Events: anytime, any location, all ages

After more than a decade of intimate economic relations, China and the United States have become deeply intertwined. Historian Zachary Karabell maintains that while neither country is fully at ease with this partnership, the occasional tension over intellectual property, human rights, and regional strategy pales in comparison to the deepening and on-going economic bonds that tie the two countries together.

In his book America and Its Guns pastor and self-proclaimed avid hunter James. E. Atwood maintains that our national obsession with firearms is rooted in the myth that God has appointed America as “the trustee of the civilization of the world” and empowered its citizens to carry weapons as a “redemptive” practice. But, Atwood warns, absolute trust in guns easily morphs into idolatry.

The Force will be with you at the Library!

Come dressed as your favorite Star Wars character and channel your inner Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker. Enjoy an evening of crafts (origami and making a Wookie puppet or lightsaber), games, and photo ops with costumed Imperial Stormtroopers from the 501st Legion

Appropriate for all ages.

Every other June Cultivate Kansas City holds the Urban Grown Farms & Gardens Tour to showcase efforts to grow fresh, natural foods in the neighborhoods where we live, work, shop, and play. This kickoff event features a host of guest speakers, Boulevard beer, and appetizers made with locally-grown produce.

The loss of America was an unexpected defeat for the powerful British Empire. Common wisdom has held that incompetent military commanders and political leaders were to blame.

But Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy argues in his book The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire that British troops were led ably and even brilliantly. The effort was undone by political complexities at home and the fervency of their American opponents.

Betty Ford is known for her battles with breast cancer and substance abuse. But perhaps even more than these struggles, says biographer John Robert Greene, she is remembered as a paragon of candor and courage, an outspoken first lady whose public positions did not always conform to those of her husband.

John Robert Greene is the Schupf Professor of History and Humanities at Cazenovia College and author of Betty Ford: Candor and Courage in the White House.

Curtis's show includes Magic, Comedy, some Juggling, and Duo the Dove. As for the show itself, it's one of those rare presentations that is as enjoyable for the adults as it is for the kids. Like one of those good kid movies where the kids enjoy the show on one level and the adults on another, only unlike a kid's movie, it's live and doesn't have chase scenes, a bad guy, or a talking donkey.

The Kansas City Public Library hosts Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper and captain Jimmy Nielsen for the launch of his new memoir Welcome to the Blue Heaven.

Nielsen was once scouted by Manchester United and a host of other leading European clubs, but his career was derailed by a gambling habit that earned him the nickname “Casino Jimmy.” He managed to piece his life back together and started a record 398 games for Aalborg, the team he supported as a boy; but he was ready for a change and contemplating retirement when he received a call from Kansas City in 2010 to play for a team that he did know existed until that very moment.

Trying to get your child more excited about reading? Friday Night Family Fun might be able to help.

Curtis Hed uses humor, magic, juggling, and audience participation to share the importance of reading and the ways libraries have played an important part in his life.

Appropriate for all ages.

Music from India. American gospel. The traditional Chinese Lion Dance. These are some of the ways in which different faiths and cultures manifest their deepest-held beliefs and customs through the arts.

Midsummer’s Light offers an afternoon of music, dance, and storytelling designed to build an awareness of various faith traditions and their commonalities, and to provide a colorful, dynamic, and moving experience.