A Jazzy Zoo
The annual Jazzoo benefit for the Kansas City Zoo seems to be the summertime event that so many Kansas Citians look forward to every year—myself included. It’s the perfect excuse to get all dressed up in chic summer party wear.
There are abundant reasons to love Jazzoo, but food is probably number one on most patrons’ lists. With more than 60 participating local restaurants (!) scattered across the expansive zoo property (exercise is the perfect counterbalance to grazing), my friends and I sampled bites from the likes of Bay Boy Sandwiches, Betty Rae’s, Bizz & Weezy, BLU HWY, Charleston’s, Chef Kansas City, KC Mac N’ Co, Mo Pie, Nighthawk at Hotel Kansas City, The Savoy at 21C, Snickety Snack Bar, Urban Café, and Waldo Pizza.
Along the way, we caught pop-up performances by KC Aerial Arts, took a ride around the zoo carousel, grabbed plenty of cocktails at the staggered open bars, and tuned into live music at several stages, including Drew Six, Superstar Mafia, and the Daniel Dissmore Trio.
Our unpredictable Midwest weather can present iffy conditions for a massive outdoor summertime party, but this year was positively perfect—and likely the best Jazzoo weather I’ve experienced. While grabbing Insomnia Cookies on our way out, it was nice to reflect on, not only the fun evening, but the funds raised that will provide food and care to the more than 1,700 animals who call our zoo home.
Spotted: Anita Gorman, Kathy & Lance Nelson, Richard Wetzel, Jen Macias DeMeyer, Rayna Parks Shaw, Venessa Huskey, Sean Smith, Charlie Franklin, DaRon McGee, Jane Gard, Angie Jeffries, Heidi Markle, Supatra Brown, Amy & Sam Elliott, Latrice England, Dominique Hall
Hot Gossip: Who was a social media disaster at Jewel Ball, making her poor husband re-do her prancing and hair-flip videos—bystanders aghast?
Gimme That Green Door
There’s nothing I love more than supporting friends on their latest KC adventures. So, it was a great joy to visit the newly relocated Green Door Antiques for its grand opening. Green Door is the retail conception of Justin Swartz and Darren Killen (shout-out to my primary care physician!). The shop is a collection of European finds, assembled from frequent visits there to thoughtfully fill shipping containers destined for Kansas City. There’s a particular emphasis on garden-related items, such as stoneware and statuary, but more than an abundance of furniture, artwork, glassware, and items for accessorizing.
Similar shops in town lean more toward French, Belgian, and Danish styles, but Green Door’s wares feel more collected from in and around the verdant British Isles—yet still very much a tour de Europe. Located in the Pennway Park neighborhood (yes, it’s becoming a thing—right next to Studio Dan Meiners), and open every Wednesday through Saturday. You can cozy up to the massive 16-foot antique shop counter and have Justin or Darren dazzle you with what they’ve recently discovered.
Spotted: Andrea & Steve Bough, David Brinkerhoff, Dan Nilsen, Kevin Bryant & Tom Suther, Rob Adams & Rob Gray, Kurt Knapstein, Doug Wells & Marcio Reis, Todd Schulte, Amy Jo Cosgrove, Chris Loggins, Rand Hawks
Overheard “I’m going to need you to act like I’m as important as I think I am.”
Flavors of Central
Fifteen years into living in Kansas City, I am still finding new events and happenings that—while popular to many—remain unknown to me. One such recent occurrence was The Flavors of Central Tour. Organized around Kansas City, Kansas’s Central Avenue corridor, the culinary tour was imagined to showcase the concentration of more than 40 authentic Latino restaurants in the immediate area.
People from around KC and far beyond have discovered there is nothing quite like the invigorating flavors of traditional Mexican cuisine pouring out of KCK. I’ve visited on multiple occasions, including my writing about the KCK Taco Trail. (Still going strong—check it out!) This annual tour, though, is a superb way to eat (and drink) your way through KCK in an exploratory and flexible fashion.
