more than 8,000 in the seats in an arena that seated 17,000. The team’s ownership was underfunded, and the arrival of the rival World Hockey Association in ’72 stretched talent too thin.
The Scouts were put up for sale and sold to a businessman in Denver, where they became the Colorado Rockies. After six seasons in Denver, the team relocated once again and became the New Jersey Devils.
Many won’t remember that in 1972 when the Cincinnati Royals relocated to Kansas City—and changed the name to Kings to avoid confusion with the baseball team—it actually split home games between KC and Omaha, Nebraska. They were the Kansas City-Omaha Kings until 1975, when the team permanently moved from 7,300-seat Municipal Auditorium into the new Kemper Arena.
The Kings had some success over the next ten years, making the NBA playoffs three straight seasons, from 1979-81. In the ’79 season, when they won the Midwest Division behind rookie of the year Phil Ford, the Kings averaged 10,789 fans per home game. But that was the only season the team averaged five-figure attendance.
“In ’79, we were in the top third of the NBA in attendance,” Wedman says. “But then, the Kemper roof fell in, and we lost momentum.”
A severe storm led to the collapse of Kemper’s roof, forcing the Kings to play many of their 1979-80 home games in St. Louis. It seemed like the team never recovered, and it was relocated to Sacramento following the ’84-’85 season.
“All that happened before the Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan era,” Wedman says. “I think it would still work here.”
THERE ARE POSSIBILITIES When it comes to expansion, it would appear the NBA is more amenable to that right now. The NHL recently expanded, adding the Seattle Kracken this season and the Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, giving the league 32 teams.
“A more likely scenario would be a relocation of an existing franchise,” says Ken Morrow, a Kansas Citian who played on the 1980 Olympic hockey team and won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders.
The NBA is rumored to be looking at expanding back into Seattle and one other city, possibly Vegas.
Of course, there are several factors which have to all come together before either league would consider returning to Kansas City.
One is fan enthusiasm. McGannon points to an exhibition NHL 21 brought to KC last October between the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues that sold out Cable Dahmer Arena in six hours. An exhibition between the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins sold out 15,400 seats at the Sprint Center in 2011. Every March, the downtown arena sells out for the Big 12 Conference Basketball Tournament, showing Kansas Citians appetite for high-level hoops.
City government also appears enthusiastic, as was shown when KC Mayor Quinton Lucas outwardly lobbied for the Toronto Raptors to play their home games at T-Mobile during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Then, there’s find an owner or ownership group willing and financially capable of bankrolling a major-league franchise. The NHL’s franchise fee for the Kracken last year was in the area of $750 million. Sutton believes an NBA expansion team today could expect to pay between $2.5 and $5 billion. And that’s before ever paying a player.
McGannon is encouraged by the fact Lamar Hunt, Jr. owns the Mavericks, Kansas City’s minor-league team that plays in the ECHL and is an affiliate of the Calgary Flames. He’s a member of the Hunt family, which owns the Chiefs and other major-league sports entities.
“The encouraging thing is to have a well-established sports family owning a hockey team in town,” McGannon says.
Sutton believes there are local possibilities for an NBA ownership group as well, including a certain Chiefs quarterback with a big bank account who is on the record as being a big fan of the league.
“Kansas City is a humble town that has some quiet money,” Sutton says. “If they know the NBA wants to come here, they’d want to get involved.”
– Paul McGannon
A third factor is a suitable venue, and the city appears to have that covered. While it’s true the T-Mobile Center now is 15 years old, McGannon and Sutton agree it more than meets standards of the leagues.
“If you compare T-Mobile to the rest of the NBA, it’s better than the majority of arenas,” Sutton says.
A stated belief over the years has been that the arena has done so well with concerts and other stand-alone events that there’s been limited interest in attaining a full-time tenant. But, according to T-Mobile Center spokesperson Shani Tate Ross, the facility is welcome to any opportunities.
“We’re welcome to anything that might come our way,” she says. “We operate the building at the pleasure of the city and are fully behind whatever’s in the city’s best interests.”
As far as Sutton is concerned, the city has a golden opportunity to realize a long-held dream without abandoning a perfectly good major-league sports facility and building a new one downtown.
