Events

Founded in 1993, the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival is dedicated to bringing the Bard’s great plays free of charge to Kansas City audiences.

The season kicks off on June 19 in Southmoreland Park with the magic-and-comedy-filled romance A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The next night, June 20, marks the opening of Antony and Cleopatra, a tragedy inspired by the famous romance between a Roman warrior and the Queen of Egypt.

Check out the following free presentations inspired by this year’s Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.

Kids Cafe at Central Youth Services

Free Lunch served everyday, Monday thru Friday, Noon– 12:45 pm
Beginning June 4, 2012

All youth ages 0-18 welcome

*Meals served ONLY to those 18 years of age and younger.
*ALL food must be consumed during the program on the premises

During the Civil War Missouri was a state divided, suffering from a fractured identity and caught up in a struggle of no quarter between its battling factions. That violent period of near-anarchy is examined in the traveling exhibit A State Divided: The Civil War in Missouri, a joint effort of the Missouri Humanities Council and the Missouri History Museum.

This colorful and informative exhibit follows the “bushwhackers” and “Jayhawkers” whose bitter enmity continues to color the relations between Missourians and Kansans.

Fred Geary (1894-1955) attended the Kansas City Art Institute and worked as a commercial artist for the Fred Harvey Company in Union Station. Geary became caught up in the wood engraving movement that became popular in the U.S. in the 1930s and in his spare time produced exquisite depictions of small-town life and Missouri landscapes and landmarks.

Easily and cheaply reproduced, woodcuts put art into the hands of working-class Americans.

The newest exhibition of the Orval Hixon Gallery, New Compositions: The Dance Portraiture of Orval Hixon, is on display from June 11, 2011 through 2013 at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. The exhibit features a rich selection of Hixon’s portraits, including images of some of the best-known dancers of his time.

To most local landscape architects, Hare & Hare is a household name. The firm has left an indelible mark on some of the most iconic and often-visited areas of Kansas City—the Country Club Plaza, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Loose Park, Ward Parkway, and Mission Hills among them.

We provide stories and activities for children newborn to 18 months of age.

If you're ready to Dream Big, come join us every Wednesday at 10:30. We will have stories, songs, activities, crafts, and lots of fun as we celebrate the summer reading theme, "Dream Big: Read." Recommended for ages 3-10.

We provide stories and activities for children newborn to 18 months of age.

June 13- Up Cycling and Book Binding-
Repurpose old books into new journals or sketchbooks with Green Paper Crafts.

June 20- Bleached Out Glow in the dark Library Bags-
Bleach out your drawings on a canvas bag and then make it glow.

June 27- Zombie Felties- It’s ALIVE!
Frankenstein had the right idea when he pieced together his old school zombie monster. Sew up your own frightening mini zombie friends.

July 11th- Read the Stars-
Constellation themed mixed media and embroideries

Join us for a fun summer story and craft! This year's theme is: DREAM BIG. For more information, contact Christy at 816-701-3489.

Teen Gaming has a Wii console, a PlayStation2 and a XBOX 360 plus an array of board games for you to enjoy. A chess board is always available for some great competitive games. Bring your own video games and share the joy of playing with all your mates.

Come and enjoy board games, books, crafts, snacks, refreshments, and music at Westport Library. Listen to fun stories and sing along. Dress up as a character from your favorite book and win extra prizes for your creativity! Register for the Summer Reading program at the party and let the fun summer begin!

This is a family program. All ages are invited.

Historian Robert Rydell describes how world’s fairs inspired and promoted innovations in architecture, the arts, music, science, and technology, not to mention consumer culture and mass entertainment. His presentation complements the exhibit Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851-1939 currently on display at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.