For a modest ticket price (far exceeded by the food value), you’re supplied with a checklist map pinpointing all participating locations, including what menu item(s) each is offering. You arrive at any location throughout the day, they punch your map (no repeats!), and you are provided their specialty. The bites are appetizer-portioned, allowing you to squeeze in a large number—or at least that’s the idea (I ran out of room rather prematurely).
We began our tour at Bethany Park, where we retrieved our maps and enjoyed a bit of live music. From there, we embarked on foot down Central Ave., beginning with El Jefe Taqueria. We were warmly greeted with tacos al pastor (pork shoulder cooked on a rotating spit) that were reminiscent of the street tacos in Mexico that occupy my dreams. From there we popped next door to El Torito Grill, and tossed back tacos alambre (beef, bacon, cheese and peppers—basically, a Philly cheesesteak taco). Further down the street, we hit El Pollo Guasave, with its charbroiled pollo a la parilla—not quite a whole chicken, but a very sizeable portion. I skipped due to my self-imposed, nonsensical no-meat-on-bones rule, but my friends gladly made my portion disappear. We then dashed across the street and began heading down the other side of Central. We dropped into Taqueria el Torito for their gordita de maiz and asada. This small Mexican corn cake stuffed with pork and cheese was the farthest thing from a Taco Bell “gordita.” In fact, it was the best thing I ate all day (and that’s saying a lot!). Next up was Taqueria Jalisco for more tacos al pastor and then next door, La Michoacana TO GO, where they had elote (grilled Mexican street corn) and paleta (fruity ice pops). Whew! Just six stops in, the impossible reality of hitting all 23 locations hit us.
With Central Ave. essentially checked off, we jumped in the car to knock out some others in a more scattershot manner. Those included Nevelandia for aguas frescas (fruit juices with lime and sweetener), GG’s Barbacoa Café for mini quezabirria (stewed, shredded beef folded into a tortilla with melted cheese and served with broth for dipping)—very good, and Burritos Chiquita for tacos barbacoa (slow-cooked beef). Can I just say—we were stuffed. And by my count, we didn’t even make it to half the available stops. But we had so much fun.
We capped off our day with a trip to the nearby bar, Mockingbird Lounge. Perched atop Strawberry Hill, with panoramic views of the KCMO skyline, we enjoyed what was left of the mild, beautiful summer day on Mockingbird’s deck. The scenery was so sublime that we barely wanted to leave and kept ordering round after round. While barely a couple of miles from my home, it felt like a whole new world unexplored, with so many more stones yet to be overturned on future KCK visits. So, I’ll be back . . . #SeeYouOnCentral
Hot Gossip: What recent longstanding arts organization recently held a surprise disbanding party?
Leading with Love
I was pleased to recently attend an inaugural fundraising event for the Kansas City Girls Preparatory Academy (KCGPA). Located on the east side of Kansas City—intentionally amidst the highest rates of poverty and unmet demand for performing school seats—the academy is the city’s first and only open-enrollment, single-gender, public charter school. The secondary school is led by a mission to prepare young women—particularly black and brown women—to use their voices, to succeed in college, and to lead impactful, meaningful lives.
Admittedly, I knew very little of KCFPA before tossing on a blazer and walking over to the Loews Kansas City Hotel. As soon as I arrived though, with champagne in hand, I spotted more than a few of my favorite admirable, brilliant women (and men) there to support. There must be something here, I thought. In retrospect, something feels like quite an understatement.
Kicking things off with a bang, we heard from honored guests, Ann & Andrew Tisch. Yes, you’ve seen their last name carved in marble on countless buildings in NYC and beyond. Ann, a proud Kansas City native and former NBC reporter absorbed by educational issues, was inspired to create an all-girls inner-city public school to serve disadvantaged families. In 1996, she did just that and opened The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of East Harlem. There are now six TYWLS schools in NYC, including Queens, Brooklyn, Astoria, the Bronx, and Staten Island. KCGPA is an affiliate of the Young Women Leadership Network that has expanded to five additional states outside New York. Collectively, the schools educate more than 15,000 students annually, and with nearly 100 percent securing college acceptance (at four times the rate of their peers), those students have racked up nearly $1 billion in college scholarships and aid. Interesting proof point on equity: a daughter belonging to one of the school’s custodial workers was accepted to the same college as (and attended alongside) Ann’s own daughter—despite vastly different resources and backgrounds.
