Signature Events
Larry Wood
Missouri Valley Sundays
Infamous characters and sensational incidents abounded in the Ozarks immediately after the Civil War and well into the 20th century. The mining district around Joplin, Missouri, saw perhaps more murderous violence than any comparably populated area in the country. Gunplay erupted with alarming regularity, and spectators flocked to the drama of executions and lynchings.
The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival’s four-part series of inside-the-play presentations focuses on its summer production of the masterful, revenge-tinged tragedy Hamlet. This week: The Play’s the Thing by Robert Willson, emeritus professor of English at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Feel like an end-of-the-day workout in a unique, open-air setting? Relax and rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit with an hour of yoga on the downtown Central Library’s Rooftop Terrace.
It’s Lucile Bluford’s day. Officially. Bluford, for whom the Library's L.H. Bluford Branch is named, was a leading voice in the civil rights movement in Kansas City and helped make The Call one of the largest and most important African-American newspapers in the nation. In recognition a year ago, the state of Missouri designated July 1—her birthday—as Lucile Bluford Day.
James Heiman
Missouri Valley Sundays
The world’s eyes were drawn in April to the iconic tower of Kansas City’s Liberty Memorial, site of the official centennial commemoration of our country’s entry into the Great War. Completed and dedicated in 1926, the Liberty Memorial and National World War I Museum are unique in their scope, constituting the largest WWI memorial in the U.S.
On the eve of the 13th annual KC Fringe Festival ¬ an 11-day performing and visual arts extravaganza spread across multiple Kansas City venues ¬ some of its hottest acts deliver a special preview.
Steve Penn
Part of preserving our city’s rich jazz history is caring for the musicians whose inimitable sounds were its essence. Former Kansas City Star columnist Steve Penn chronicles the lives of 20 of those men and women, from bassist Milt Abel to soul singer Marva Whitney, in his book Last Call, calling attention as well to the Coda Jazz Fund.
2017 Youth Summer Reading
The Kansas City Zoo’s Zoomobile brings the world of the wild to you, with a variety of programs featuring artifacts, science, stories, and live animals.
