Put Me In, Coach
By virtue of this column, I have had the great pleasure of nearly five years (!) to experience the very best Kansas City has to offer. With that preface, I can say how incredibly unreal it was to be part of the splashiest moments of the 2023 NFL Draft, hosted in our incredible city. Bravo and thank you to the Kansas City Sports Commission. I’m still floating on clouds.
The three-day event spanned a three million-square-foot site (the largest draft footprint ever) from Union Station to the National WWI Museum & Memorial. The football field-sized Draft Theater (also the largest in NFL history) was the crown jewel. I attended the velvet-roped opening night and lucrative first round of the draft. Surreal doesn’t begin to describe. Cheering for the draft picks within arm’s length of Jason Kelce, center for the Philadelphia Eagles and, oh yeah, brother to Travis Kelce. Being front and center for the first pick, Bryce Young (smartly dressed in mauve Dior, I’ll note), as well as the final first-round pick—Kansas State’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah for the Chiefs. (Go Cats!) Even mundane things like being huddled around shared phone chargers with some of the night’s picks was oddly exhilarating.
Interwoven amongst the selections were some tender moments astutely curated by the NFL. I cried along with the bartender pouring my drink when Kyle Stickles, diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, fulfilled his dream (via the Make-A-Wish Foundation) of announcing the first-round pick for his team, the New York Jets. The League also spotlighted various local charitable organizations along the way. Throughout the event, it was impossible to ignore the sheer might of this organization. With a small army of on-site staff, precise operations, and several weeks’ worth of construction, it was truly something to behold.
The following night, I made my way to Azura Amphitheater for Kelce Jam—the music festival hosted and organized by Travis Kelce. First, though, I dropped by the nearby pre-party at Legends Outlets. I nibbled on some Jack Stack burnt ends, was a spectator for tailgate games on The Lawn, and met up with Chiefs cornerback, Trent McDuffie. But I had to run to make it backstage for the Kelce Jam red carpet. To sum up that experience—Travis is huge, and he doesn’t like to be rushed when shoving back Papa Johns pizza. They sent a dedicated food truck just for Travis and his backstage entourage. Oh, and I wound up shooting video for a short-staffed Good Morning America interview with Travis. Every day is an adventure.
Flipping to the other side of the stage—somehow happily smashed against it—I enjoyed headliners Tech N9ne, Rick Ross, Loud Luxury, and Machine Gun Kelly. I also got a front-row view of Travis doing a “Lombardi luge” (pouring a drink down the Super Bowl trophy, funneling into his mouth) and subsequently spiking said trophy into the crowd. All-in-all a dumbfoundingly insane VIP night.
One final draft-adjacent experience I participated in was just prior to the network cameras training their eyes on our city. The Great Kansas City Cleanup was a pre-draft beautification blitz. Bright and early, I joined KC Parks & Recreation at my nearby downtown Case Park. There’s no embellishing this occasion; I picked up trash. I was lending a hand to clean one of our city’s 220 parks, which span 12,000 acres altogether, and it was a morning well-spent. I wanted visitors and viewers to see Kansas City with the same rosy tint I proudly do. And that’s the thing about civic pride; it doesn’t have to mean dressing up for a black-tie gala or doing something monumental. It can take other forms. Helping steward our city’s shared spaces for the benefit of all our citizens and visitors can give you goosebumps, too. And dirty hands. But mostly goosebumps.
Overheard: “Ugh. How tacky. Having a sunburn is so 2005.”
When Harry Met Doris
This year’s Wild About Harry event, supporting the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum, was a roaring success. It’s an event that somehow gets better every single year. Truly. Each year, I leave inspired and renewed with hope for America’s future.
The 2023 Truman Legacy of Leadership Award honoree, Admiral Michelle Howard, certainly imparted hope. Over the course of her 35-year career, she achieved many “firsts” in U.S. Naval history, including the first Black woman to command a U.S. naval ship and the first woman promoted to the rank of four-star admiral and the position of vice chief of naval operations (the second highest rank in the Navy). Her successes are matched only by the obstacles she had to overcome along the way—forging a path for many.
