Explore Liberty Shops & Restaurants Arts & Entertainment History & Heritage Recreational Activities Educational Opportunities Important Phone Numbers
2019
COU R I E R T R I BU N E March 2019
COU R I E R T R I BU N E
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Explore Liberty
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CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
C OU R I E R T R I BU N E
104 N. Main St. Liberty, MO 64068 www.mycouriertribune.com (816) 781-4941
Publisher: Sandy Nelson ✦ Editor: Amy Neal Editorial Contributors: Kellie Houx, Amanda Lubinski, Sean Roberts Explore Liberty is published by the Courier-Tribune in partnership with The City of
ON THE COVER Clockwise from top left: 1) Lawrence “China” Slaughter, as created by sculptor Martha Aldridge, is engaged with two children, one handing him a book, in the reading park across from Franklin Elementary School. The sculpture is at Mill and Gallatin streets. 2) A variety of food options await in Liberty. 3) The fountain in front of City Hall at East Kansas and Water streets flows during warm weather. 4) Norterre, a multi-generational community, sits nestled at the base of the hill by Liberty Hospital on Glenn Hendren Drive.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome to Liberty! .......................................................................................................4 Civic Information............................................................................................................5 Liberty Quilt Walk celebrates fabric art ...........................................................................6 Arts, Entertainment & Culture.........................................................................................8 History of city, county, nation illustrated on walking tour .............................................11 All around downtown, Liberty exhibits its heart for art .................................................13 Calendar of Events .......................................................................................................14 Half Marathon off to a running start..............................................................................16 Education .....................................................................................................................17 Liberty Area Map ..........................................................................................................20 Liberty Community Center creates new features, additional space ...............................22 Parks & Recreation.......................................................................................................23 How to make a purple martin gourd birdhouse ............................................................26 Liberty Hospital celebrates 45 years in our community ................................................27 Warriors’ Best Friend provides four-legged companions to veterans ............................28 History & Heritage .......................................................................................................30 Winery offers a taste of history .....................................................................................33 Clay County Archives provides in-depth look at population, landscape .......................35 $26 million project will replace the bridge over Interstate 35 .......................................37 Business Directory .......................................................................................................38
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Welcome to Liberty! L
iberty is a warm and charming community of more than 30,000 people and is just a quick drive to Kansas City. We are a town rich in history, filled with civic pride and community spirit. We have a thriving business community and an excellent quality of life with many opportunities for recreation. Liberty has a rich history. It was founded in 1822, making it the second oldest community west of the Mississippi River. Liberty also has the distinction of being the largest community named Liberty in the United States. Being the county seat of Clay County, it has the traditional town square made up of century-old buildings filled with third- and fourth-generation businesses along with new boutiques. Liberty is alive with the sound of the future under construction. What began as a frontier trading post on the Missouri River in 1822 has blossomed into a thriving center of commerce and cultural activity. Take a drive along Liberty’s major thoroughfares and you’ll see progress — new businesses and houses at every turn. There is over 1 million square feet of retail space, from single-owner shops surrounding the historic square to larger shopping centers. The city is equally proud of its rich heritage that dates to the legendary Jesse James’ gang riding through the historic downtown square. Alexander Doniphan and Joseph Smith are other names strongly connected with Liberty history. William Jewell College, founded in 1849, sits on a hilltop to the east of downtown.
The combination of a burgeoning business community with quiet neighborhoods makes Liberty an excellent place to raise a family and locate a business. Young families find this dynamic and growing community an ideal place to call home. Liberty was ranked by Family Circle Magazine as one of the 10 Best Towns for Families and by CNNMoney Magazine among its Best Places to Live. To experience some of that family fun, join us for Liberty Fest on July 3 at Fountain Bluff Sports Complex. We offer live music, children’s activities, food and an amazing firework display. Every year on the fourth full weekend in September, Liberty comes alive with the sights and sounds of the area’s largest fall festival. Entertainment, a parade, carnival rides, music, dancing and boundless fun — all this and more make up the annual Liberty Fall Festival. Hosted mainly on the Liberty Square amid historical buildings dating to the 1800s, the festival is unique in the Kansas City area. Nowhere else can you step back in time to a family-oriented, small-town celebration of fall. Liberty is also a nationally accredited Main Street Community, one of only seven in Missouri. Historic preservation, keeping
ADDRESSES AND WEBSITES The Historic Downtown Liberty Inc. office is also a Welcome Center and is located at 117B N. Main St. Whether you are passing though as a tourist or you live in Liberty, stop by and visit the center. The Liberty Chamber of Commerce at 1170 W. Kansas St., Suite H, is another recommended stop. For more information about Liberty, visit the following websites: Visitlibertymo.com (tourism website) Libertymissouri.gov (city website) Libertychamber.com (Chamber of Commerce website) Historicdowntownliberty.org (Historic Downtown Liberty website)
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the Liberty Square Historic District alive and vibrant, and retaining and recruiting new businesses are top priorities of Historic Downtown Liberty Inc. In historic downtown Liberty, you will find 27 retail businesses ranging from jewelry stores, an art gallery, shoe repair shop, boutiques, home décor, antiques, a quilt shop, a shop specializing in mid-1800s clothing and re-enactment supplies, sports clothing, a barrel maker, and DIY shops. Eateries include a chocolate shop, coffee and tea shops, Mexican, Italian, breakfast/ lunch restaurants and a soon-to- come barbecue restaurant in Corbin Mill Place, a historic mill being renovated. You will also find a yoga studio, spas, salons, a co-working space, the local newspaper, insurance companies, architects and attorneys. The business district stretches beyond the four sides of the square and is surrounded by four historic neighborhoods. It is truly the “heart of the community.” Vicki Vance, executive director of Historic Downtown Liberty Inc. Gayle Potter, president of the Liberty Chamber of Commerce
Temporary mural on East Kansas Street
CIVIC INFORMATION CITY OF LIBERTY
CLAY COUNTY
COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER
With a population of more than 30,000, the city of Liberty is governed by an elected mayor and eight-member City Council. Two representatives from each of four wards serve on the council. The city of Liberty’s website — www.libertymissouri.gov — is a wealth of resources about city activities, resources and services including a citizen request service accessible from any page through a green “Let Us Know” button that appears on almost all pages throughout the site. Interactive maps are designed for users who want to quickly find detailed information about a specific portion of the city or to compare information from several locations.
Liberty is the county seat for Clay County. Home to 242,000-plus residents, Clay County is one of the largest counties in the state.
800 Haines Drive, Liberty, MO 64068 (816) 595-4200 | www.clayhealth.com
City Hall
Administration Building 1 Courthouse Square, Liberty, MO 64068 (816) 407-3600 | www.claycountymo.gov County Assessor......................... (816) 407-3500 County Auditor............................ (816) 407-3590 County Clerk.............................. (816) 407-3570 County Collector......................... (816) 407-3200 County Recorder of Deeds............. (816) 407-3550 County Sheriff............................ (816) 407-3750 County Treasurer......................... (816) 407-3540 Election Board................... (816) 415-VOTE (8683) Health Department......................(816) 595-4200 Highway Department.................... (816) 407-3300 Historic Sites............................. (816) 736-8500 Midwest National Air Center.......... (816) 407-3390 Parks Department........................ (816) 407-3400 Planning and Zoning..................... (816) 407-3380 Public Services........................... (816) 407-3650 7th Judicial Circuit Court.............. (816) 407-3900 Tourism..................................... (816) 407-3659
Clay County Public Health Center provides family health services such as the Womens, Infants and Children program, and immunizations; personal health services; environmental health services; records; and community development services.
LIBERTY HOSPITAL 2525 Glenn Hendren Drive, Liberty, MO 64068 (816)781-7200 | www.libertyhospital.org All ages and stages of life are served by more than 330 physicians covering all medical specialties at this 226-bed state-of-the-art health care center. In 2018, Liberty Hospital’s board approved the purchase ownership interests in Norterre, a multi-generational community featuring a healthy living center, skilled nursing, longterm care, memory support and rehabilitation.
CITY HALL 101 E. Kansas St., Liberty, MO 64068 (816) 439-4400 | www.libertymissouri.gov
DISCOVER
Administration............................ (816) 439-4413 Ambulance, Non-Emergency........... (816) 439-4700 Animal Shelter............................ (816) 439-4791 Building Permits & Inspections.......(816) 439-4541 Business Licenses.......................(816) 439-4450 City Tax Bills.............................. (816) 407-3200 Community Center.......................(816) 439-4360 Fire Department, Non-Emergency.... (816) 439-4310 Historic Preservation...................(816) 439-4537 Human Resources........................(816) 439-4440 Meals on Wheels.........................(816) 439-4398 Municipal Court Clerk...................(816) 439-4430 Nuisance & Code Enforcement........(816) 439-4539 Liberty Silver Center....................(816) 439-4395 Parks & Recreation......................(816) 439-4360 Planning & Zoning.......................(816) 439-4543 Police, Non-Emergency................. (816) 439-4716 Public Works/Engineering..............(816) 439-4500 Public Works/Maintenance............ (816) 439-4514 Recycling, Trash......................... (816) 439-4514
LIBERTY’S JEWELL
Cultivating critical thinkers since 1849.
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Patchwork promenade By Sean Roberts
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xploring ideas for how to highlight the rich but hidden quilting culture on the Liberty Square, Historic Downtown Liberty Inc. Executive Director Vicki Vance, Jean Warren of James Country Mercantile and Quilting is My Therapy owner Angela Walters decided to try a quilt walk. “You couldn’t get three better people together for something like this,” Walters said. “With them, we can put our strengths together and pull off this event. I couldn’t do it myself.” Coincidentally, Walters’ shop is next to Warren’s shop, which is next to HDLI, both on North Main Street, where Vance spends her days. Those who quilt probably know Walters, if by reputation only. With the honed skill to design patterns, the Clay County resident has published books on quilting and was nationally ranked in a survey by Handi Quilter as the No. 2 quilter people would most like to take a lesson from. She is possibly one of the best in the world. “I travel around the country and out of the country to give lessons,” Walters said in an interview this past winter after returning from a business trip to Australia. Walters also appeals to quilters on social media and built her brand with a weekly YouTube series long before she ever had a storefront. Avid quilters themselves, Vance and Warren thought Walters joining the Downtown Historic District was exactly the kind of draw needed for a quilting event. Having come up with the idea for the Liberty Quilt Walk in spring of 2018, the three women pulled together to quickly to execute the inaugural event in June of that year. “We thought we’d have 200 people,” Vance said. “We had 1,000.” Pleasantly surprised by the attention their event received, the
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Quilts hang on a fire escape on the side of Quilting is My Therapy as part of the first Quilt Walk in downtown Liberty.
Visitors check out a diamond pattern quilt dated to the 1880s in the Clay County Museum during the first Liberty Quilt Walk.
team decided it must be an annual occurrence. Businesses reported record days, with one local eatery ringing up the most sales it ever had, Vance was told. Walters said they had printed 500 patterns and ran out in the first hour. The way the event works is similar to a scavenger hunt combined with an exhibit. Each participant can pick up a map at the HDLI office on North Water Street. Using the map, people from all over the country wander in and out of boutiques and restaurants on the square seeking parts of a exclusive pattern designed by Walters. It takes 27 stops to receive all the parts, Walters said. This year’s event will be a little different in the way that both Walters and Warren give lectures on quilting at First Presbyterian Church. Walters will speak on modern quilting, while Warren will tackle traditional styles. There also will be a raffle, and Walters said in an effort to give people more to look at in single locations, there will be quilt exhibits. These will feature multiple quilts of a similar pattern on display. All three of the event’s founders are passionate about quilting, something Vance said is necessary. “To do an event, you have to have someone with a passion,” Vance said. “People are passionate about quilting.” As the executive director of HDLI, it is her mission and that of the nonprofit organization to keep the Historic Downtown Liberty Square vibrant for people to enjoy. She said the quilt walk helps brings people to the community from near and far, introducing them to quilts and the gems of downtown. “It was an amazing success,” Vance said. Excited for its second year, while also having had a full year to plan for what she is certain will draw an even bigger crowd, Walters said she intends to print 2,500 patterns, as not to run out again.