“There’s always talk about developing a baseball stadium for the Royals downtown,” he says. “But the fact is, we already have a pro sports venue right downtown. We just need a team to put in it.”
words by Kelsey Cipolla
NEW BREWS
KANSAS CITY’S CRAFT BREWING SCENE CONTINUES TO GROW WITH A WAVE OF SPOTS OPENING THIS SPRING AND SUMMER. WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE OWNERS OF THREE NEW BEER DESTINATIONS TO GET A FIRST TASTE
RIVER BLUFF BREWING CO.
Several years after opening in St. Joseph, Missouri, River Bluff Brewing Co. has made its way to Kansas City, opening a new brewing facility and taproom in the River Market this spring.
“Growing up in St. Joe, Kansas City was the big city,” River Bluff co-founder Chris Lanman says. “All of us would go to the city on the weekends for activities, so Kansas City has been a big part of my life.”
River Bluff was set to start distributing its beers in Kansas City back in March 2020. Instead, Covid-19 forced many restaurants to close or dramatically reduce their capacity and put the brewery’s plans on hold. There was still a demand for its beer, so a new idea emerged: Opening a KC brewery, one that would serve not just as an extension of the St. Joe facility but as a place for River Bluff to experiment and try new things.
Based on customer preferences, River Bluff focuses on filtered, crisp beers at its original location—it didn’t even brew a hazy IPA for the first two years.
“In Kansas City, we definitely want to push out of that realm,” Lanman says. Although half of the beers served on the menu in Kansas City come from St. Joe, the other half is brewed on-site and are more eclectic, with options ranging from stouts and porters to fruited chili ales. Lanman says the River Bluff crew is also viewing the KC location as a collaboration house and already released a Weizenbock with local brewer Sterling Holman.
The beer menu isn’t the only difference between the two locations. While the St. Joe space serves as a tribute to St. Joe’s past, with everything from tables and doors to neon lights reclaimed from around town, the River Market brewery has a more modern aesthetic, complete with massive windows and a covered patio. However, both feature pinball machines— which became a hallmark of the original taproom—and Speedliner boats, a nod to one of River Bluff’s signature beers, the Speedliner IPA.
Soon, Kansas City patrons will also be able to enjoy food from a spot familiar to fans of the original brewery. Huckleberry, formerly a neighboring business in St. Joe, is subleasing a portion of River Bluff’s building. The restaurant is tentatively set to open in late May or early June, serving casual fare like smash burgers, salads, tacos. riverbluffbrew.com
Above: At River Bluff Brewing Co. there will be a wide variety of beers brewed on-site. Right: Co-founder of River Bluff Brewing Co. Chris Lanman.
TALL TRELLIS BREW CO.
How much do you know about hops, the flowers that have helped flavor beer for more than a millennium? Probably not a lot.
But Tall Trellis Brew Co., which opened this spring in Olathe, is hoping to change that. The brewery concept comes from the owners of the Kansas Hop Co., which grows the hops used at more than 70 breweries, including many local favorites, says co-owner Ryan Triggs.
“Hops aren’t traditionally grown in this region,” he explains. “Typically, they’re found in Germany or the Pacific Northwest. I feel like
Left: The Tall Trellis taproom offers craft beers made from local ingredients. Left: Co-owners of Tall Trellis, Ryan Triggs (left) and Nick Feightner.
VINE STREET BREWING CO.
there’s a lot that’s unknown about hops in general.”
Tall Trellis largely serves as a showcase for the beers made with Kansas Hop Co.’s hops by other breweries, with many of the 16 taps featuring partners’ beers. But at the beginning of May, Tall Trellis started working on its own small-batch beers, which will also be available soon.
“Coming from the hop-farm side, we’re not huge IPA fans, just hop lovers,” Triggs says. “We will probably once a month be brewing an IPA, but we’re going to experiment with lots of different styles. We just have a small, one-barrel system, so we can get a little weird with what we’re doing and not have to worry about sitting on a batch for a long time.”
Live hops also feature prominently into the brewery’s concept, with the plants grown on trellises in the inviting outdoor space—hence the name Tall Trellis.