Also adding perspective and optimism was this year’s keynote speaker, the definitive presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Doris Kearns Goodwin. She began by boasting that the library, which she visited at length that week, “is the top of the top of Presidential libraries.” Quite the compliment, considering the source.
Goodwin’s remarks centered on 1948 and the 75th anniversary of that momentous year for President Truman. It was the year of the Marshall Plan, the recognition of Israel, the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, the Berlin Airlift, and desegregation of the military. “The Year of Great Decisions.”
Her overarching message was that “History is going to come to the rescue for us today.” These are turbulent times. Rogue aggressors rattle geopolitics or threaten America’s global standing. And at home, basic rights seem to be ever under attack. To paraphrase Goodwin, we’re not sure what our future will look like or how we might overcome. And yet, if we look back, we’ll remember that we’ve lived through really tough times before—the Civil War, the Great Depression, the early days of WWII—and every time we withstood those crises and came out the other side with greater strength. We have the good fortune of knowing what people at the time didn’t know—that the Civil War ended with emancipation secured, the Great Depression came to an end with mobilization for the war, and the allies won WWII. The people living in those times lived with the same anxiety we’re feeling now. But it’s up to us to write the next chapter of America’s story, just as it was to them.
One example Goodwin gave was Truman’s witnessing the heartbreaking homecoming experienced by hundreds of thousands of Black Americans returning from WWII military service. Americans who risked their lives in the name of freedom, and survived the horrors of war, found themselves plunged back into the Jim Crow segregation they’d left behind.
Sergeant Isaac Woodard—in uniform—tried to board a bus home in South Carolina. He was forcibly removed by a sheriff and beaten so badly that he was blinded. Truman’s justice department prosecuted the sheriff in federal court, where he was unanimously acquitted by a Charleston jury within minutes. This unjust outcome stuck with Harry Truman.
As a result, a man from a slave state and belonging to a confederate-identifying family, Truman accepted the NAACP’s offer to speak to the organization (the first president to do so) at the Lincoln Memorial on June 29, 1947. The experience was a further awakening for Truman, who subsequently made the extraordinary decision to desegregate the U.S. military. A Gallup poll at the time indicated that only 28 percent of Americans favored military desegregation.
As a young college student, Goodwin was at the 1963 March on Washington, where she sang along with the crowd to We Shall Overcome. Unbeknownst to her, so was her future (presidential speech writer) husband, who was inspired by that same singing and later wrote in President Johnson’s pivotal address to Congress, urging passage of the Civil Rights Act: “But even if we pass this bill, the battle will not be over. What happened in Selma is part of a far larger movement which reaches into every section and state of America. It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life. Their cause must be our cause, too. Because it is not just Negroes, but really it’s all of us who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice. And we shall overcome.”
Whether it’s prevalence over freedom-averse dictators, oceans away, or securing the blessings of liberty for whichever marginalized communities on our own shores have become the latest political boogeyman, we know that we Americans shall overcome. Because time after time, we have before. “Don’t dwell in the past”—it’s a common cliché. But perhaps if we spent a bit more time revisiting and contemplating our triumphant past, with its trials and challenges, we may be able to look at the future with hope that exceeds our anxieties.
Spotted: Honorary Chairs Ursula Terrasi & Jim Miller, Chairs Leigh & Tyler Nottberg, David Von Drehle, Marny & John Sherman, Ed Milbank, Jackie & John Middlecamp, Marlys & Mike Haverty, Jeanne Sosland, Jackie & Lynn Johnson, Maureen McMeel Carroll, Madeleine McDonough & Cyd Slayton, Sue Ann & Dick Fagerberg, Carmen Sabates, Dan DeLeon, Lauren DeLeon, Michael Henry, Douglass Adair & Juan Casas, John Rufenacht & Richard Lara, Troy Lillebo, Jacques Bredius, Sheryll Myers, Adam Davis, Barbara & Jay Reed, Patrick Ottensmeyer, Clifton Truman Daniel, Mark McDonald
Hot Gossip: Who wasn’t invited to speak, but shamelessly wedged himself onstage for an awkward photo op?