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When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 15
Tickets: The event is free; tickets for free quilting lectures can be picked up the day of the event from Historic Downtown Liberty, Inc., at 117B N. Main St.
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Where: Downtown Liberty Square and Downtown Historic District
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ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE LIBERTY ARTS COMMISSION The Liberty Arts Commission continues its efforts to raise the artistic profile within the city. Almost a dozen years ago, Liberty took steps to propel the arts forward and created the Liberty Arts Commission. The organization’s goal is to serve as a catalyst — to support, sustain and strengthen the community by increasing awareness, opportunities and public involvement in local arts and cultural activities. A few years ago, city voters passed a guest tax, and through the generated funds, the commission has been able to give out art grants. In the past year, the grants have brought in an Indian dancer and aided the local efforts of the Artisan Market, where artists work in studio, and Corbin Kids Company, a children’s theater organization. The commission is active in the community, planning public art displays. Currently, there are four exhibit spaces in the community that are used for displays of mainly two-dimensional art: • Liberty City Hall, 101 E. Kansas St.; • Liberty branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library, 1000 Kent St.; • Liberty Community Center, 1600 S. Withers Road; and • Stocksdale Gallery of Art, 252 William Jewell College Drive, Brown Hall, second floor. Many of the exhibits feature local artists or artists connected to the city. The commission is also the organizing group
For information about local artist news and exhibits, sign up for notifications through the Liberty Arts News Flash on the city website, www.libertymissouri.gov.
LIBERTY ARTS FOUNDATION The Liberty Arts Foundation is a separate nonprofit charitable organization committed to supporting all art-related endeavors that benefit Liberty residents. As funding becomes available through private donations and grants, the foundation supports the projects of the Arts Commission, Liberty Symphony, Community Chorus, Corbin Theatre and other arts-focused organizations. One of the biggest projects spearheaded by the foundation was the creation of the China Slaughter Reading Park, which was unveiled in late April 2018. The commission chose artist Martha Aldridge, a retired teacher from Clinton, Missouri, to crease the centerpiece sculpture of Slaughter for the park. Slaughter was a beloved school crossing guard for more than three decades. He also was a custodial supervisor for the local school district.
LIBERTY PERFORMING ARTS THEATRE The 700-seat Liberty Performing Arts Theatre hosts a plethora of events produced by the Liberty Symphony Orchestra, Corbin Theatre Company, Liberty Public Schools, Natural Build Fitness, dance studios, and other local and national organizations. The theater recently had several upgrades to lighting and sound, which has added to its marketability. The LPAT now offers open band rehearsals, which provide time and space for progressive ensembles to rehearse in a professional environment and also be heard by an audience — with no required charge to either players or listeners. Located inside the Liberty Community Center, 1600 S. Withers Road, the LPAT offers excellent acoustics, is one of the largest stages in the area, and is the only professional live performance venue in the Kansas City Northland. To see what’s happening at the theater or to check out rental information, visit libertymissouri.gov/37/ Liberty-Performing-Arts-Theatre.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
HISTORIC LIBERTY JAIL FREE TOURS PUBLIC WELCOME Call for hours
Michelle Pond’s artwork has been among the temporary exhibits on display in the gallery space at the Liberty Community Center. that promotes Make Music Liberty on the summer solstice, June 21. This year marks the fourth annual event featuring soloists, duets, bands and more. The growing effort creates a communitywide unification in a love of music. The arts commission also maintains an arts calendar of events on the city’s website. 8
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Come experience a piece of early history at the Liberty Jail.You’ll see a true-to-life-size reconstruction of the original 1833 jail as you witness an engaging audio-visual presentation and learn about significant happenings that took place in the jail. 216 North Main Street, Liberty, MO 64068-1629
816-781-3188
www.lds.org/placestovisit The Church of JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS www.mormon.org
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Many people bring their own umbrellas and shade structures to Liberty Fest on July 3 at Fountain Bluff Sports Complex.
SUMMER BAND The Liberty Summer Band, which is an all-volunteer group of approximately 80 musicians, annually performs three free concerts during the month of June plus a performance in conjunction with a patriotic concert around the Fourth of July. The June concerts are usually scheduled on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. in front of the James S. Rooney Justice Center, 11 S. Water St. Concertgoers should bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. In case of rain, concerts are held at the Liberty Performing Arts Theatre, 1600 S. Withers Road. To check out concert dates and times, visit mo-liberty.civicplus.com/1500/ Liberty-Summer-Band.
and William Jewell College have added Poetry on the Square. The event is designed for poets, songwriters and those who want to share some original work. The dates for the free 7 p.m. event are April 2, May 7, June 4, July 2, Aug. 6, Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Nov. 5 and Dec. 3. The rest of 2019 is also full of theatrical productions: • “Sordid Lives,” Aug. 16 to 18, 23 to 15; • “Stella and Lou,” Oct. 25 to 27 and Nov. 1 to 3; and
• “Let Nothing You Dismay,” Dec. 13 to 15; 20 to 22. Along with the theater aimed more at adults, the Corbin Kids Company is a summer program for school-aged theater enthusiasts. These young actors will present “The Lion King.” To contact the theater, call (816) 29-4988 or email info@corbintheatre.org. For more information and a schedule of events, visit www.corbintheatre.org.
LIBERTY FEST Liberty Fest celebrates Independence Day each year with food, fun for all ages including lots of children’s activities and fireworks at Fountain Bluff Sports Complex, 2200 Old Highway 210. This year’s celebration will be July 3, made possible by the city of Liberty, Liberty Area Chamber of Commerce and Liberty Parks & Recreation. For more information, visit www.liberty4thfest.com.
CORBIN THEATRE
1325 Odd Fellows Road, Liberty, MO 64068 www.belvoirwinery.com email: info@belvoirwinery.com call us: 816.200.1811
The Corbin Theatre Company, located downtown at 15 N. Water St., is Liberty’s official community theater. The theater features numerous theatrical performances throughout the year, as well as regular live jazz nights, usually on the first Monday evening of the month, and other events including poetry and more. Corbin Theatre, Liberty Arts Commission
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The Liberty Fall Festival includes a midway full of carnival games and rides.
FALL FESTIVAL Held on the fourth full weekend in September — this year Sept. 27 to 29 — the Liberty Fall Festival brings about 200 vendors, carnival rides, a parade, local entertainment and much more to historic downtown Liberty. This year marks the 43rd annual event. Festivalgoers can get their fill of giant turkey legs, footlong corndogs, homemade root beer and funnel cakes, all while perusing vendors selling anything and everything. The Historic Downtown Liberty Farmers’ Market rounds out the festivities with its beautiful displays of fall pumpkins, mums and veggies for sale. The event, organized by the Liberty Area Chamber of Commerce, traces its roots back to 1934 with ties to 4-H in Clay County and homecoming activities at William Jewell College. Visit www.libertyfallfest.com for more information.
which then would be vaporized in the heat of the morning light. The center added two murals to its eastern and southern exterior building walls. “Sing A Song Full of the Hope That the Present Has Brought Us” is on the Main Street side. By Kansas City artist Dan Vanderhoof, the piece focuses on integration and depicts children of all races reading, researching, playing and walking to school.
Vanderhoof is a Kansas City-based artist who apprenticed with Mark English, a noted painter and illustrator. The mural on the Water Street side of the building features the history of education for African Americans in Liberty with images of the Laura Armstrong School, which was the first school for African Americans in 1865, located on Mill Street; former Garrison teachers Marion Pearley and Angie Kerford; former principals James Gay and Clarence Gantt; Clara Bell Colley’s 1954 third-grade class; and an image of Linda Brown and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall that focuses on the landmark case Brown vs. Board of Education, Topeka that ended segregation in schools across the country. The theme of the mural is “Stony The Road We Trod” and it tells the story from segregation to integration. For more details, visit ccaal-garrisonschool.org.
LIBERTY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA For more than four decades, the Liberty Symphony Orchestra has presented the best in classical and pop music, and featured local musicians and composers. The symphony
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GARRISON SCHOOL CULTURAL CENTER In the past few years, the former Garrison School site has become an active cultural center for the visual and performing arts. The center hosts annual Juneteenth and Kwanzaa celebrations. It also contains a gallery space for historic objects as well as an art gallery at 502 N. Water St. The Bottle Tree outside the building is an 800-pound steel sculpture created by Robert Evans. According to tradition, the Bakongo people of the African Congo thought glass bottles would capture evil spirits. Africans of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade brought this lore and artwork to the Americas. The trees would trap roaming evil spirits after dusk, 10
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816.781.5200 libertychamber.com 1170 W. Kansas Street, Ste. H Liberty, MO 64068 75113688
The Liberty Community Chorus, officially the city’s chorus after receiving the designation in 2015, features the musical talents of a mixed choir open to singers 16 and older. Bryan Taylor of the Grammywinning Kansas City Chorale directs the chorus, which performs concerts in both the fall and spring. The nonprofit chorus is funded through member dues, ticket sales and donor support. The group is in its 15th season. For more information, visit www.libertycommunitychorus.org.
COMMUNITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC The Lydia Lovan Community School of Music has offered private music lessons to students of all ages in the community for more than 40 years. Instructors have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in music, and most have graduate degrees in music. William Jewell College student teachers who are on their way to earning their music degree are approved to teach for the program by the college faculty. During the school year, recitals are offered monthly and are open to program participants. To learn more, visit www.jewell.edu/ community-school-of-music.
By Kellie Houx As you stroll around the historic Liberty Square, art surrounds you. The following is a guide to some of the public art that can be found in the heart of Liberty.
STOP 1: CHINA SLAUGHTER READING PARK Let’s start with the China Slaughter Reading Park. The sculpture of Slaughter was unveiled and dedicated in April 2018. The bronze sculpture, by artist Martha Aldridge, features an approximately life-sized figure of Slaughter in his crossing guard gear, chatting with two children. The park includes some seating and is designed for a reading park for residents of all ages. Slaughter is known for the 32 years he spent as a crossing guard under a special commission from the Liberty Police Department. In this role, he protected the children of Franklin Elementary School as they crossed Mill Street going to and from school each day. For 47 years he served local school children as an employee of Liberty Public Schools, first as custodian of Garrison School, and ultimately as supervisor of custodians for the entire school district. He was a graduate of Continental College of Brazil, Indiana, held a teaching degree and certificate in Missouri, was a master custodian and taught for the state of Missouri.
STOP 2: GEORGE WASHINGTON STATUE Head east on Mill Street to the first installment of the Great Americans sculpture program in Liberty — a statue of George Washington at the corner of Mill and Lightburne streets. The statue was unveiled in June 2013.
Cross the street and head toward the detention center and James Rooney Justice Center. On the exterior of these buildings are several murals of noteworthy people who either lived in Liberty or passed through the community such as explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.
Multiple murals depicting key moments in Clay County history decorate the exterior of the James Rooney Justice Center downtown. They were created by artist Matthew Monks with tiles made by Ron Taylor.
