Archives: August 2020

Projecting Innocence: Years after promised reforms, Alamo Drafthouse Theaters still breed harassment. KC is no exception.

Mainstreet Drafthouse. // Photo by Travis Young It began, as these things so often do these days, as a Facebook thread. On July 2, Sam Cable, a former employee of the Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet, posted on his page about a poor work experience at the Kansas City location of the Texas-based movie theatre chain.  “One of the things that blew…

An interview with Hiding in Plain Sight author Sarah Kendzior

Sarah Kendzior protesting at the St. Louis Arch. // Photo courtesy of Heather DeMian. Sometimes it’s tempting to wonder if Sarah Kendzior’s observations about the current state of America might not have happened if she had found a better travel agent. She was in New York on 9/11 and was in St. Louis during the uprising after Michael Brown’s death…

Mayor Lucas issues first marijuana pardon under new program to Overland Park resident

Dwayne Wright. // Courtesy 41 News stream. Under the new Mayoral Marijuana Pardon Program, Mayor Quinton Lucas has issued his first pardon to Dwayne Wright of Overland Park, Kan. Lucas announced the creation of this program for non-violent, low-level municipal marijuana and paraphernalia offenses during his State of the City Address earlier this year. “Mr. Wright lives in Overland Park, but received…

KC Voices: Pediatrician Dr. April McNeill weighs in on Parson’s SB1 Bill

April McNeill We’ve been asking members of the KC community to submit stories about life under quarantine, protests, politics, and other subjects that provide important opinions. If you’ve got a story you’d like to share, please send it to brock@thepitchkc.com for consideration. Today, Dr. April McNeill-Johnson expresses her interests in a reduction in health care disparities among vulnerable adolescent populations…

Trying Boudoir photography on a mission to love myself

Photo by Tayanna Harris It’s a Tuesday morning, and I’m naked in front of three strangers. I’m changing into my first set of lingerie at Tayanna Harris’s Good Bodies photo studio for my first boudoir session. You know, that photo trend where you strip down to your knickers and pose seductively in an effort to feel good about yourself and…

Capturing the spirit of our new Lemonade Park concerts

DJ in late July. // Photo by Jim Nimmo. As America continues it’s messy grand re-opening, a lot of attention has been paid to bringing back sports, churches and school. What hasn’t received a lot of attention is where re-opening has left music venues and the artists that play them. #SAVEOURSTAGES has become the rallying cry of the National Independent…

YouTuber Mr. Beat’s guide to the history of presidential elections is a charmer

Teacher, musician, and YouTuber Matt Beat’s new book has a lengthy, but very descriptive title. Mr. Beat presents…The Ultimate American Presidential Election Book: Every Presidential Election in American History (1788-2016) is a bit overwhelming as title, but leaves no doubt in the reader’s mind as to what this is all about. However, when you crack it open, you’ll find a…

Charlie Hustle and MS Society team up to fight MS

Charlie Hustle MS Communi-TEE™ // Photo Courtesy of the MS Society Kansas City favorite, Charlie Hustle brand and MS Society have teamed up to fight Multiple Sclerosis- a debilitating disease of the nervous system- by way of creating bike-themed Communi-TEES™. A portion of each sale of these shirts will go directly to the MS Society to aid in their efforts…

Drink This Now: The Deadeye Diaz at Drastic Measures

The Deadye Diaz. // Photo by April Flemming. Jill Cockson and Jay Sanders know their way around a cocktail; Cockson owns the downtown cocktail bar Swordfish Tom’s and Sanders spent a lot of formative time behind the well at the Rieger and Manifesto. So yes, of course the two make interesting and well-balanced drinks. But what makes their new cocktail…

This week’s Streetwise podcast has Katy Schamberger, Kiko De Gallo, and foam fighters

