The Kansas City Renaissance Festival celebrates the gaiety of Anglo civilization’s rebirth with more than 500 costumed characters on 13 stages and 16 acres of shaded lanes in Bonner Springs. Pitch Clubs Editor Berry Anderson caught some of the hot, dusty action, which continues through October 18.
Enrico Caruso: Great singer, bad tipper Last weekend, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City concluded its run of Puccini’s opera Tosca, which was a favorite of the legendary Italian tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) — he’s singing an aria from the opera here — who was equally passionate about Italian food. But when it came to tipping the waiters, Caruso —…
The Hillbilly Homecoming is an event to benefit TLC for Children and Families, whose mission is “to provide opportunities that encourage positive growth and change for children, youth and families while ensuring a safe environment.” They provide shelter for abused and neglected kids in case of an emergency, much like women’s shelters do. Entertainment is strong on the rockabilly, and…
Yesterday’s community meeting on prostitution in the Northeast failed to draw much in the way of community. About 85 fired-up people packed the inaugural July meeting of the anti-prostitution working group — as documented in our cover story “The Oldest Professional” a few weeks ago — but only about 20 attended yesterday’s meeting. Count the low attendance as odd, since…
Any time you have the chance to tour a distillery or brewery, do it. The smaller the tour, the more often it’s led by the people who are making what you are drinking. It also has the added benefit of counting as a cultural activity while allowing you to get slightly buzzed. Alcademics went on a tour of the Hennessy…
Kansas City Police Chief Jim Corwin reported today on his blog that Kansas City’s 88 homicides are 12 fewer than this time last year. But “the good news” wasn’t all that good, which Corwin admitted — this year’s homicide count has outpaced 2007 by 12 and 2006 by 18. Here’s the latest “blue sheet.” Corwin adds that the KCPD has…
Although most of us have never likely encountered a live octopus, there is a staggering array of calamari dishes across Kansas City. With so many choices, it can be difficult to figure out which ones are a real catch. What follows are the 10 calamari plates you should make every effort to grab with both tentacles. 10. McCormick &…
Shout-along indie rockers Port O’Brien get turned into dance floor bangermakers, courtesy of Boston’s Bodega Girls. The original track is from their forthcoming album on TBD, entitled Threadbare, and you can hear it over at The Bay Bridged to see the difference. Port O’Brien isn’t touring through here, but they are playing Denver on the 26th, and Omaha on the…
Update from the Lawrence Journal-World: “Tuesday’s fight — not the first pitting basketball players against football players — … reportedly involved a dispute over a woman who used to date an athlete from one team and now dates one from another.” ***The University Daily Kansan is reporting that a second altercation between Kansas Jayhawk football and basketball players broke out…
Unusual sign, isn’t it? Where is it? Categories: Dining, Food & Drink
Cakes are one of the easiest ways to go off the rails in the kitchen. The cake falls flat, the icing doesn’t set or (perhaps worst of all) it looks beautiful but tastes awful. While it might be tempting to opt for the sheet cake from Costco, even the professionals make mistakes — although most likely at the request of…
The Sprint Center hosted a brawl-filled NHL exhibition game Tuesday night between the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Islanders. When the Kings weren’t beating the Islanders’ faces, they were scoring goals. The Kings won 4-2 in front of a crowd of 9,792 that AEG president Tim Leiweke reportedly called “disappointing.” Photographer Scott Spychalski was told the figure was…
In 2001, a California psychologist came up with a cross-dressing concept to raise awareness about domestic violence: Have men shove their bulky feet into petite, women’s footwear and hoof it for a whole mile. The national Walk a Mile in Her Shoes campaign sauntered — and stumbled — across the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus last night. Dozens of professors,…
It’s nice to know you’re not alone when it comes to the irrational fear of waking up next to The King — the ever-smiling mascot for Burger King. In the recent blog post “Creepy Kings,” Kansas City Star/Sports Illustrated writer Joe Posnanski gets at the heart of why The King’s mirth is so anxiety-inducing: The reason you don’t want to…
Just in time for Thanksgiving, Dolores O’Riordan, Neal Hogan and the rest of ye olde Cranberries are reuniting for the first time in seven years and hitting the road. The tour brings them to KC on November 29 at the Midland. How big is this sauce? According to the press release, “The Cranberries had four top 20 Billboard albums, eight…
Sometimes it seems like every other day there is a new sugar substitute on the market — the one that is going to transform the industry. Well, Stevia might actually be that sugar substitute. Time reports that the natural sweetness in two relatively new Stevia products — PureVia (the brand is owned by PepsiCo and Truvia (the product that Coke…
Nick Sloan is the new publisher of the Kansas City Kansan. Sloan took over the Kansan from Gatehouse Media, a New York-based newspaper chain, earlier this week, and the Kansan is now a one-man show with Sloan writing copy in the mornings and selling advertising in the afternoon. He works wherever he can get a wi-fi connection — the library, coffee…
%{}% Hold on to the heat of summer with a recipe for freshly made salsa. A snapshot of life on the farm, as Sir Loin grows from calf into cow. We’re all working in the wrong office. Jay-Z apparently motivated employees at Def Jam Records with champagne cocktails. But then you’d maybe turn out like Ozzy Osbourne. If an autobiography…
PJ Bond, formerly of Warped Tour favorites the Color Fred, has an intriguing idea. Bond “has given up his permanent residence, dedicating a year of his life to living on the road, bunking with friends, family, fans and even strangers, and playing as many shows in between. He chronicles his nomadic adventures on his blog.” That blog is entitled Year…
I never saw Butterglory, or, for that matter, Matt Suggs’ other band, White Whale. But reading Our Noise: the Story of Merge Records reminded me a lot of Suggs and his music. Once upon a time, 10 years ago, I hosted KJHK’s local music show, Plow the Fields. In the course of my year and a half on the program,…
Good news for the GM Fairfax plant: 945 jobs are on the way. The Kansas City Police Board of Commissioners approved a $229 million “bare bones” budget. You can now buy booze in Tonganoxie every Sunday but Easter. But how will I be able to drink the blood of Christ? Finally, Leavenworth has a new mayor. Davis Moulden, who is…
Though Ad Astra Per Aspera is on hiatus while a couple of members weather in New York, guitarists Mike Tuley and Brooke Hunt have turned up the gas on their side project, Ad Astra Arkestra, which plays tonight at the Jackpot with Thee Oh Sees, the Fresh and Onlys and Bandit Teeth. In addition to Tuley and Hunt, the Arkestra’s…