STOP 4: CITY HALL GALLERY AND MURALS Next, head north on Missouri Street and then turn into Liberty City Hall. The first floor includes an atrium art gallery that is part of the Liberty Arts Commission’s rotating gallery spaces. Along with the art, take a look into the council chambers to see “Liberty, the Heritage Years,” painted in 1983 by artist Eric Bransby. “There’s so much history in Liberty. I knew
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921 W. Liberty Drive Liberty, MO • 816-792-4844 RanchoGrandeCantina.com
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WIND SCULPTURES Commissioned by the Liberty Arts Commission, six kinetic wind sculptures add to the landscape of two roundabouts — on College Street between Conistor Street and Blue Jay Drive — to improve the appearance of this retail area. The sculptures were created by Lyman Whitaker.
STOP 3: JUSTICE CENTER MURALS
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LIBERTY COMMUNITY CHORUS
History of city, county, nation illustrated on walking tour
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presents a series of four regular concerts annually and an educational concert for area youth at the Liberty Performing Arts Theatre. The symphony added a free community concert at the Woodneath Library Center recently and through a grant from the Arts Commission, the group plans on adding a couple more free concerts in the community. For concert dates and ticket information, visit www.libertysymphony.org.
2018
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I couldn’t write a book on the wall, but I did my best to take a look at what makes Liberty Liberty. There’s the use of the river as a highway for goods and people. There’s (William Jewell College). I had worked at Brigham Young University, so I was familiar with Joseph Smith spending time in jail here. I also included a 19th century family. I also have the coming of the railroad and Jesse James,” he said on a visit to town a couple of years ago.
MAKE YOUR OWN ART Ever since an amateur chemist and photography enthusiast from Philadelphia named Robert Cornelius decided to take the first selfie in 1839, people have been trying to get themselves in photos, interacting with their environment. In downtown Liberty, there are a couple of selfie stations aimed at getting people to interact with local businesses. At Hammerhand Coffee, two sets of angel wings are painted on the brick wall facing Franklin Street heading west. Created by barista Allison Mabe, there are two sets of wings — one designed for adults and a smaller set for children.
STOP 5: TEMPORARY MURAL
STOP 6: MARK TWAIN STATUE If you head a block north to the intersection of Kansas and Missouri streets, you’ll find another installment of the Great Americans Project: a life-size bronze sculpture of Mark Twain that was unveiled in June 2016.
STOP 7: LOVE’S LEGACY Located one block north at Second Baptist Church is a commissioned piece by Jacob Burmood titled “Love’s Legacy.” It was unveiled at the church’s 175th anniversary. The piece is defined as a one that “could both capture the moment and yet leave the storyline open.”
STOP 8: GARRISON SCHOOL GALLERY AND MURALS
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building is “Sing A Song Full of the Hope That the Present Has Brought Us.” By Kansas City artist Dan Vanderhoof, the piece focuses on integration and depicts children of all races reading, researching, playing and walking to school.
STOP 9: CLAY COUNTY HISTORY IN ART Head back down Main Street toward the Clay County Administration Building. During business hours, visit the third floor to view two murals. The 28-foot by 8-foot mural painted by Liberty native David McLain depicts Clay County history, including Mah-hos-kah “Chief White Cloud,” an Ioway Indian, and fur trader Pierre Chouteau. The middle section depicts Henry Routt leading the 1861 raid on the Liberty Arsenal. The right side of the mural shows the James Farm in 1875. Another 8-foot by 6-foot mural honors 19th and 20th century African-American pioneers.
Also standing vigil on the third floor is the 8-foot wooden “Statue of Justice.” This relic of Liberty’s past stood atop the second Clay County Courthouse from 1859 to 1943.
STEP 10: COMING SOON The next Great Americans statue will be unveiled July 3, 2019, somewhere near the Clay County Administration Building. Former Liberty Mayor Greg Canuteson, the chair of the Great Americans Project, said the third statue will be female and will be an American suffragette. He would not say which woman, but leaders of the suffrage movement included Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Susan B. Anthony. “Missouri ratified the right for women to vote on July 3, 1919,” he said. “We were the 11th state to pass the bill. Of course, it took until 1920 to get 36 states to ratify it, but we are going to mark the event in 2019.”
• Antique & vintage goods • Shop our inventory of furniture, frames, buttons, art, mirrors, jewelry, textiles, lamps, artist handmades, old time soda & candy. “Friend” us on Facebook at Main Street Goods and Goodies
816-781-6839 16 N. Main Street on the historic Liberty square
Stop by and take a trip down memory lane!
Head west on Franklin until the road intersects with Water Street. Turn north on Water and go less than half a mile to the Garrison School Cultural Center at 502 N. Water St. If the building is open, there are art gallery spaces inside. On the grounds outside, visitors will find the Bottle Tree, created by Liberty resident Robert Evans. This 800-pound steel sculpture was unveiled in 2013. On the sides of the building, there are two murals. The mural on the Water Street side features the history of education for AfricanAmericans in Liberty. “Stony the Road We Trod” is the work of Rodney “Lucky” Easterwood. On the Main Street side of the
The window at Blanc Palette also has featured a pair of wings to encourage selfies.
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A subcommittee of the Liberty Arts Commission selected artist John Soukup to create a mural to cover the temporary wall around the site of the former Bedinger Building, which collapsed a couple of years ago during renovations at the corner of Kansas and Water streets, across from City Hall. The 170-linear feet of art went up in the spring of 2018. There are plenty of places to take photos along with wall, including a specific Give Me Liberty piece done by local artist Shawn Garland.
Tim Adams is aided by his wife, Sherry, as the two install “The Other Extreme” by the Clay County Archives, 210 E. Franklin St.
“Open Heart,” in front of Restoration 1894, is the work of artist Matthew Duffy.
Artist Christopher Thomson stands with his creation, “Spiral Blooms No. 6,” in front of Hammerhand Coffee, 22 N. Main St.
All around downtown, Liberty exhibits its
HEART FOR ART By Kellie Houx Six sculptures are now scattered around historic downtown Liberty. Each piece is three-dimensional and metal. That is the end of the similarity. Last year the Liberty Arts Commission, Liberty City Council and members of the public marked the second year of a rotating sculpture program with the installation of six new sculptures that will be on display in historic downtown Liberty through mid-July 2019. The third year’s sculptures will be installed in September. Christopher Thomson’s piece, “Spiral Blooms No. 6,” is in front of Hammerhand Coffee, at the intersection of Main and Franklin streets. Thomson, who is a trained blacksmith, made his monochromatic green piece out of forged steel. “Part of what I do is influenced by the process and the heat of the moment,” he said. “It’s somewhat an improvisational process. However, the construction of this piece is contemplative. I look to the elements. I will walk to a canyon where the Pecos River flows. I will take my wooden flute and let the musical qualities take over. That same mindset then shapes what I do.” The spirals, he said, are similar to the meandering river. Artist Matthew Duffy installed “Open Heart (RIDE or Red Interior Diamond Exterior)” at the intersection of Main and
Kansas streets, in front of Restoration 1894. At other sites where his heart sculptures can be found, people have taken prom and wedding photos with his metal hearts. He has had friends take pictures with the sculptures too. Artist Tim Adams created the colorful metal sculpture “The Other Extreme,” which sits in front of the Clay County Archives at 210 E. Franklin St. The piece is colorful with reds, yellows, oranges and magenta. The landscape architect and garden center owner has an affinity of blending the natural with the man made. The other three pieces are from two other artists. John Banks has two pieces: “Art Tubular” and “Thought of a Treble Clef.” Lelsie Tharp has one: “Out of the Woods.” “Thoughts” sits at the intersection of
Opening Spring 2019
Water and Franklin streets, in front of Canuteson Law Offices, and “Art Tublar” is between the Liberty Police Station and the Clay County Courthouse. “Out of the Woods” sits on the lawn a few yards from the front door of Liberty City Hall, which is at 101 E. Kansas St. Coordinated through the Liberty Arts Commission, the Public Arts Sculpture program is funded by the Transient Guest Tax, a hotel tax that voters approved in 2014 with the goal of supporting art-related programs and special events that draw tourism to Liberty. An art walk is available through the Otocast app. Listeners hear the artists describe the pieces in the self-guided walking tour. Sculpture walk maps are available at Liberty City Hall.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS RECURRING EVENTS Jazz on the Square: 5:30 p.m. the first Monday of the month at Corbin Theatre, 15 N. Water St.; FREE History Talks: 7 p.m. the third Thursday of the month at Clay County Museum and Historical Society, 14 N. Main St.; FREE Historic Downtown Liberty Farmers’ Market: Saturdays, May to October, 7 a.m. to noon May to September and 8 a.m. to noon in October; around Liberty Square Liberty Farmers Market: 7 a.m. to noon Wednesdays May through October in the Feldmans Farm & Home parking lot, 1332 W. Kansas St. Moonlight Yoga: Led by Patti Stark, owner and teacher at Serenity on the Square, and held at nightfall of full-moon nights (8:30 p.m. April 19, 9 p.m. May 18, 9:15 p.m. June 17, 5:45 a.m. June 21 for Summer Solstice Sunrise Yoga, 9:15 p.m. July 16, 8:45 p.m. Aug. 15 and 8:30 p.m. Sept. 14) at Stocksdale Park, 901 S. La Frenz Road Meet the Artist: 6 to 8 p.m. the fourth Friday of the month at The Artisan Market, 115 N. Main St.
GET THE LATEST ON LOCAL EVENTS For an up-to-date listing of events in Liberty this week, pick up the latest edition of the Courier-Tribune newspaper or go online to www.MyCourierTribune.com and look for the Out & About community calendar.