“They’re majestic plants,” Triggs says. “They grow 18 to 20 feet tall, they’re these huge walls of vegetation. We get to experience that all the time at our commercial farm down in Ottawa, and our thought was always, ‘Man, it would be awesome to have the public get to experience what it’s like to sit in a hop fi eld.’”
The plants started emerging from the soil in April, and by May they were already two to three feet tall and starting to grow up strings. Over the next few months, they’ll continue to climb up the trellis, allowing guests to watch as the hops evolve. Meanwhile, the brewery is doing some growing of its own and working to build out a food program, which Triggs says will likely include fl atbreads, salads, pretzels, charcuterie, and kid-friendly options guests can enjoy along with their beers.
“We’re just really excited for craft beer drinkers to be able to sit in the hop fi eld and drink beer that’s made from those hop plants while they’re sitting right next to them.” talltrellis.com
Kemet Coleman discovered a passion for beer while working at Boulevard Brewing Co.
“I just kind of fell in love with the craft of it because it’s like art and science at the same time,” he explains. “It made everybody happy.”
Coleman is getting in on the happiness with Vine Street Brewing, which he co-founded with homebrewers Woodie Bonds and Elliot Ivory. When Vine Street opens later this summer, it will be Kansas City’s fi rst Black-owned brewery and one of only one percent of Blackowned breweries nationwide, according to estimates.
Many factors contribute to the industry’s lack of diversity, Coleman says, from Black and Brown entrepreneurs struggling to get access to
Now Trending
YOU’RE PROBABLY ALREADY well-acquainted with the next big thing in craft brewing: lagers. Although trendier beers such as hazy IPAs likely aren’t going anywhere, River Bluff Brewing’s Chris Lanman says more and more drinkers are wanting light, clean lagers.
“I love that trend because you can go across the board with what you’re brewing and offering to people,” he says. “For a long time there, there were tons of breweries that only had all IPAs and stouts, and there wasn’t much choice.”
Tall Trellis Brew Co.’s Ryan Triggs has also seen craft lagers taking off, but naturally, he shouted out a hoppier brew gaining in popularity—West Coast IPAs, which are typically more bitter and more boldly hoppy than their hazy cousins.
“I love juicy, hazy, New England-style IPAs, but I also like to mix it up from a brewing standpoint and a consumption standpoint, so it’s been great to see IPAs balanced out again with more hop bitterness and traditional IPAs coming back into the limelight,” Triggs says.
OPENED WITHIN THE LAST YEAR
Broken Hatchet Brewing 422 Main Street, Belton Located in the heart of Old Town Belton, Broken Hatchet has been serving handmade craft beers since summer 2021. Stop by for a beer and get in a game or two of cornhole. ExBEERiment Brewing 925 E Lincoln Lane, Gardner From oatmeal stouts to mango sours, ExBEERiment’s beer list has been offering up new drafts to try since spring 2021. Can’t choose just one to try? Order a fl ight of four beers for $10. Iron Kettle Brewing 508 S Main Street, Grain Valley Inspired by Scotland’s famous pubs, Iron Kettle Brewing brought a taste of the Old World to America in summer 2021. Enjoy a lineup of Scottish, Irish, English, and German-style ales.
Range 23 Brewing 13400 Donahoo Road, KCK Range23 opened at Due West Ranch in July 2021 with six styles of handcrafted, canned beer year-round: Pale Ale, IPA, Blonde Ale, American Porter, Kolsch, and Dunkelweiss.
Red Sash Brewing 406 E 18th Street This veteran-owned brewery opened in the Crossroads in summer 2021 with something on tap for everyone: IPAs, Pale Ales, Stouts, and California Commons. Station 7 9418 MO-7, Lee’s Summit Martin City Brewery’s newest concept opened in spring 2022—and it’s perfect for breakfast or a late-night hangout. By day order coffee and baked goods, and by night order pizza and beer.
COMING SOON
Friction Beer Company 11018 Johnson Drive, Shawnee Mission After four years of home brewing and popping up at beer festivals, Friction Beer Co. is taking its brewing operations to the old Hartman Hardware space and adding a taproom slated to open this summer.