Art Pop
Among my favorite under-the-radar happenings are the biannual, end-of-semester student art sales at the Kansas City Art Institute. What’s better than hitting up the sale? Getting a preview and opportunity to buy early. Fortunately, for guests at ArtPop, previewing and partying were both on deck. ArtPop is an interactive, progressive campus party that brings KCAI supporters into the studios to see artworks and mingle with students and faculty.
This year’s event, ArtPop: Muse, concocted a festival-like atmosphere with food, cocktails, and camaraderie spreading across the verdant campus. With all senses engaged, guests reveled in an energetic atmosphere with costumed performers, live music, roller-skating dancers, VR gaming experiences, trolleys, and food trucks. Guests could also tour the newest campus buildings, including Wylie Dining and Café Nerman, the Paul and Linda Debruce Hall, and the recently renovated Vanderslice Hall. Wrapping up the evening, we all jammed to the sounds of DJ Jon Marzette. Keep your eyes peeled for the next end-of-semester student art sale in late November or early December.
Spotted: Honorary Chairs Mary Anne & Steve McDowell, Event Chairs Scott Heidmann and Ken Petti, Sue & Lewis Nerman, Peggy & Bill Lyons, Sharon & John Hoffman, Karen & Jack Holland, Maurice Watson, Dan Meiners & David Brinkerhoff, Lee Page, Kim Klein Goldstein, Katrina Revenaugh, Guy Townsend, Nicolas Mermet, Romain Monnoyeur, Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar, Chadwick Brooks, Taylor Gozia, Kellen Whaley, Matt Anderson
Overheard: “The breakfast burrito I’m holding could match tile patterns better than that.”
Derby Party
On the first 90-degree day this year, it felt like an early official kickoff for summer in KC. Protected from the sun’s rays under a lush canopy of century-old trees, I was at the Kansas City Museum’s annual Kentucky Derby party. Always a fun time, always great people-watching, and always sold out well in advance. This year’s twist on the classic derby theme involved a nod to Worlds of Fun’s 50th Anniversary (opened May 1973). So, in addition to plenty of hats and fascinators, guests were encouraged to incorporate a sophisticated ’70s or summer-camp twist to their ensembles.
Festivities on the historic grounds included live music by Boogie Nights KC, as well as yard games, a youth dance performance by Empire Dance Company, and a livestream of the Kentucky Derby (including the not-to-miss “Riders Up” call by our very own Patrick Mahomes). Thankfully, cocktails were also flowing—my favorite being “The Mamba” with Lifted Spirits vodka, lemon, and strawberry jalapeño shrub. There were also provisions by Union Horse Distilling Co., Boulevard Brewing Company (the new hard seltzer “whips”!), and nearby PH Coffee. Southern food bites were prepared by Brancato’s (fried chicken sandwich was the perfect choice), and desserts from Bootleg Bourbon Balls and Chill in the Village.
Miss this year’s event? The summer concerts on the east lawn may tide you over until the next Derby Day. Held on second Saturdays, you can drop by June through September. Bring a blanket, some bites, maybe a bottle of wine, and enjoy summertime in the city.
Spotted: Mayor Quinton Lucas, Mary Kemper Wolf & Gary Wolf, Darcy & Lindsey Stewart, Rachel Sexton & Brian King, George Guastello, Elizabeth & Tom Paolini, Loretta & Tom Mentzer, Hoda Tavalali, Shomari Benton, Katie Van Luchene & Jerry Foulds, Elizabeth & Jeremy Bennett, Kristin & Dan Hilboldt, Jerry & Kellen Warmack, Erica Reed, Anna Marie Tutera, Paul Gutiérrez, Ron McGee & John Fulton Adams, Jeff Evrard
Hot Gossip: Who gave his besties three-hours notice for a slapped-together birthday night celebrating himself?
So, KC—where do you want to go? XO
email: dlair@inkansascity.com | Instagram: @damianlair #OurManINKC