Katy Schamberger with microphone. // Courtesy Katy Schamberger. Today on Streetwise from The Pitch we discuss C-Wash, foam-fighting, listen to the Kiko De Gallo track “A Walking Story,” and chat with local writer and host of Downtown Dish, Katy Schamberger. Streetwise is hosted by Brock Wilbur, editor in chief of The Pitch. Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify. Subscribe to the Streetwise newsletter, a weekly meditation on…

Premiere: Company Retreat’s new track ‘Treat Yourself’ (acoustic)

The fine foursome of folks which makes up Kansas City’s “business casual politicore Ozarkian party bro rock” band, Company Retreat, has been a little silent this year. Happily, they’ve come back into our lives with Comfort in Crisis, a new six-song acoustic EP released at the end of July. The EP features unreleased cuts, new arrangements of Company Retreat cuts,…

Weighing the pros and cons of coronavirus communal mimosas

Mimosas to die for? // Illustration by Katelyn Betz. I’ve been fielding a lot of questions about when I’m going back to eating in restaurants. I usually give one of two answers, both equally true: “When we get our collective shit together” and “Not for a long time.” On May 15—the day Kansas City restaurants reopened for in-room dining—the metro…

“Dancing with CF” earns Impact Grant from Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Suzanne Ryanstrati has been teaching dance for around 30 years. People from ages 7-38 participated in one of her many dance programs. Her researched-based choreographic work aims to explore the human condition to bring awareness to human rights and value. It was announced on July 27 that her most recent program, “Dancing with CF” was one of four recipients of…

The Zoo is a safe option, but only for those willing to comply

We all want to see lions, tigers, and bears, (oh my) but does it have to be this risky?

Visitors leave the Kansas City Zoo at approximately 3 p.m. // Photo by Hanna Ellington On the surface, a day at the zoo seems like the perfect solution to a socially distanced summer day. The Kansas City Zoo is spacious, leaving visitors ample amounts of room to wander and spend time in the fresh air. That’s what I thought, at…

Harvesters and GEHA team up to host “Forks on Friday” fundraising event

Mmmmm. // Photo courtesy Harvesters Join Harvesters this Friday as it hosts Forks on Friday, a carryout campaign that replaces the food bank’s largest annual fundraising event. This is an opportunity to support the hospitality community that has rallied around Harvesters for 24 years at Forks & Corks. The pandemic caused Harvesters to reimagine its traditional food and beverage tasting event…

Think you have COVID-19? Here are the steps to take.

Photo by Engin Akyurt, courtesy of Unsplash You’ve got symptoms. Now what? So you woke up with a fever, a cough, and/or shortness of breath. Or, you came into contact with someone who tested positive. Let’s agree that this is goddamned stupid that this disease has all the same symptoms as anxiety and allergies at the beginning, so it’s just…

More than a Number: Stories from locals who fought COVID-19 and won

Kansas City skyline // Illustration by Celia Searles We have all opened our phones, turned on the news, or listened to the radio and felt our heart sink as more and more COVID-19 cases were reported in the Kansas City area the past five months. As the numbers continue to climb, it’s easy to become desensitized to the individual stories…

Downtown KCK (at last) welcomes an enviable grocery store, the Rieger returns, and a new ice cream shop to try

Kansas City's top food and drink events for August 5-11

Photo Courtesy of the Merc Co+Op Wednesday, August 5 Several years after losing its last grocery store (a shoddy Apple Market at 7th Street and State Avenue), downtown Kansas City, Kansas can at last boast that it no longer is among the city’s notable food deserts with the opening of the Merc Co+Op smack downtown at 5th Street and Minnesota…

Kalen Allen, viral food critic, serves up self-love and tales of fried chicken in The Pitch Questionnaire

Kalen strikes a pose. // Photo by Kim Newmoney What started as a witty reaction video posted online has transformed into a viral career for Kalen Allen. The Kansas City native now boasts more than 886,000 subscribers on YouTube, where he critiques the questionable recipes that circulate the Internet. His internet fame landed him his own weekly show, OMKalen, on…