KCGPA intentionally partnered with a rigorous charter sponsor that would hold the school to the highest levels of accountability. And that’s paid off for its students. In its most recent statewide Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test scores, KCGPA ranked 4th in 555 Missouri schools—outpacing their peers by 57 percent in reading and 70 percent in math. Impressive for a school just four years young.
The school also boasts a number of students belonging to immigrant and refugee families—some of whom have never been inside a school before. One such refugee was in 7th grade in Afghanistan when the Taliban resumed control of her country. Her father had worked with the U.S. military, so their lives were in danger, and they needed to leave the country. She came to the U.S. knowing very little English—unable to communicate with her classmates, feeling alone and hopeless. Imagine. But on this night, she delivered a speech (in perfect English) to a full ballroom, with grace and beaming pride. (Tears were shed.)
Christine Kemper—who likened her bold idea for this beautiful school to having a baby—not knowing how much work it would be but learning that there’s nothing you wouldn’t do for that child. She believes that education is the only way out of poverty—that education will provide the tools needed for a girl to realize her own potential. “If you lift a girl, you lift her family, and if you lift a family, you lift a community, and if you lift a community, you have the potential to lift the world.”
Dream-team event cochairs Debby Ballard, Mara Cohara, Tammy Edwards, Jeanette Prenger, and Laura Welch (in from Telluride!), along with Christine spearheading, did a remarkable job rallying support for this cause. The event, on a sleepy Thursday evening, pulled in an astounding $1.25 million—unheard of for a first event. With live fund-a-need levels beginning at $10,000, people were tripping over themselves to give $25k. And the icing on the cake was Christine’s husband, Sandy Kemper, and his final paddle-raise for $100k. Take that—sleepy Thursday! Incredible evening. Incredible cause. Incredible potential.
Spotted: Sly James, Ursula Terrasi, Marcia & Lon Lane, Sharon & John Hoffmann, Jon & Megan Stephens, Julie Anderson Clark & Vince Clark, Nicki & Myron Wang, Lynn Carlton, Erica Crenshaw, Troy Lillebo, Brian Ellison, Julie Nelson Meers, Melanie & Chip Miller, Dr. Marjorie Williams, Adam Miller, Joanna & Larry Glaze
I Zing Around
When I say that I’ve been looking forward to the Zambezi Zinger’s opening for months—I mean it. At 7 a.m., I burst through the gates at Worlds of Fun for the First Rider Expedition ahead of the park’s opening. Celebrating its 50th year, Worlds of Fun has brought back an entirely new version of the 1973 (closed in 1997) nostalgia-invoking coaster. [Fun fact: the original, now renamed Montaña Rusa, has been relocated to Montenegro, Colombia.]
The new coaster’s hybrid steel and wood frame drops riders from a familiar spiral lift and into a low-to-the-ground track that races through trees and terrain mimicking the African Serengeti. The two-minute ride takes passengers >2,400 feet, reaching speeds of 45 mph. Fans of the original iteration will notice numerous similarities, including the updated original queue building and park location, initial spiral lift, mid-course tunnel, and low track.
In partnership with Big Slick and Children’s Mercy Hospital, Worlds of Fun hosted a fundraiser drawing earlier this year for lucky winners to be among the first riders on the new coaster. The buzzy opportunity helped raise $20,000 for Children’s Mercy.
I’ll freely admit—being the first to do anything gives me a serious jolt of adrenaline. But the chance to be a first rider on the reimagined version of a roller coaster I fondly remember from childhood WoF trips with my sisters, mom, and Aunt Marsha was a special sort of thrill. And thrills? Well, Worlds of Fun is positively full of ’em.
Overheard “There comes an age and a wage when you can do and say what you want.”
So, KC—where do you want to go? XO
email: dlair@inkansascity.com | Instagram: @damianlair #OurManINKC