Why is the “Totally Nude” sign over Temptations covered up today?

It seems like all that it takes to get things done in Democratic-leaning Kansas City, Missouri, is to have Republican bigwigs come to town.

Before the Republican National Convention site-selection committee landed in Kansas City on Wednesday, scores of weed-whacker-armed workers fanned out all over the Crossroads Arts District to get rid of weeds that have been growing through cracks in sidewalks for weeks. The Pitch has been in the Crossroads for ages, and longtime staffers here can’t recall another similar concerted housekeeping effort.

Then on Thursday, we noticed that the (in)famous “Totally Nude” sign over the Temptations gentlemen’s club at 1517 Grand was covered up.

City Hall for years has wanted to jettison the garish sign, but it has withstood pressure over the years. And now, with top GOP officials in town trying to figure out whether Kansas City is a suitable locale for the 2016 Republican National Convention, the “Totally Nude” sign is suddenly obscured.

Could the two things be related?  

Calls to Temptations management and to lawyer Dick Bryant were not immediately returned.

Of course, “Totally Nude” is somewhat misleading. Missouri laws enacted in 2010 mean dancers at Temptations can’t dance, um, totally nude.

By midafternoon Thursday, the white tarp obscuring the sign began surrendering to the post-storm breeze. Some letters from the sign were peeping out from underneath the tarp.

Like its dancers, Temptations’ signage is only partially covered up.