BY Emily Park
Left to right: Elliot Ivory, Kemet Coleman, Woodie Bonds, co-founders of Vine Street Brewing Co.
the capital needed for a business where startup costs can be upward of $500,000, to marketing that targets Black communities with domestic beers rather than locally made breweries.
“I do think the industry is changing in a way where the industry is ready for this diversity to come in, and I’m starting to see that even people who didn’t think they would like beer are starting to open up to it,” he says. “There’s a lot of opportunity here, and I’m happy that we’re at the helm here in Kansas City.”
Vine Street Brewing is tentatively slated to open in mid-September at 2000 Vine Street, a historic structure that was originally the city’s fi rst public works building. The stone and concrete space will include a taproom and ample outdoor space where Coleman looks forward to hosting musicians and celebrating the history and cultural signifi cance of the 18th and Vine neighborhood.
“We’re hoping when people see Vine Street Brewing, they’re seeing the heart and soul of Kansas City,” he says.
Coleman, Bonds, and Ivory plan to offer an array of beers rather than focusing on a single style, and feedback on early beers has been positive. Coleman says Vine Street Brewing has received a warm welcome from the local brewing community and already collaborated with breweries including Strange Days, Pathlight, and Diametric.
“As folks that have been homebrewers for several years, it’s a pretty big difference going from homebrew to a commercial-sized brewhouse,” he explains. “We’ve been blessed that Woody and Elliott have been able to experience all these different, bigger brewhouses so that when we open our doors, it’ll be a much smaller learning curve.”
And this month, another collaboration will bring Coleman’s journey full circle as his brewery releases a beer with Boulevard Brewing Co. ahead of Vine Street’s appearance at Boulevardia’s Taps and Tastes Experience June 18.
“It’s a surreal experience,” he says, “but it also feels like it was part of the plan.” vinestbrewing.com
EYE ON THE PRIZE
A BUSINESS EXECUTIVETURNED-ANTIQUES DEALER IS INSPIRED TO FILL A PRAIRIE VILLAGE 70S CONTEMPORARY WITH HIS SINGULAR VINTAGE AND ANTIQUE FINDS
words by Patricia O’Dell photos by Aaron Leimkuehler
Steve Rogers is well known to design lovers in Kansas City for his shop, Prize Home + Garden, and his adventures in hunting and gathering from Round Top, Texas, to Paris, France, which he features on
Classic and sexy Wassily chairs by Marcel Breuer add midcentury glam and sparkle to the living room. Most of the accessories throughout the house are from Prize Home + Garden. Left: A French midcenturymodern chair fronts a niche holding Swedish studio pottery, creating a dramatic vignette.
Opposite page, top: In the living room, a pair of vintage Italian mushroom lamps sit atop a credenza found in Oklahoma. Opposite page, bottom: Throughout the first floor, minimal walls and floor-to-ceiling windows open up the rooms to each other and the outdoors. Left: The circa-1960 Italian brass-and-marble tulip table mimics the dramatic original spiral staircase in the foyer. Artwork by Scott Kerr.
Instagram. It shouldn’t be a surprise that at the foundation, the traveling, and sourcing is less about the find and all about making home the place you want to be most. His new house in Prairie Village is case in point.
“We’ve been here three years,” Rogers says of his wife, Jill, and their three children. “We’d been in our last house for 18 years, and we weren’t even looking to move.” But when this modern house on a large lot came on the market, it piqued his interest.
“This house was different,” he says. “It was on some acreage, which was great, and it was contemporary, which was sort of out of my wheelhouse. But the lines…”
The original farmhouse on the lot was torn down in the 1970s, and the subsequent owners built their modern dream house on the existing foundation. “It’s very linear,” Rogers says. “And in the center of the house, where the stairway is, it’s two floors. We were lucky that the house hasn’t had a lot of owners, and they all had a common sensibility and feeling that it is a really special house.”
Rogers wanted to honor the home’s aesthetic, so he took a couple of years to get to know the house better. “I couldn’t commit at first. For me, the house was art. With the built-ins, the walls of glass across the back, and the staircase—I needed to live with it. I wanted to be careful. My family was really patient about it,” he says.