SPRING March 22 — 23, 29-30 — “God of Carnage,” 7:30 p.m. at Corbin Theatre, 15 N. Water St.; $15 March 24 — Liberty Community Chorus presents “You Are My Witnesses,” 3 p.m., Gano Chapel, William Jewell College March 24, 31 — “God of Carnage,” 2 p.m. matinee at Corbin Theatre, 15 N. Water St.; $15 April 4 — A Downtown Affair: A Speakeasy, 6 p.m., Heritage Hall, fundraiser for Historic Downtown Liberty Inc. April 6 — Little Maggie Live, Corbin Theatre, $15 April 12-13 — Stars of Tomorrow, Corbin Theatre, $15 14
Explore Liberty ✦ 2019
Liberty Rotary members serve Boston pork butt they smoked for the Butt Buster scholarship fundraiser held in May each year. April 13 — Big Bunny Bash, 10 a.m. to noon at Liberty Hospital, 2525 Glen Hendren Drive; sponsored by the hospital and the Liberty Parks and Recreation Department; egg hunts for children 10 and younger and a host of other family-friendly activities; FREE April 19-20 — Larry Harman concert: 7 p.m. Corbin Theatre, 15 N. Water St.; $15 April 27 — Cruise Night, 3 to 8 p.m., downtown Liberty May 4 — Liberty Symphony season finale concert, 7:30 p.m., Liberty Performing Arts Theatre, 1600 S. Withers Road May 10-11, 17-18 — “Ravenscroft,” 7:30 p.m.,
Corbin Theatre May 12, 19 — “Ravenscroft,” 2 p.m. matinee, Corbin Theatre May 15 — Butt Buster Smokin’ BBQ, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Rotary Plaza, at Franklin and Gallatin streets; fundraiser for Rotary Club May 23 — Bran Wijnands Live, 7 p.m., Corbin Theatre May 24 — Melinda Hedgecorth, 7 p.m., Corbin Theatre May 25 — Cruise Night, 3 to 8 p.m., downtown Liberty May 31 — Popcorn in the Park: Stocksdale Park, 901 S. La Frenz Road; 8:30 p.m., movie TBA
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June 3 — Liberty Community Chorus spring concert, “Passion and Splendor,” 3 p.m., Community of Christ Temple, Independence June 8 — Laura & Georgia Barge, “Old vs New Mash-UP,” 7 p.m. at Corbin Theatre, 15 N. Water St.; mother-daughter duets; $15 June 15 — Liberty Quilt Walk, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., downtown Liberty June 11, 25 — Liberty Summer Band, 7 p.m. in front of the Rooney Justice Center, 11 S. Water St.; FREE
SUMMER June 21 — Make Music Day: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through the city; musical festival featuring amateur and professional musicians; sponsored by Liberty Arts Commission June 28-29 — “Lion King Kids,” Corbin Kids Company, 7:30 p.m., William Jewell Peters Hall June 29 — Cruise Night, 3 to 8 p.m., downtown Liberty June 30 — “Lion King Kids,” 2 p.m. matinee, Corbin Kids Company, William Jewell Peters Hall June 30 — Liberty Summer Band, 7 p.m. in front of the Rooney Justice Center, 11 S. Water St.; FREE Bright orange pumpkins and mums are on display at the Liberty Fall Festival. July 3 — Liberty Fest, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. with activities from 5:30 to 8 p.m. — veterans celebration at 7:30 p.m.; Lost Wax concert 5:30 to 8 p.m., Martha Lafite Thompson at 8 p.m.; fireworks display at 10 p.m. — at Nature Sanctuary, 407 N. LaFrenz Road Fountain Bluff Sports Complex, 2200 Old Sept. 27-29 — Liberty Fall Festival, three Oct. 25-26, Nov. 1-2 — “Stella and Lou,” Highway 210 days of entertainment including a parade, 7:30 p.m., Corbin Theatre, $15 July 12 — Tee it Up Fore Parks Golf carnival, music, food and more in downtown Oct. 27, Nov. 3 — “Stella and Lou,” 2 p.m. Tournament, 8 a.m. at Liberty Hills Golf Liberty; coordinated by the Liberty Area matinee, Corbin Theatre, $15 Club, 19808 Missouri Route H Chamber of Commerce Oct. 31 — Trick or Treat Downtown, 5 to July 13 — Sissy and Earl live, Corbin Oct. 10 — Wild Women Live, 7 p.m. concert 7 p.m. at participating merchants; children Theatre, 15 N. Water St., $15 at Corbin Theatre, 15 N. Water St.; $15 can dress up and collect Halloween treats July 26-27 — “Lion King Jr.,” Corbin Kids, Oct. 20 — Antique Appraisal Fair, details Nov. 9 — Bill Stilfield Quartet Live, 7 p.m., Peters Theatre, William Jewell College TBA by the Clay County Museum & Corbin Theatre, $15 July 27 — Cruise Night, 3 to 8 p.m., downHistorical Society Nov. 15-16 — David Basse, 7 p.m., Corbin town Liberty Oct. 18-20 — 34th annual Fairy Tale Forest, Theatre, $15 Aug. 2 — Craig Davis Live, 7 p.m, Corbin Theatre, $15 Aug. 9 — Popcorn in the Park, 8:30 p.m. at Stocksdale Park, 901 S. La Frenz Road; movie TBA; FREE Aug. 16-17, 23-24 — “Sordid Lives,” “Family owned since 1922” 7:30 p.m., Corbin Theatre, $15 I-35 & M291 Highway Aug. 18, 25 — “Sordid Lives,” 2 p.m., matiPark Lawn offers a complete funeral servicee nee, Corbin Theatre, $15 and beautiful, quality metal casket for only.... Aug. 31 — Cruise Night, 3 to 8 p.m., down$5,695.00 town Liberty Save Hundreds of Dollars –60 months, interest free. ee. Sept. 11 — Patriot Day Remembrance,: Easy budget plan freezes the price. Protect your 9 a.m. in front of City Hall insurance, savings and investments. Services Include: Sept. 14 — Divas of Liberty, 7 p.m., Corbin On O nC Call all ll 24 H Hours ours P Per er D Day. ay All Professional Services, Use of Motor Equipmentt Theatre, $15 Professional Staff, Skilled Attendants Call Don Brassfield for an appointment
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Nov. 23 — Small Business Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; an opportunity to shop local and support small businesses Nov. 30, Dec. 1 — Corbin Kids Company’s “A Very Merry Broadwayâ€?: 7 p.m. at Corbin Theatre, 15 N. Water St. Dec. 2 — Hometown Holidays, 2 to 5 p.m. in downtown Liberty; holiday-themed activities sponsored by Historic Downtown Liberty Inc., city of Liberty and Clay County Dec.13-14, 20-21 — “Let Nothing You Dismay,â€? 7:30 p.m. theatrical performance at Corbin Theatre, 15 N. Water St.; $15 Dec. 14-15 — 15th annual Elves Workshop, 1 to 5 p.m., Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary, 407 N. LaFrenz Road. Dec. 15, 22 — “Let Nothing You Dismay,â€? 2 p.m. matinee, Corbin Theatre, $15
Liberty Hometown Holidays offers children an opportunity for a one-on-one chat with Santa Claus.
Off to a running start Runners from a few dozen states and multiple countries come to Liberty each March for the Liberty Hospital Half Marathon and Jewell 5K. The race started in 2017, and participation has climbed each year for the half-marathon and companion 5K, drawing more than 2,300 registered runners and walkers. In its third year in 2019, the race became part of the Heartland 39.3 Series. Described as “a challenge for all of the half marathon fanatics who love to run half marathons and who want to take on the challenge of participating in three area half marathons in ten weeks,� the Liberty Hospital Half Marathon kicked off the 2019 series on March 2. Subsequent races are the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon in Kansas City on April 13 and the Running With the Cows Half Marathon on May 11 in Bucyrus, Kansas. For more information about the half-marathon, visit libertyhospitalhalf.org.
Participation in the Liberty Hospital Half Marathon and Jewell 5K continues to grow.
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EDUCATION
Franklin Elementary School, one of 11 elementary buildings in Liberty Public Schools, welcomes students on the first day of the new school year.
LIBERTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
To its community and surrounding areas, addition to other improvements. Liberty Public Schools stands out for its high Additionally, this year will witness the Liberty Public Schools is consistently recground-breaking of a new theater addition to test scores, all-state band and orchestra parognized for excellence on state and national ticipation, college and career readiness, and Liberty High School, a new wing at Liberty levels. So far this year, teacher Brett Kisker of North High School, secure entries at the Early high-achieving athletics and theater teams. Liberty North High School was named Project Childhood Center, Schumacher Elementary All of these facets combined have helped Lead The Way Engineering Teacher of the Liberty Public Schools become one of the and Minor Hill Elementary School; and a Year, a national recognition. classroom addition and kitchen renovation at most attractive school districts for families As its mission reads, the district seeks to who want their children to attend. Franklin Elementary School. “inspire and equip all learners to discover The central office for the district is at The administration recognizes that success their voice and unlimited potential.” cannot be obtained without the caring teach- 8 Victory Lane and can be reached via phone A few of the ways this is demonstrated ers, staff, parents and community support at (816) 736-5300. For more information, visit is with the district’s extensive Project Lead that make up the district. www.lps53.org. the Way program and Northland Career for Advanced Professional Studies participation. With an enrollment of 12,800 students and climbing, Liberty Public Schools educates students at a high level while also being one Farm-Fresh Flowers, Produce, Meats, Eggs and Baked Goods of the fastest growing districts in the state. Students attend on of 11 elementary schools, four middle schools, two high schools, an early childhood center or Liberty Academy, an alternative high school. In 2018, the district completed a series of 7am to Noon thru Sept. projects including more parking and seven 8am to Noon in Oct. additional tennis courts at Liberty North High School, convenience complexes at each www.DowntownLiberty.org g high school stadium, secure entries at Liberty 816-581-6523 Academy and Liberty Middle School, in
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ST. JAMES CATHOLIC SCHOOL St. James Catholic Church has a long history with Liberty. The original church was built in 1847 and survived the Civil War. In 1955, the congregation added a school. Since then, it has continued to grow. The school aims to teach students academically as well as spiritually, working in partnership with its church counterpart. The mission of St. James Catholic School is to empower students to achieve their full academic and Christian potential and become prayerful, lifelong learners and good stewards of God’s gifts. Serving children in preschool through eighth grade, the philosophy at St. James is to educate the whole child. This includes emotional, intellectual, spiritual, moral, physical and social development. The integration of faith and knowledge is achieved by having strong family involvement, a dedicated staff, innovative extracurricular programs, an outdoor learning environment, state-of-the art technology and an emphasis on personal responsibility and respect for others. St. James Catholic School is located just past Liberty Commons at 309 S. Stewart Road. For more information, call (816) 781-4428 or visit www.stjames-liberty.org.
NORTHLAND CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS — LIBERTY CAMPUS Formerly located within Church of the Nazarene, Northland Christian Schools’ Liberty campus has outgrown the church and has relocated to Kansas City Church at 7700 N. Church Road, just outside of Liberty in Kansas City. One of three schools in a growing private school system, this campus serves prekindergarten students through fifth-graders. The school provides enrichment activities focused on Spanish, music, art, physical education, science, technology, engineering, art and math, sign language, cooking and team-building. As a system, Northland Christian Schools is ranked 15th in the state among private schools. For more information call (816) 548-2222 or visit www.northlandchristianed.com.
One of the greatest draws to Earnest & Edna Shepherd Youth Center summer camps are the exciting walking trails and outdoor activities. family and peer interaction. Embarking on a new summer with a new name, the center’s coordinator, Sheila Bruns, said, “The board thought it high time to honor Mrs. Edna Shepherd. She really was a catalyst in the Liberty community for years.” Bruns said the center is also featuring a newly constructed program site entryway. It will be open for use this season despite a few winter weather delays. “We just redid our 1974 porch because of the metal deterioration. It was time to get that replaced,” Bruns said. Bruns added that anything good happening on the property is because “the community has rallied behind us and support it.” Located on 62 acres, the center serves youth from the Kansas City area providing educational, leadership and team-building programs for school-age children. Additionally, summer camps are hosted annually. Camps are divided by age group. Each group is provided a few options of book-based
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EARNEST & EDNA SHEPHERD YOUTH CENTER For over 50 years, Earnest Shepherd Memorial Youth Center, located at 610 E. Shepherd Road, has sought to help youth cultivate their individual strengths and improve
camps with themes such as Harry Potter, Magic Tree House, Lemony Snicket and Camp Half Blood. Campers can share interests, explore trails and ride the zip-line. The center is also piloting a new Traveling Leadership Energizer Program. This program travels to any youth group with members in grades 4 through 12, including school groups, clubs, sports teams, church groups or others, in an effort to teach youth how to make connections with each other, said Beda Johnson, public relations, executive administrator and marketing coordinator. The interactive workshop focuses on leadership, collaboration and communication. The group’s adult leaders participate in activities to lead youth in using interpersonal skills. Johnson said this could be their faith, fellowship or friends. “It’s good to be on the road bringing this to them,” Bruns said. For more information, call (816) 781-7733 or visit www.earnestshepherd.com.
