curiousKC

A black and white framed photo of a young man.

This Man Paved The Way For Lee’s Summit

This resource has been removed permanently. There are two sorts of people in the world — those who are blissfully uninterested in the origin of street names, and those who are helplessly intrigued by the history behind this most basic feature of public life.When it comes to Todd George Parkway in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Sam…

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Bogdon's Peppermint Poles

The Bogdon Candy Co. Made Sweet Treats For Three Generations

The next time you bring a gift to a wedding, you should think of Walter Bogdon. The late chocolatier first invented the reception stick — a crunchy, chocolate-enrobed hard candy — for a local couple about to get married more than 70 years ago. A Flatland reader asked what happened to the Bogdon Candy Company. So…

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man riding a Bird scooter

Jumping on e-scooters on the fly? Think twice

Exiting her daughter’s apartment building on a recent Sunday, Janet Korte spotted something that looked just like the motorless Razor scooters her children loved to ride. “So I thought, ‘This’ll be a piece of cake,’” said Korte, 52, who was visiting Kansas City from Wichita. She pressed her thumb on the throttle, and the scooter…

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an old photo os a bustling street/

Do You Know Twelfth Street’s (Famous) Past?

If there’s a street that defines Kansas City, Missouri, which one would you say it is? Obvious candidates include Ward Parkway, The Paseo and Southwest Boulevard. But what would you say to the dark horse selection of 12th Street? It’s a relatively pedestrian thoroughfare now, but it has a bawdy history that reaches back to…

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quentin brewer

The Rise and Fall of an Overland Park Icon

Metcalf Avenue is certainly not the Champs-Élysées, but at one time, a French-themed market loomed large — like a medieval castle — above Overland Park’s main drag. This superstore, in fact, was named the French Market, and curiousKC delved into the history of the place at the behest of Quentin Brewer, a Mission, Kansas, resident…

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