Rogers says what began to emerge in his mind was a space that was modern and calming. “As we took the temperature of the house, everything was about clean lines and simple materials. We moved forward from there.”
The most significant task was remodeling the kitchen. While wanting to be respectful of the original design, Rogers needed to bring the kitchen into the current day. “I relied on wood cabinets and quartzite on
Above: The kitchen was the most extensively renovated room in the house. Rogers added the expansive island and replaced white cabinetry with walnut cabinets. Top left: An oversized custom French olive wood charcuterie board makes a statement. Bottom left: From left to right: Grant, Jill, Steve, Evie, and Claire Rogers.
the countertops, because I thought the natural materials felt more cohesive. We kept the hardware simple, because we really wanted everything to be streamlined.”
The nearby dining area is a symphony of form and texture. The vintage farmhouse table converses happily with the crisp, white West Elm chairs. The stack of Swedish bowls is a testament to the joys of collecting, and a nod to the restrained excess in this edited space.
The only furniture in the living spaces that came from the Rogers’s previous house was the sectional where the family gathers to watch television. The gleam of the chrome surround of the fireplace in the room is echoed in the frames of the nearby pair of midcentury Wassily chairs by Marcel Breuer.
Having a first-floor master bedroom is new to the family. In their previous home, all the bedrooms were off the second-floor hallway. This new floorplan gives everyone a little more space and privacy. “The upstairs is really the kids’ part of the house,” Rogers says. “Which is nice for everyone. They all have their own space and there is a lot less commotion. And we all love the staircase.”
One of the couple’s friends asked if they require people to sign waivers before they go up or down the elegant, but apparently daunting to some, open metal and wood spiral. “We really don’t worry about it,” he says. “Our kids are teenagers, so they’re fine.
The dining room is a high/low design mix of modern and rustic materials. Chairs from West Elm surround a 19th-century French farm table, while a pair of African Yoruba ladders from the Dogon tribe serve as bold sculptures. A stack of 18thcentury Swedish wood bowls is centered on the table. Artwork by Todd Mossman.
Above: The spa-like primary bedroom includes artwork by Todd Mossman. Crate and Barrel linens dress the West Elm bed. Top right: The primary bath exudes a laid-back European vibe. Bottom right: Dramatic, threedimensional tile in the powder room creates an organic backdrop for the lamp from Prize Home + Garden.
CRESTWOOD SHOPS 55th & BROOKSIDE BLVD hudsonandjane.com
Our two dogs won’t go near it, but we haven’t had any trouble.”
Keeping the stairs and much of the lighting that was in the house when they bought it have been important to Rogers. “We kind of took in the tempo of the house, and everything was really about clean lines,” he says. “So, if we were to sell the house, we wanted all the things that would stay with it to feel like it had been here in the 70s.”
Of course, as befits the home of an antiques dealer, what’s here today might be gone tomorrow. “My mother likes to guess what’s different each time she visits,” says Jill with a laugh.
Phillip Jeffries wallpaper backs the bookshelves in the sitting room. A vintage French sofa by Guillerme et Chambron and pair of circa-1950 Italian chairs upholstered in textured boucle create a cozy seating area.
THE IT LIST
Antiques & Accessories
Prize Home + Garden prizeantiques.com
Appliances
Ferguson ferguson.com
Kitchen Cabinets
Shamrock Cabinetry shamrockcabinet.com
THINKING ABOUT SELLING YOUR ROLEX OR DIAMOND JEWELRY? DIAMOND BANC EXPLAINS WHY NOW IS THE TIME
The pre-owned Rolex and the diamond market is on fire, resulting in some of the highest resale values seen. In the 15 years Sicily Von Overfelt has been in the jewelry industry, the director of Kansas City’s Diamond Banc office has never seen a market quite like this one. “There are two categories that are in high demand right now, resulting in the highest payouts to our clients,” says Overfelt. “One is the Rolex market imbalance. There are many more buyers now than there are sellers. That equates to people getting record amounts for their Rolex watches. The other category is diamonds— both Covid and the Russian conflict brought disruption to the diamond supply, so the recycled market is fetching high premiums.”