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NEW LIBERTY LIBRARY The second oldest library in the Northland exists in Liberty. Originally on Franklin street, this library moved to Kent Street in 1982 and will move again at the end of 2020. Soon to be located along Withers Road, the project will begin in 2019 and extend through the end of the year and much of 2020. During the construction process, library goers will still have full access to the existing library at 1000 Kent Street. Community Relations and Planning Director Jim Staley said the new building will have lots of windows and added square footage. With more windows, the building will utilize natural light and creative spaces for guests. There will also be multiple electric outputs for charging and using devices. There will be study spaces, small group meeting rooms and a large event space in addition to a teen area, a tot area and tables for adults.
Construction will progress through the year. The Story Center shares land with and will accent the existing Woodneath Library Center located at 8900 NE Flintlock Road, just west of Liberty. The center was built around the 1850s home. A viewing window from within the coffee shop of Woodneath gives a look inside the house as it is being renovated. The Story Center will be dedicated to the art of storytelling in all forms. The extensive MCPL system is only what it is because of taxpayers. Voters across MCPL’s three-county system — Clay, Platte and Jackson — voted to approve an 8-cent operating tax levy increase to fund facility and programming enhancements in November 2016. Those funds are being used to renovate structures and update technology of each library branch in addition to adding two more library branches to the system, totaling 33, by the end of 2022. For more information about the library or its plethora of programming, visit www.mymcpl.org.
apply critical thought and act with purpose,” according to the mission statement on its website. Members of the community enjoy the college for its big hill, which is great for winter sledding, its outstanding fine arts performances around the Kansas City metropolitan area and the Cardinals football games lighting up the stadium just a few blocks past the Historic Liberty Square. Another big change this year was a warm farewell to long-time head basketball coach Larry Holley. Over the course of his 48-year career as a collegiate head coach, he won more than 915 games, making him the winningest coach in the state of Missouri and ninth all-time among men’s coaches at all levels of collegiate basketball, having surpassed Bob Knight in February 2018. For more information about the college or its classes, call (816) 781-7700 or visit the website at www.jewell.edu.
WILLIAM JEWELL COLLEGE MID-CONTINENT PUBLIC LIBRARY Among the most visited in the 31-branch system, the Liberty community is home to two Mid-Continent Public Library locations, which are among the most visited in the 31-branch system. The Liberty branch, now at 1000 Kent St., is the second oldest public library in the Northland. (Excelsior Springs has the oldest.) Originally opened on Franklin Street, Liberty’s library moved to its location on Kent Street after being purchased by MCPL in 1981 and construction in 1982. The building later expanded, receiving an addition in 1992. “It’s really two buildings,” Community Relations and Planning Director Jim Staley said, adding that because of this, the floors are uneven and the foundation is faltering. As a result, later this year, construction will begin on a new building on a nearby site and the library branch will move next year. Exactly one mile south of the library’s current location, the new library will be constructed across from the Liberty Community Center and Liberty Academy along Withers Road. Though the construction will not be complete until late 2020, the current branch will remain open for business during the entire construction process. Additionally, MCPL is actively working on renovation to the historic Elbridge Arnold home into a stately Story Center.
Built on land donated by Dr. William Jewell in 1849, William Jewell College was originally an all men’s college and was one of the earliest private four-year institutions. Women began enrolling in the school in 1920 after a local women’s college was burned. The campus, rich with history, constitutes one of Liberty’s historic districts. It was used to house soldiers in the Civil War and also bore witness to World Wars I and II, contributing its own piece to history. This year the history continued, ending an era of Ely Hall with an extensive remodel, the dorm building was renamed Matthes Hall to honor a crucial local donors who helped bring back beauty to the aging building. William Jewell College’s Ely Hall, a residential hall for Known as the “Critical Thinking College,” students, has been renovated and renamed to honor William Jewell College strives to “educate the Mathes family. our community to ask reflective questions,
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Additional amenities will be coming to the Liberty Community Center.
HOW IT ALL WORKS OUT
Liberty Community Center creates new features, additional space By Kellie Houx
Two years ago, the Liberty Community Center marked its 25th year of operation. One year ago, city voters renewed their support of the nexus for fitness, performance, artistic, competitive and community events with the approval (70 percent of the vote) of a threeeights-cent use tax for capital improvements across the city. Some of those improvements will breathe new life into the center this year. The Liberty Community Center was a part of the “Liberty 2000” election whereby Liberty voters approved a 10-year, half-cent sales tax capital initiative that met many basic needs, one of which was the need for improvements to the community center. Parks and Recreation Assistant Director of Recreation Donna Kay Taylor said the original facility was $5.6 million. The center has not remained static through the years. In 2003, the facility was expanded to add designated meeting rooms on the top floor and dedicated space for the health and wellness rooms on the bottom floor. These 22
Explore Liberty ✦ 2019
upgrades were a $2.4 million investment. In 2013, the indoor pool was tiled and in 2015, the fitness center received new Nike flooring and updated equipment. “With the use tax, we are going to gain family locker rooms, an additional fitness space and a pool amenity,” said Taylor, who joined the parks department in 1987 and was promoted to Liberty Community Center manager in 2000. Taylor expects the family locker room to be open around September and the extra fitness space in December. “These improvements will help us stay relevant in the community,” Taylor said, “especially in the health and wellness industry, especially the fitness space. We are also excited about the family locker room. It’s long overdue; it has been a need for years. “The idea of these locker rooms came about eight years after the center opened. Now, we know it is certainly a need. It’s an amenity that makes everyone more comfortable. It makes families feel safe as they can stay together, but
it also helps our disabled population as far as accessibility. If a spouse needs help because of limited mobility, the other can assist with dressing and undressing. It’s a big plus.” The additional fitness space will be about 1,700 square feet. Another amenity made possible by the use tax will be a feature called the Aqua Zip’N. Described by AquaClimb, it is “a cross between a traditional rope swing, with the thrill of a zipline … Participants of every age launch into the pool with a big splash. The design of the AquaZip’N allows for clean entry into the water and eliminates swing back through its arching frame. The AquaZip’N has a proprietary self-retracting trolley making it easy to operate.” Taylor said the pool feature will be in use by May 25 as the outdoor pools open the weekend of Memorial Day. On average, about 1,000 people walk through the doors of the Liberty Community Center daily. In the summer, that number can increase.
PARKS & RECREATION
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Dog Park: A part of Stocksdale Park has gone to the dogs. Dog owners and their four-legged friends can make use of the Liberty Dog Park, a popular 3-acre fenced area in the park, 901 S. La Frenz Road. Thanks to a local Eagle Scout, the dog park also has a number of refurbished pieces of agility equipment. There’s even a 5,400-square-foot section dedicated to the smaller dogs so everyone’s furry friend can romp. Amenities include agility obstacles, benches, a shade structure, fire hydrant, water spigot, a double-gated entrance and exit, waste bags and trash cans. Trails: More than 13 miles of asphalt trails
and 6 miles of primitive trails provide walkers and runners with citywide opportunities for recreation and fitness. Trails range from less than a quarter mile to 2.5 miles, and many of the trails connect with neighborhood sidewalks. Mountain bikers will find one of the region’s most extensive single-track trail systems at Stocksdale Park and the adjacent Walnut Woods Conservation Area. Bike tracks: Mountain biking enthusiasts now have two options at Stocksdale Park to help them get their fix. The park features a new flow track and a pump track, with each offering a
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A horseshoe pitch is among the amenities at Stocksdale Park.
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Simply being outside can lead to significant health benefits. Studies have shown that walking in the woods can improve blood pressure and boost mental health. The Liberty Parks and Recreation Department works to create the places and the right atmosphere to help make these health benefits possible. From sports and fitness programs to parks and trails to activities for mature adults, Liberty Parks and Recreation has something to offer just about everyone. The city boasts 10 parks covering more than 500 acres. Liberty residents and visitors can avail themselves of playgrounds, spraygrounds, tennis courts, a tennis hitting wall, ball fields, a dog park, a disc golf course, and many miles of trails for walking, running or biking. Funded by a use tax passed by city voters in April 2018, the 10 neighborhood parks as well as the destination park, City Park, will be gaining significant upgrades. Current efforts have been focused on the neighborhood parks. For those looking for walking trails, there will be a chat loop trail at Arthur’s Hill Park and a pedestrian link at Clay Ridge. Jefferson/Cates Greenway will gain swings and Westboro/Canterbury, a playground for younger children and a playground for older children. Eventually, City Park will be reconfigured to incorporate an all-inclusive playground. Volunteering for Parks: The Liberty Parks and Recreation Department offers something for potential volunteers of all types. Among the possibilities are park maintenance, tree plantings, stream cleanups and special events. Those wishing to volunteer should visit libertymissouri.gov/40/Volunteer-Opportunities for information or call (816) 439-4396.
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different experience for athletes of all ages and skill levels. Many volunteers who are also members of the Urban Trail Co. and the Earthriders Mountain Bike Club did the design and labor to build the tracks. The flow track is designed to create a rhythm for the bikers and involves less pedaling due to a largely downhill course. It provides bikers with more of an anaerobic workout than an aerobic one. Flow tracks are for bikers of any skill level or for any kind of mountain bike, no matter whether beginner or expert. The pump track offers a different kind of experience for park patrons. Pump tracks feature a series of rollers and berms that allow bikers to gain and maintain speed through the track without pedaling at all. Momentum is gained by “pumping” the track’s terrain transitions. Disc Golf: Enthusiasts of a fast-growing sport can enjoy an 18-hole disc golf course in Stocksdale Park that is fun for all skill levels. Disc golf requires little equipment and appeals to sports people of all ages. Spraygrounds: What young person hasn’t enjoyed running through spraying water during the summer months? Kids looking for that age-old thrill can find it at one of Liberty’s two spraygrounds at City Park, 970 S. Missouri Highway 291, and Ruth Moore Park, 410 N. Morse Ave. The latter was updated in 2017 with a firefighter theme. Admission to the spraygrounds, open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, is free. For more information on parks and trails, visit libertymissouri.gov/1714/Parks-Trails.
LIBERTY COMMUNITY CENTER The Liberty Community Center offers aquatics, fitness, as well as youth and adult community programs to help area residents and visitors maintain an active lifestyle
We are so grateful for your patronage! It is our sincere pleasure to be of service to you.
