It is almost time for the annual Kansas City Irish Fest! If you enjoy Irish music, mark your calendar for August 31-September 2 at Crown Center. Were your Irish ancestors here in Kansas City? They may have been among the recruits of Father Bernard Donnelly (from County Cavan) in the 1850s. With a background in civil engineering, Father Donnelly saw the possibilities for jobs leveling the bluffs in the old river market area.
Edgerton, Missouri isn’t known for much. A small, quiet town located in the corner of Platte County, we are easily overlooked unless you are passing through….accidently. You may have heard of Harmer’s Café, which we are delighted to have back in business after a short hiatus. You may have heard of the Union Mill Opry, which we are sad to say is no longer running after many years of providing many people with great entertainment. But probably the most popular draw to our quaint little neck of the woods is Pioneer Days.
Blue Springs Fall Fun Festival 2012: September 14-16
The days are getting shorter, the nights are a little cooler, and the leaves are changing as we usher in another beautiful fall season in the Midwest. Every year, the local community is invited to spend a weekend celebrating autumn in charming downtown Blue Springs at the Blue Springs Fall Fun Festival!
This weekend, plan on bringing the whole family to Main St. in Blue Springs to enjoy some great food and entertainment. Festivities begin at noon on Friday.
On September 8th, I attended Edgerton Pioneers Day, an annual festival the takes place each fall in Edgerton, Missouri. One of the events that I attended was the Elvis impersonation. Bobby Simkins, the Elvis impersonator, did a great job keeping the crowd entertained.
MCPL provides a number of resources about Elvis, including biographies, movies, and sound recordings (CDs), all available for checkout.
Don’t you just love this time of year? After our miserable summer, the days are just wonderful, and I love being able to sleep with an open window. And, September in Riverside means Riverfest!
You may not realize, but your local librarians are very multi-talented. In fact, many of us spend our weekends participating in the MCPL Book Cart Drill Team, marching in many area parades. This past weekend, we practiced our formations and marched in the Riverside parade. I guess I’m not that talented, because I just carried the MCPL banner and waved.
The annual Buckner Festival is October 4th - 6th! The carnival begins Thursday evening and continues through Saturday evening. The theme of this year's Festival is Heritage of Harvest. Highlights of the Festival include live music on Friday and Saturday evenings, craft and food booths, and a parade on Saturday.
The staff of the Buckner Branch will be walking in the parade, dressed as characters from children's books (I hear Fancy Nancy will make an appearance). The parade starts at 10:00 a.m., and we hope you will come out and enjoy the festivities.
Hey everyone! It’s time again for Smithville's Octoberfest. It looks like it’s going to be a great festival this year with fun events and contests for all ages. The festival will be October 12 & 13th, with the Preliminary Miss Blue Jeans Pageant competition on Thursday, October 11th in the downtown courtyard from 6:00 p.m. till 8:00 p.m. MCPL will be sponsoring the Mad Science performance, which will be held in the courtyard from 7:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Kansas City has lots of different ethnic festivals, e.g., Latino, Irish, and Greek for starters. But have you ever heard of an Italian one called a St. Joseph’s Table? I hadn’t either. Then a friend invited me to attend one in the northeast area of Kansas City. According to legend, many years ago, there was a famine in Italy. The people prayed to St. Joseph and promised to do something special if the famine ended. It did.
On March 23rd, a lot of people gathered in Park Hill South High School to celebrate the ethnic and cultural diversity in the Northland. The Northland Ethnic Festival featured ethnic displays, music and dancing, children's crafts, and genealogy help. The Festival has been a huge success for 10 years now. It is coordinated by the Platte County University of Missouri Extension, Park Hill School District, Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods, Mid-Continent Public Library, and the Ethnic Enrichment Commission.
The 2013 Truman Heritage Festival Barbecue Championship
When I lived out of state, people who knew I was from the Kansas City area would ask my opinion of the local barbecue restaurants. I was evidently considered an expert on barbecue simply by growing up here in the KC area. Believe it or not, one can find good barbecue in places like Half Moon Bay, California, and Pocatello, Idaho.