If you’re pondering selling your Rolex or any diamond jewelry, now is the time to jump on the market advantage as a seller. Overfelt has noticed the need for pre-owned luxury watches and jewelry has been on the rise since the pandemic started, but she doesn’t know how long that uptick will last.
When Overfelt started in the jewelry business in 2006, for example, the price of gold was $600 per ounce. By 2008 gold prices were over $1,800 per ounce—the highest in history—and the price of gold is right up at that range, currently hovering around $1,800/oz.
“It’s never been a better time for those who are considering selling their Rolex and/or their diamond pieces,” Overfelt says.
FINDING HIDDEN GEMS
So, which pieces in your jewelry box will result in a pretty penny? Overfelt says almost any men’s Rolex is in demand.
“Men’s watches are incredibly in demand,” she says. “Especially the stainless-steel models, specifically the stainless-steel sport models—Submariners, Yacht-Masters, Daytonas, and GMT Masters.”
As for diamonds, diamonds over a carat and a half (1.50ct+) —especially those over
three-carat diamonds—are fetching high premiums. Oval and round diamonds are also in short supply and have high demand.
GETTING THE MOST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
Because of the sentimental and emotional ties that are often associated with watches and jewelry, choosing to sell a treasured piece is an important decision.
Whether you’re looking to sell or get a Jewelry Equity Loan, which allows you to maintain ownership of your items, Diamond Banc o ers a tailored experience to best suit your needs.
Diamond Banc has several selling options to choose from:
Immediate Purchase – This is the best option for those who value being paid immediately. Diamond Banc will make an industry-leading purchase o er and fund transactions on the spot with a simple, confidential, and fast process.
E ective Consignment – This option
Sicily Von Overfelt is a GIA graduate gemologist with over 14 years of experience in the jewelry industry and 10+ years with Diamond Banc. She began her jewelry career in retail sales, where she gained a vast knowledge of many designer brands. Sicily is the Director of Diamond Banc in Kansas City, authenticating and purchasing pre-owned luxury designer jewelry, diamonds, and watches from the public. Visit Sicily at her o ice conveniently located on the Country Club Plaza
is for those who value a higher return over immediate funding. Your item is marketed to over 20,000 dealers, wholesalers, and retailers, and Diamond Banc pays you a preferred return once the item sells. Items that will sell for more than $10,000 are eligible.
Seller’s Agent Service – This option is for those who wish to maximize their return on items selling for more than $35,000. Diamond Banc will get you the most money possible by marketing your pieces nationwide through a variety of platforms with a transparent percentage commission.
Not sure which selling option is best for you? Sicily Von Overfelt will walk you through your options.
“Sicily was gracious and steadfast for an emotional transaction with me,” writes one of Overfelt’s recent clients on Google Reviews. “She gave me the best price around for my ring. She made me feel comfortable and eased any uncertainties I had. Thankful for the financial freedom our transaction o ered me.”
In need of some cash flow, but not ready to part with your treasured piece? Diamond Banc o ers Jewelry Equity Loans that offer immediate funding while you maintain ownership of your item. The process is completely confidential and won’t appear on your credit report. You can redeem your item through automatic loan payments, and you’ll get your item back when the loan is paid o .
“What I love about my job is meeting with a person, hearing their story and asking them what their goal is. I really enjoy tailoring our services and giving them all of their options to make the best decision for their unique situation,” says Overfelt. “It's not high pressure, and it’s no obligation. Some clients are ready to make the decision that day, which is great and we can fund the transaction immediately. Other times, clients need to discuss it with their family. Whatever their timeframe is, I want people to feel great about their decision to work with Diamond Banc.”
Curious how much Diamond Banc will pay for your Rolex or diamond? For a free, no-obligation quote, contact Sicily at Sicily@diamondbanc.com to schedule an appointment. There’s an o ice conveniently located on Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza (435 Nichols Road, Suite 200) or you can head online for Diamond Banc’s value calculators for diamonds and Rolexes.
DIAMONDBANC.COM
435 Nichols Rd., Suite 200 Kansas City, MO 64112 816.977.2677 FOR AN APPOINTMENT email sicily@diamondbanc.com