816-415-3733 • 8504 N. Church Rd., Kansas City, MO 64157
www.salonoasisanddayspa.com
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throughout the year. an active lifestyle. With a day pass, summer pass Children, even as young as 2 in or annual membership, anyone some sports, can begin developing can take advantage of many of fundamental skills for soccer, basethe fitness classes and amenities ball, basketball, tennis, volleyball, at the center, 1600 S. Withers Road. golf, swimming and football. From Facilities include two indoor pools there, budding athletes can move (lap pool and warm water pool); into introductory leagues for basetwo outdoor pools including a ball, softball, basketball, flag footchildren’s fountain pool; hot tub; ball, soccer, volleyball, cheerleadsauna; three-quarters court gymnaing and more. Liberty Parks and sium; locker rooms; and a recently Recreation also offers competitive expanded fitness center featuring youth leagues in soccer, basketball, cardiovascular and strength training baseball, flag football and softball. equipment. In 2015, the fitness cenVolunteer coaches are always in ter underwent a facelift that includdemand and offer parents and othed new flooring with a walking ers a chance to help develop future track, some new weight equipment sports stars. and spin bikes. More improvements For the competitive spirit, there are on the way in 2019 including also are opportunities. additional fitness space, a family The Liberty Storm offers kids locker room and a zip line amenity 18 and younger an opportunity to to the outdoor pool. swim competitively in an environThe Liberty Community Center ment that stresses fundamentals, also offers five beautiful meeting good sportsmanship and fun. and banquet rooms and a 700-seat This summer swim program has theater suited to accommodate a been swimming at the Liberty multitude of special event needs and Community Center since 1993. A partial zip line that will be installed in late spring before the Liberty a variety of group sizes — perfect The soccer program partners Community Center outdoor pool opens features an arm over the water for for business seminars and meetings, with Sporting KC to better instruct guests to slide onto and then drop into the pool below. receptions, anniversaries, family parents and children. gatherings, birthday parties, bridal And sports aren’t just for the baseball, softball and soccer fields are now and baby showers, and much more. kids. Liberty Parks and Recreation better illuminated with new sports lighting In 2018, a playground for the center’s helps adults fulfill their competitive drive that offers brighter, shadowless and more child-watch area and a 20-foot shade structhrough softball, baseball, volleyball, soccer, efficient lighting. Spectators catching some ture at the outdoor pool were added. kickball and basketball leagues. For those For more information, call (816) 439-4360 or ball games in the rains of spring or heat of who want to try their skills at a sport that summer enjoy new shade structures at the visit libertymissouri.gov/172/Community-Center. combines many elements of tennis, badminbaseball/softball fields. ton and ping pong, the Liberty Community While many think of fishing as a sumCenter gymnasium sports some pickleball mertime activity, it goes on year-round at lines. Fountain Bluff. Fountain Bluff’s eight ponds Also for adults is a cricket league that plays are managed by the Missouri Department of in Stocksdale Park. This bat-and-ball game Conservation for public fishing. Three to four played between two teams competing on a times each winter, MDC stocks two of the rectangular 22-foot-long pitch is one of the If it’s a sport, chances are it has been world’s most popular sports. League play played at the Fountain Bluff Sports Complex, ponds with rainbow trout to provide winter fishing. MDC also checks the population of began last April. 2200 Old Highway 210. other fish species — bass, catfish, crappie and Whether young or just young at heart, The venue has served up baseball, softball, sunfish — and restocks the ponds as needed. Liberty Parks and Recreation has the right flag football and soccer. Fountain Bluff hosts For more information, visit libertymissouri. activity. For more information about sports leagues and tournaments, and also offers gov/91/Fountain-Bluff-Sports-Complex. programs, visit www.libertymissouri.gov/LPR. amenities not seen in other similar facilities. Parks and Recreation Foundation: Recognizing The sports amenities are the largest draw that public funding is limited, the Liberty to Fountain Bluff. Since it debuted in 2002, Parks and Recreation Foundation was estabcountless sports fans from all over the counlished to support projects, youth scholarships try have enjoyed contests at Fountain Bluff. and other needs. Dozens of youth scholarWith nine softball/baseball fields, extra-wide ships have been awarded through the group’s covered dugouts, playgrounds, six soccer/ charitable fund. Private donations and the It’s never too early to get involved and football fields, restrooms and concession annual Tee it Up Fore Parks golf tournament stands, the facility hosts recreational baseball, make friends. has raised more than $80,000 for the fund. The Liberty Parks and Recreation softball, soccer and flag football leagues, as The third annual Tee it Up Fore Parks golf Department offers a strong slate of youth well as competitive local, state, regional and tournament is scheduled for this July 12 at sports programs that help kids learn the national baseball and softball tournaments. Liberty Hills Golf Club. Donations to the Recent improvements mean that the importance of teamwork, sportsmanship and
FOUNTAIN BLUFF SPORTS COMPLEX
YOUTH & ADULT SPORTS PROGRAMS
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LPRCF can be made securely online at www.libertymissouri.gov/1416/Ways-to-Give.
COMMUNITY SERVICES The Community Services Division of the Parks and Recreation Department offers support services and a variety of social activities and programs to older adults and seniors of our community. The division offers activities that encourage social, intellectual and physical activity for the 50 and better crowd. Silver Center: The Liberty Silver Center is a place where adults 60 and older come to socialize, participate in activities and enjoy a hot nutritious meal. In addition to weekly activities, which include various card games, computer classes, seminars, land aerobics class and special events, the Silver Center has partnered with Focus Healthcare to provide monthly Wellness Wednesdays. Offered on the fourth Wednesday of each month, Wellness Wednesday provides relevant information on health care, caregiving, financial fitness, music therapy, resources within the community and more. Access Bus: The Liberty Access Bus provides free essential transportation within the city limits of Liberty to adults 60 and older and physically challenged individuals age 18 to 59 who do not have access to their own transportation. The Liberty Access Bus provides many seniors the opportunity to age in place; staying in their own homes and caring for themselves. Essential trips include the doctor’s office, grocery store and pharmacy. Non-essential trips such as those to the bank or non-grocery stores are available as space permits. Coupons are required for each segment of the trip; a book of 10 coupons can be purchased for $10. Meals on Wheels: Liberty Meals On Wheels has been delivering noonday meals in Liberty for more than 40 years. Monday through Friday, volunteers deliver affordable, hot and nutritious lunches to nearly 80 homebound seniors within the city limits of Liberty who are unable to cook for themselves. Volunteers are the backbone of the program. The volunteers deliver much-needed meals and provide a smiling face and a daily wellness check for these homebound residents. As the program continues to grow, so does the need for volunteers. Volunteers can donate just one hour a week to help provide a much needed service to the community. For more information on this and other activities, call the city’s Community Services Division at (816) 439-4365 or visit www.ci.liberty.mo.us/CommunityServices.
MARTHA LAFITE THOMPSON NATURE SANCTUARY As a lover of the outdoors, Martha Lafite Thompson also would love what her dream has become. Independent of the city, the nonprofit Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary operates on 100 acres of land on the east side of Liberty at 407 N. La Frenz Road. Its mission is to offer engaging, hands-on environmental and natural science education for all ages; create biodiversity of native plants and animals through wise management of natural resources; foster understanding that all Earth’s inhabitants are part of a complex, interdependent ecosystem; and opportunities for quiet reflection and connection with the natural world. The nature center offers a variety of public programs for all ages, as well as private programs, birthday parties, scout groups, spring break and summer camps and school field trips. It features hands-on exhibits, live animal exhibits, fossil displays and a bird-feeding station, as well as restrooms, drinking fountains, classrooms and a gift shop. The interpretive center is open year round. Trails are open daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from April through September and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from October through March. The sanctuary has approximately 4 miles of trails. There are two asphalt trails, one of which is ADA accessible. The area is open for hiking, nature study, birding, photography and more. A donation of $1 per person is suggested. Fees are charged for guided hikes, and public or private programs. For more information, call (816) 781-8598 or visit www.naturesanctuary.com.
®
• Free Hot Continental Breakfast • Free WIFI • 4 Free Waterslide Passes • Kids Stay FREE (max 6 persons per room) • Birthday Parties/ Day Passes
1840 N. Church Rd. Liberty, MO 64068
GOLF Both low handicappers and duffers have multiple options within minutes of Liberty’s downtown square. Liberty Hills Golf Club (Private) 18 holes, Par 72 19808 Missouri State H, Liberty (816) 781-3636 Shoal Creek Golf Course (Public) 18 holes, Par 71 8905 Shoal Creek Parkway, Kansas City (816) 407-7242 Hodge Park Golf Club (Municipal) 18 holes, Par 71 7000 NE Barry Road, Kansas City (816) 781-4152
Please visit... www.KClibertylagoon.com or call 1-816-335-4402 for reservations. 75113328
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Home Tweet Home By Kellie Houx
P
er instructions from Michael Sandy, the director of Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary, building a purple martin bird house can be easy and a great way to attract birds to the backyard as they return during April. As a naturalist, Sandy prefers birdhouses from natural sources such as gourds. He takes gourds and dries them. They are then bleached to kill the mold from the outside. The gourds are then dried again. Once the gourd has dried, drill a small hole around 2 inches and shake out any seeds inside. Work carefully so the gourd doesn’t crack. Mold growth is a natural part of the drying process but should be removed. Once removed, the mold leaves behind an attractive mottled design on the rind. The gourds can be sanded and a water-proof sealant can be added for a birdhouse that will better withstand rain showers. Even the most well designed birdhouse will be unsuitable for purple martins if it is not placed properly. These birds need large, open areas to feed, and any purple martin birdhouse or cluster of houses should be placed in the center of an open area at least 30 feet away from any other trees or structures. At the same time, purple martins are accustomed to living near humans, and the most frequently occupied houses will be within 120 feet of human habitation. Placing the house near a permanent water source such as a pond, lake, or stream is also effective in encouraging purple martins to take up residence. The height of an installed purple martin house should be between 12 to 20 feet. The home should be placed at the upper end of that range if there are trees or bushes nearby, but if the area is very open, then shorter homes will be just as suitable. Sandy said the gourds can be brought in during the winter. He lets the gourd houses remain out after the first freeze. He can be assured the birds have migrated south for the winter. He then cleans up the houses and brings them in for the winter. 26
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The tools to make a purple martin house include a drill, dust mask, protective eyewear, sandpaper and a dried gourd from the garden.
How to make a purple martin gourd birdhouse
Advertorial
Liberty Hospital Celebrates 45 Years in Our Community Liberty Hospital has a rich history of serving the health needs of our community. As we celebrate our 45th anniversary, we are focused not only on caring for you when you’re sick, but also keeping you and your family healthy and well.
Aurora Health and Wellness Center
THEN AND NOW When Liberty Hospital opened in 1974, there was one building with 39 physicians. Today, there are 330 physicians and multiple off campus locations, including five primary care clinics, sports medicine and urgent care. A variety of specialty clinics include cardiology, ear-nose-and-throat, general surgeons, pulmonary and sleep, spine and brain, and women’s imaging. Most recently, MU Health Care and Liberty Hospital have joined forces to provide orthopedic care in the region.
COMMUNITY CORNERSTONE Liberty Hospital continues to maintain its commitment to our community by hosting the Big Bunny Bash, Trunk or Treat, Medical Careers Night for high school students and the Liberty Hospital Half Marathon/Jewell
Half Marathon/5K
5K — which raises funds for community LiveWell Grants through the Liberty Hospital Foundation. These grants are distributed throughout the Northland to non-profits for health and wellness initiatives.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
exercise and nutrition for a variety of health conditions. Learn more at www.norterre.org. After more than four decades, the hospital remains committed to its original mission — to work in partnership with the community to improve the health and wellbeing of those it serves.
With the addition of Norterre next door to Liberty Hospital, the community has access to the Aurora Health and Wellness Center as well as physical therapy and assisted living homes. The Aurora offers more than 135 exercise classes, plus three swimming pools, an indoor track and more. Medically integrated classes teach
Big Bunny Bash
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’ d s n r rie o i r F r t Wa Bes Nonprofit provides 4-legged companions to military veterans A veteran with more than 30 years of service in the National Guard plays with his service dog.
By Sean Roberts
O
ff one of the more rural skylines of the Liberty area, near Liberty North High School on 104th Street, is a large property known as Warriors’ Best Friend. Founded in 2013 by Joe Jeffers, Warriors’ Best Friend trains service dogs for veterans. “Our mission is to provide critically needed service dogs free of cost for our veterans and their families,” states the nonprofit’s website. Before starting her training at Warriors’ Best Friend, Penny spent time socializing at Liberty High School.
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One of the ways Warriors’ Best Friend socializes future service dogs for veterans is by taking the animals to places where there are other people, animals, noises and smells. Pictured is Bella Jeffers and Winter the dog.
