Basement Billiards
DAILY
Don’t head down the stairs to Raytown Recreation (10012 1/2 East 63rd Street) expecting bar food and dartboards to accompany your late-night session of billiards. The only recreation to be found in this basement pool hall comes in the form of ten tables, some balls and some cues. There are no coin-operated tables in this family-owned throwback. For $6.50 an hour, two or more people can repeatedly scratch on the break without losing any extra change out of the laundry jar. The best part is, the place stays open as long as you want to play. In its heyday, Raytown Recreation was a 24-hour hall; nowadays it’s open per demand. Sometimes the lights are on until 3 a.m., even later on the weekends. For details, call 816-358-5977.— Michael Vennard
Ladies First
The Griffons got game.
WED 2/18
Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph drew 3,200 basketball fans on a recent 5-degree night. Granted, not everyone in attendance came to watch zone defenses; a trampoline-and-dunk troupe did its don’t-try-this-at-home routine. Still, the Griffons typically put on a good show at cozy MWSC Fieldhouse. Two shows, actually. The women and men play their games back-to-back, helping each other’s attendance and their fans’ coin purses (general admission is $6). “People get into it,” says Bob Orf, who calls the games on KFEQ 680.
This year’s MWSC men are a .500 team, short of their usual, twenty-win stuff. Dreams of postseason glory reside mainly with the women, who look to make their eighth consecutive Division II NCAA tournament appearance. The women tip off against Truman at 5:30 p.m., with the men’s game to follow at 7:30. To reach the ticket office, call 816-271-5904.— David Martin
Ducking Around
DAILY
Not everyone is into the vigorous pursuits of winter. Some prefer to sit still rather than sled. Others opt for contemplation instead of snowball fights. These might be the same people standing around the lagoon in
Loose Park (5200 Pennsylvania Avenue) feeding the ducks.
Whether the birds are dumb or just know when they have a good racket going, they come — even in the dead of winter — to gorge on all the food you want to throw them. A cheap winter sport, duck feeding requires just a pocketful of bread and a love for nature, no matter the temperature.— Christopher Sebela
