Country Club
8/20-8/22
OK, so America is a melting pot of thousands of cultures, everyone crammed together and living happily from the shining seas all the way to the purple mountains. Still, Colombian dance troupes and Lithuanian potato pudding are rare sights in KC. Luckily, we know where to look. To battle the scourge of vanilla, we always go to the Ethnic Enrichment Festival, now in its 25th year of providing the food, music and crafts of cultures, from Samoan to Swedish. From 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, 56 different ethnic groups will do their best to keep it real at the Band Pavilion (Swope Parkway and East Meyer Boulevard). The acts change every half-hour, meaning the hot klezmer sounds of the Israeli Nigun Orchestra might be followed by tricks from international yo-yo champions. And the menu includes curried goat and knackwurst, so we’re sure to be too stuffed or too entranced to move. Entry costs $2, but parking is free, as is admission for kids 12 and younger, who also can pick up an “ethnic passport” that encourages them to learn in between gorging on empanadas. Call 816-513-7653. — Christopher Sebela
The Offspring
Bob Marley’s performing progeny come to town.
8/20-8/22
Bob Marley is known worldwide for popularizing reggae music, but it’s not very well-known that the Rasta superstar was also a mack. The musician who penned “One Love” married his adolescent sweetheart, Rita, and had five children. However, we now know that Marley had at least four other children with other women. Apparently when fans hailed Marley as a prophet, he stopped worrying about potential palimony suits.
Marley died in 1981, but his legacy lives on through his many offspring, 5 of whom are at the 3-day International Arts and World Music Festival just north of downtown at the E.H. Young Riverfront Park (Missouri Highway 9 and Interstate 635). The multi-mothered Marley brothers — Ziggy, Stephen, Julian, Damian Jr. and Ky-mani — look eerily like their late father.
Supporting the brothers Marley are the powerhouse vocals of Toots and the Maytals, the Stone Love Movement and crazed rapper Busta Rhymes, among others. For details, call 816-931-3330. — Michael Vennard
Mad Scramble
Is one month long enough?
8/24-8/26
The Band Scramble started back on July 27, when folks at the Brick drew musicians’ names out of a hat and threw them together based on their instruments, ignoring their preference for genres, styles … or other musicians. The newly formed groups have practiced for a month and will return around 10 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to compete for a $500 prize. Performing three songs each, they’ll be evaluated on everything from sound quality to the originality of their group names. When Brick owner Sheri Parr says, “It’s about how well they play with others,” we aren’t sure whether she means musically or recreationally — rockers can be so ill-behaved. The Brick is at 1727 McGee; call 816-421-1634.— Annie Fischer
All Aboard
8/19 & 8/24
Sean O’Byrne, Union Station’s interim director, actually wants the public’s opinion on the future of Kansas City’s old train station. He’s even leaving downtown to hold community forums in Overland Park and North Kansas City this week — at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Johnson County Library’s Central Branch (9875 West 87th Street in Overland Park) and at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the North Kansas City Community Center (1999 Iron). Call 816-460-2252 for details. — Fischer