Warriors’ Best Friend does more than help veterans. Almost every dog trained at the facility is shelter adopted. Samantha Jones told the Courier-Tribune newspaper the second part of their mission is to show the value of homeless dogs and their potential to positively impact the life of a wounded veteran. In its first six years, Warriors’ Best Friend has placed 24 dogs and counting, spokeswoman Melissa Chesnut said. “Every time we place a dog with a veteran, you can see that veteran, man or woman, come to us and see that connection with their dog,” Chesnut said. “You see them partner with their dog and go places they had avoided for many years. So they can finally go to a basketball game with their child at their high school.” Chesnut said veterans who ask for a service dog must first visit Jeffers and meet the animals in an effort to find a good match. Following a match, many veterans will send pictures back to the nonprofit of them and their new best friend out and about. Warriors’ Best Friend has many local and national sponsors in addition to having received a $10,000 grant by the Disabled Veterans National Foundation.
Just this year, Warriors’ Best Friend partnered with Liberty Public Schools to socialize one of its adopted pups. The organization has always adopted dogs from shelters, but when a family moving to Texas asked Jeffers to train and offer their five Weimaraner puppies to veterans, the nonprofit accepted. The problem was, at only 4 months old, the puppies were too young to train. Unable to begin training, Warriors’ Best Friend began seeking ways to socialize the puppies and prepare them for training. One of the puppies, Mave, was socialized by the Kansas City Mavericks hockey team. A second, Penny, spent three months
attending Liberty High School, primarily with special education students. Penny would go home every day with 2019 graduate Reggie Parks, then join him at school helping in classrooms, exciting tots in daycare and brightening the faces of those who reached down to pet Penny in the hall ways. If a dog isn’t the right match for service and veterans, Warriors’ Best Friend trains them to be emotional support dogs for a hospital or school. For more information about Warriors’ Best Friend visit www.warriorsbestfriend.org or call (816) 429-6305. Inquiries can also be made via email to hello@warriorsbestfriend.org.
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HISTORY & HERITAGE Liberty was established in the early 1800s during western migration. The settlement became the Clay County seat in 1822 and was incorporated in 1829, making it the second oldest incorporated town west of the Mississippi River. In 1851, Liberty — covering one square mile with the courthouse at the physical center of town — was granted its first charter. As a tribute to the city’s commitment to its rich history, Liberty was designated a Preserve America community in 2007. In 2011, two national publications highlighted Liberty as one of the best places to live in the country. Liberty is now home to five local historic districts, seven districts and seven individual properties on the National Register of Historic Places, a thriving downtown historic Square and surrounding area, three museums and many notable sites of interest. Thousands of documents and hundreds of artifacts telling the stories of Liberty and Clay County’s past are available at your fingertips through the Clay County Museum and Historical Society and the Clay County Archives, both located downtown.
The Clay County Museum and Historical Society offers a wide variety of exhibits and activities that explore the history of Liberty and surrounding cities in the county.
CLAY COUNTY MUSEUM AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY Located on the historic Liberty Square in the heart of downtown at 14 N. Main St., the Clay County Museum and Historical Society offers a wide variety of exhibits and activities that explore the history of Liberty and surrounding cities in the county. Started in 1965, the museum is located in a historic building that had long been the home to drugstores. One of the most well-preserved exhibits in the upstairs of the museum celebrates this heritage with an antique doctor’s office set up. Activities offered include presentations, open houses, family events and study groups. The museum and historical society also hosts an annual homes tour, a picnic and trivia nights. In the past year, the museum revamped its space with new, cleaned up and expanded exhibits in 2018. The museum is open 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Contact the museum at (816) 792-1849 or visit www.claycountymuseum.org for more information. 30
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Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9am-5pm Tuesday & Thursday 9am -7pm We Look Forward To Treating You.
75114867
A tour group gathers at a historical marker honoring Alexander Doniphan’s work on behalf of Mormon refugees. In modern day, travelers from all over the nation visit the historic Liberty Jail site, where Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith spent about five months awaiting trial. The historic site is the domed building in the background.
Preserving the past for the present is the name of the game at the Clay County Archives and Historical Library, located at 210 E. Franklin St. The facility has been collecting records since 1979. The archives contain hundreds of thousands of history books, photographs, maps, family histories and other documents perfect for use in genealogical research. Donations of materials of interest to historians as well as volunteers are always sought. The archives are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; and from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month. Contact the archives at (816) 781-3611 or fill out a contact form, available online at www.claycountyarchives.org.
JESSE JAMES BANK MUSEUM On a cold and snowy February afternoon in 1866, the Clay County Savings Bank at 103 N. Water St. took its place in the annals of history, becoming the site of the first successful daylight bank robbery during peacetime in the country’s history. While the robbers were never caught, the robbery was attributed to the infamous James Gang headed by outlaw Jesse James. The bank robbery resulted in the loss of $60,000 and one man’s life. The bank is still standing and open for tours as the
Jesse James Bank Museum. As you peer into the original green vault, you can imagine the fear felt by the poor, distraught banker and his son inside, a consequence of the robbery. Among the furnishings, a rare Seth Thomas clock, one of only two known to exist, hangs on the wall set for the exact time and date of the robbery, Feb. 13, 1866. The bank museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is $6.50 per adult, $6 per senior age 62 and older, $4 per child ages 8 to 15 and free for those younger than 8. To learn more, call the museum at (816) 736-8510. Another Clay County historic site with ties to the outlaw is his birthplace, now the Jesse James Farm & Museum east of Kearney. Visitors can view galleries of artifacts and take a guided tour inside the house where Jesse was born. There is an admission fee. To contact the museum, call (816) 736-8500. For more information about these county-run sites, visit www.claycountymo.gov/ departments/public-services/historic-sites.
in Nauvoo, Illinois. From the late 1840s through the 1860s, an exodus of more than 70,000 Mormons passed through on their way to their ‘New Zion’ in Salt Lake City, Utah,” the city of Liberty website states.
Bratcher
Cooperage & Gifts
Doug Bratcher
G back Go b k in i time... i A Art and history come alive as Doug recreates one of the oldest trades - barrel making. He makes barrels, buckets, kegs and churns by hand. The gift shop is filled with hand-made country gifts. All items are made in the USA.
LIBERTY JAIL HISTORIC SITE While imprisoned along with companions in late 1838 and early 1839, Mormon prophet Joseph Smith received three revelations that are included in the faith’s Doctrine and Covenants today. “While en route to their new venue, Smith and his followers escaped and left Missouri for the new Mormon settlement
75113405
CLAY COUNTY ARCHIVES AND HISTORICAL LIBRARY
816.781.3988
109 S Water, Liberty MO Monday - Saturday 10 am - 5 pm March 2019
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but it is only one of a number of freedom day celebrations held on various dates commemorating the end of slavery across the country. Kwanzaa is a celebration honors African heritage in African-American culture and is observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. For more information about CCAAL, visit www.ccaal-garrisonschool.org or search The Clay County African American Legacy on Facebook.
CEMETERIES
The Garrison School was established in 1877 as Liberty’s only African-American school. It became known as the best school for African-American students in the state. Now known as the Garrison School Cultural Center, it was named in honor of William Lloyd Garrison, an abolitionist who served in President Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet.
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Kwanzaa celebrations. Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas, where it is an official holiday,
2018
Voted Best of the Northland the Last 5 Years!
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AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY Started in 2000, Clay County African American Legacy is dedicated to educating and informing the community about the history and influence of African-Americans in Clay County. CCAAL is housed in the Garrison School building, 502 N. Water St., purchased from the Liberty school district in 2003. The Garrison School was established in 1877 as Liberty’s only African-American school. It became known as the best school for African-American students in the state. Now known as the Garrison School Cultural Center, it was named in honor of William Lloyd Garrison, an abolitionist who served in President Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet. Listed as a historic landmark, Garrison hosts community events, exhibits and educational activities, as well as annual Juneteenth and
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The jail site located at 216 N. Main St. is now a visitor’s center. The attraction includes a reconstruction of the space where Smith was held, and is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday October through April. In May through September, the jail is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit www.lds.org/locations/liberty-jail-historic-site or call the jail site at (816) 781-3188.
Mt. Memorial Cemetery was the first cemetery in Clay County other than family burial grounds and has been in use since the early 1820s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. Fairview Cemetery was established in 1857 and was so named because it overlooked the fairgrounds to the south, where Union soldiers camped on the grounds during the Civil War. In 1901, the old fairgrounds were acquired by the city to extend the cemetery. A contest was held to name the new cemetery, and the name “New Hope” was chosen. The cemetery has strong ties to the city’s founders. “Col. Alexander Doniphan, one of the most prominent statesmen and military leaders
116 Stewart Ct • Liberty, MO 64068 • (816) 792-1111
in American history, is buried there. The ‘Confederate Soldier’ monument pays tribute to the fallen soldiers from Clay County,” Liberty’s website, libertymissouri.gov, states.
Belvoir Winery
Winery offers a taste of history
The local newspaper office at 104 N. Main St. is a Clay County Historic Landmark.
In addition to offering a full list of wines for the oenophile in everyone, Belvoir Winery also offers a beautiful space for sipping wine, weddings, area photography, an overnight inn stay or those seeking a haunt from history. Located in the former Odd Fellows Home at 1325 Odd Fellows Road, Belvoir Winery has become one of the most unique destinations in the area, boasting a list of specialty, white and red wines; event spaces and hotel stays. The grounds feature examples of Jacobethan Revival educational and institutional buildings that date back to the dawn of the 20th century. The history of the supposedly haunted winery and inn, which has been featured on national paranormal investigative shows, includes being the home of an orphan’s school, old folks home and hospital. To learn more about the wines, hours of operation, event spaces for rent or the history of the venue, go online to www.belvoirwinery.com or call (816) 200-1811.
COURIER-TRIBUNE Since 1846, Liberty has had a newspaper operating under the motto, “Willing to praise but not afraid to blame.” It is the oldest continuously published weekly newspaper west of the Mississippi River. In February of 2017, the Liberty Tribune merged with two of its sister publications, The Kearney Courier and The Smithville Herald, to form the Courier-Tribune. The CT traces its lineage to Robert Hugh Miller, who was just 19 when his Liberty newspaper’s first edition rolled off the presses. He owned the paper for 39 years. In Smithville, the CT roots go back to 1888. In Kearney, the paper’s predecessors have a more than 85-year history. The Courier-Tribune’s current owner is St. Joseph-based News-Press & Gazette Co. The main office is located at 104 N. Main St., but the newspaper also has an office in downtown Kearney at 102 W. Washington St. The CT’s print edition publishes each Thursday, with additional news found online daily at www.MyCourierTribune.com. To contact the newsroom or sales staff, call (816) 781-4941. Email news tips to news@ mycouriertribune.com. Readers can also find the CT on Twitter at @myCTnews, @myCTsports, and on Facebook by searching MyCourierTribune.
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Court records dating back to the 1800s take up shelves of space in the Clay County Archives basement and upper level.
On record By Amanda Lubinski
If you need to know the date in the 1860s a property was first purchased from the United States, if you want to read your great-great-aunt Matilda’s obituary from the early 1890s or if you want to see who divorced who or who was jailed for crimes in the early 1900s, chances are the Clay 34 Explore Liberty âœŚ March 2019
County Archives can help. With hundreds of thousands of records, including microfilm, books, films, newspapers, photos, digital archives, plat books, postcards, family histories, maps, atlases and other forms, the Clay County Archives and Historical Library at 210 E. Franklin St. is a treasure trove of information.
Clay County Archives provides in-depth look at population, changing landscape
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Clay County Archives President Stuart Elliott explains what kind of information is contained in the archives’ gazetteer, a filing cabinet system indexing places such as local businesses, levies, schools, ferries, railroads, medical offices, neighborhoods and post offices.
2016
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2017
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JOHN FUHRMAN - OWNER • LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED 346 S. 291 HWY., SW Corner of 152 Hwy & 291 Hwy LIBERTY, MO. 64068 • (816) 781-9442 75115749
While only having been collecting records since 1979, the archives have indexes of documents including area plat maps dating back to 1819, before Clay County was a county and before Missouri was a state. County records include probate and criminal court details dating back to before the turn of the 20th century and before a modern probate court existed, said Archives President Stuart Elliott. “We have all kinds of probate court records. We have a zillion of those,” he said. Records housed at the archives also include blueprints, coroner inquests, maps showing area Native American territory lines, marriage details, business ledgers, family diaries, church records, school yearbooks, cemetery listings and a gazetteer, a filing cabinet system indexing places such as local businesses, levies, schools, ferries, railroads, medical offices, neighborhoods and post offices. “People use these a lot. They have a wealth of information,” Elliott said. Elliott said personnel at the Clay County Archives — made up of all volunteers — is working to on a project to index all references of a person or place in a newspaper, not just the obituaries, to combine with other references of the person or place so a someone doing research can get a more complete picture of the past. One example of how history can be explained from what’s available at the archives came from a inquisitive search done by volunteer John Perney, who became interested in why a woman in 1883 was divorcing her husband. Using the archives’ resources, Perney was able to learn the woman was divorcing her husband while he was imprisoned in Jefferson City after the man shot and killed his wife’s father. The murdered father-in-law, Sydney Creek, was a known guerrilla during the Civil War who rode with William Quantrill during the raid on Lawrence, Kansas. “The more we dug into it, the more interesting it got. ... You run across some gems here, particularly if you’re a history buff,” Perney said. Volunteers are working to also catalog not just names of people listed in obituaries in newspapers from the last two centuries, but catalog every person referenced anywhere in the newspaper. “You look through all those old papers and they just have a ton of information about where people went and things like that; and advertising, those provide wonderful information about
yliquor@att.net • www.facebook.com/yliquor March 2019
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Tens of thousands of photographs are among the records housed at the Clay County Archives. history as well, so that’s a big project we’re working on,” Elliott said. Abstracts are another gem of the Clay County Archives. These documents were issued by titles companies to property owners as proof of ownership. They are paper trails in the history of local property. Downtown Liberty history expert and archives volunteer Chris Harris said abstracts are interesting because they include details from wills, bankruptcies, courthouse step sales and the like. “You have things like water taps, maps, atlases, family histories and other things that provide a complete history,” he said. Some records, noted by longtime volunteer Kevin Fisher, show infamous political and crime boss Tom Pendergast, who was active in the 1920s and 1930s, owned a house off Vivion Road in Clay County. Atlases also include unique glimpses into how property was once described, such as using nearby trees, polls and rods — possibly now long gone — as landmarks. “One of the most interesting things I’ve found is that the Missouri River used to have a horseshoe bend in south of Highway 291 and Old 210, where (Liberty) Fish Market is. There used to be an island in the middle of the river. It used to be wide enough to have an island, and people would buy that, for whatever reason, such as to walk their cows across,” he said. “It’s interesting to see how the landscape has changed,” Elliott said. 36
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Some historical records in the collection at the Clay County Archives are pieces of a paper with handwritten details, such as this one from a local justice of the peace. Archives President Stuart Elliott said these documents are often hard to digitize and scan because they become hard or impossible to read.
ON THE ROAD AHEAD $26 million project will replace the bridge over Interstate 35 at Kansas Street and Highway 152 By Kellie Houx
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20 years or more,” Noll said. Noll said there also will be signs along the route to direct people to a website with alternate routes. “We have South Liberty Parkway as well as Flintlock Flyover, Pleasant Valley Road and Church Road,” Noll said. “People will also figure up Church Road to 291. I think it’s going to be one of the shortest routes. I bet people will find their best and favorite routes quickly.” Noll said there will be signs on Interstate 435 too. “We were awarded a grant from in 2015 for the bridge and then MoDOT stepped up to see how we could make this a more encompassing project and to increase the scope,” he said. The project is expected to be completed by August 2020.
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lanes with the opportunity to create a third lane if needed in the future, Noll said. Visitors to Liberty may have to be creative in Miles Excavating is known for its work on how they get into the city through the second street rehabilitation, bridges, heavy highway half of 2019. Even after that, through the first construction, pavement repair, sanitary and half of 2020, there will be road construction storm sewer, curbs and sidewalks and water to be mindful of coming into Liberty from the lines. The company recently handled the reconwest. struction of I-35 and the Pleasant Valley Road For the next several months, drivers approach- interchange. ing the Interstate 35 bridge on Liberty’s western The future I-35 bridge will be called half a edge will see the signs of a $26.2 million project diverging diamond interchange. The hope is to that will replace the often-congested crossing move traffic while limiting queues coming off into Kansas City. I-35, Noll said. Missouri Highway 152 over Interstate 35, There will be a five-foot sidewalk along with Kansas Street and Missouri Highway 291 are crit- north side of Kansas Street and a 10-foot multiical junctions for Liberty. Coming improvements use path along with south side. There will also to the interstate crossing will accommodate be a crosswalk at the intersection of Highway development, and most importantly, improve 291. traffic safety. The Missouri Department of “The improvements are designed for the next Transportation defined the work as creating “a safe, efficient, environmentally sound, and economical transportation facility that meets the e ★ Gladstone ibun Dis -Tr pa needs of the area.” ir er t ou The work began in March with the removal of medians in the middle of Kansas Street and the installation of temporary traffic signals along the roadway. The bridge over I-35 will be taken down around June 1, after schools let out for summer break, said Liberty Public Works Director Andy Noll. 2018 This is a jointly funded project between MoDOT and the cities of Liberty and Kansas City. Liberty’s portion is $9.1 million. The new bridge will be eight lanes with a smaller bridge that will send two lanes north in what is defined as an eastbound displaced left-turn diamond. According to MoDOT, by shifting traffic out of the mainline traffic flow on Highway 152, the two ramp terminal intersections can operate more efficiently and help reduce congestion. Miles Excavating was awarded the contract from Missouri Department of Transportation for the bridge work over I-35 and Missouri Highway 152 through Kansas Street in Liberty. The city of Liberty is responsible for the Kansas Street portion from the bridge to Missouri Highway 291. The bulk of the roadway will be three lanes with two turn lanes. From Blue Jay Drive to Highway 291, there will be two
FAVORITE CHICKEN RESTAURANT!
75115896
816-792-2201 100 Missouri 291 Liberty MO 64068 www.raisingcanes.com March 2019
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BUSINESS DIRECTORY ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Artisan Market 115 N. Main St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-407-8071 www.libertyartisanmarket.com ATTORNEY Aramjoo Law Firm 17 W. Kansas St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-479-5898 BANK Clay County Savings Bank 1178 W. Kansas St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-4500 BOUTIQUE More Excuses Boutique 2 N. Main St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-3832 www.moreexcusesboutique.com DAY SPA/SALON Salon Oasis & Day Spa 8504 N. Church Rd. Kansas City, MO 64157 816-415-3733 www.salonoasisanddayspa.com DINING Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers 9800 NE Barry Rd. Kansas City, MO 64157 816-792-9902 www.freddysusa.com Pizza Ranch 116 Stewart Ct. Liberty, MO 64068 816-792-1111 Rancho Grande Cantina 921 W. Liberty Dr. Liberty, MO 64068 816-792-4844 ranchograndecantina.com
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Raising Cane’s 100 Missouri 291 Liberty, Mo 64068 816-792-2201 www.raisingcanes.com The Landing Eatery and Pub 1189 W. Kansas St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-792-5230 www.landingeateryandpub.com EARLY EDUCATION/DAYCARE Liberty Montessori Center 1004 Middlebrook Dr. Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-6295 www.libertymontessoricenter.com EDUCATION The Tutoring Center 9775 N. Cedar Ave. Kansas City, MO 64157 816-781-0000 www.kansascity.tutoringcenter.com William Jewell College 500 College Hill Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-7700 www.jewell.edu EVENTS Belvoir Winery 1325 Odd Fellows Rd. Liberty, MO 64068 816-200-1811 www.belvoirwinery.com Tobacco Barn Farm 18503 Highway 33 Holt, MO 64048 816-506-6101 www.tobaccobarnfarm.com FAITH Precious Blood 2120 St. Gaspar Way Liberty, MO 64068 816-558-6311 Pbrenewalcenter.org
FUNERAL SERVICES Park Lawn Chapel 1640 N. Highway 291 Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-8228 Parklawnfunerals.com HEATING & COOLING Gladstone Furnace Co. 303 NE 58th Terrace Gladstone, MO 64118 816-452-0400 www.gfac1948.com HOSPITAL Liberty Hospital 2525 Glenn Hendren Dr. Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-7200 www.libertyhospital.org HOTEL Sleep Inn & Suites 1840 N. Church Rd. Liberty, MO 64068 816-335-4402 www.KClibertylagoon.com INSURANCE AAA Shoal Creek – Debbie Watson 9205 NE Highway152 Kansas City, MO 64158 watson.debra@aaamissouri.com 816-781-4222 JEWELERS Champagne Jewelers 9201 NE Highway 152 Kansas City, MO 64158 816-415-9110 LIQUOR & CIGAR STORE Y-Liquor & Cigar 346 S. Highway 291 Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-9442
MEDICAL Liberty Medical Center 1504 NE 96th St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-415-2233
SERVICES Mr. Electric www.mrelectric.com/kansas-city 816-532-4441 SHOE REPAIR Mace Shoe Repair 20 N. Main St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-5771
ORGANIZATIONS Historic Downtown Liberty Inc. 117B N. Main St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-3575 www.historicdowntownliberty.org Historic Downtown Liberty Farmers’ Market 816-581-6523 www.historicdowntownliberty.org Historic Liberty Jail Visitors Center 216 N. Main St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-3188 www.lds.org/placestovisit Liberty Chamber of Commerce 117 W. Kansas St., Suite H Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-5200 www.libertychamber.com
RETAIL Brant’s Clothing 15 E. Kansas St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-6234 www.brantsclothing.com Corbin Mill Place 131 S. Water St. Liberty, MO 64068 www.CorbinMillPlace.com James County Mercantile 111 N. Main St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-9473 www.jamescountry.com
SPECIALTY SHOPS Bratcher Cooperage & Gifts 109 S. Water St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-3988 Main Street Goods and Goodies 16 N. Main St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-781-6839 THEATER Corbin Theater 15 N. Water St. Liberty, MO 64068 816-529-4988 www.corbintheater.org
Bank where you live 1178 W. Kansas St. Liberty ◆ 781-4500 claycountysavings.com
Serving the Liberty Area since 1922. 75114195
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Voted best place to hear live music in the Northland!!
W. Kansas St.
Best Dry Rub Wings! Daily & Nightly Food & Drink Specials Walgreens
Live music 4 days a week Over 63 HD TV’s Your home to catch all sporting events!!! Plenty of seating with exceptional sound and viewing. Happy Hour Drink Specials seven days a week from 3 - 7 pm; Reverse Happy Hour M - Th from 10 pm - close 40
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Liberty Landing Shopping Center
The Landing
1189 W. Kansas Street Liberty, MO 64068 (behind Walgreens!) 816-792-5230 www.landingeateryandpub.com