KC Bier Co.’s Oktoberfest & Other Weekend Possibilities
Raise a stein or two this weekend at Kansas City Bier Company on Saturday and Sunday. Oktoberfest returns with dancing, a stein holding competition, a lederhosen competition, and the tapping of a Festbier. Make it an Oktoberfest weekend. The Lee’s Summit Oktoberfest is today (5 to 11 p.m.) and tomorrow (10 a.m. to 11 p.m.), while…
Sympathetic Vibrations | A Brave Composition
If there is a musical equivalent to rock climbing without a rope, local musician J. Ashley Miller is doing it. Miller, 34, has spent the last year developing a “brutalist pop opera” despite having no formal training in the genre and limited theater production experience. The project, “Echosis,” will debut this weekend with a two-night…
Watching Our Water | Cities Cope with Polluted Ag Runoff, Create Their Own Pollution, Too
Standing on a platform above the eastern bank of the Missouri River at the Kansas City, Missouri, Water Services’ intake plant is like being on the deck of a large ship. Electric turbines create a vibration along the blue railing, where David Greene, laboratory manager for Kansas City Water Services, looks out across the river….
The Ripple Effect | KCPT’s look at Ewing Marion Kauffman’s legacy
The name Kauffman is synonymous with Kansas City, from Kauffman Stadium to the Kauffman Foundation to the Kauffman Scholars program. In celebration of his 100th birthday, we take a look back at the life of a man whose great impact ripples beyond the boundaries of our city. As a young man, Ewing Marion Kauffman opened Marion Laboratories,…
The Weekend Starts Today
Fall officially starts this weekend, but it sure won’t feel that way. Yes, the autumnal equinox is tomorrow, but temperatures are expected to hit a decidedly un-autumnal 90 degrees. In other words, it’s faux-fall, and Flatland has a few ways to get out and enjoy it. An entertaining, if frustrating, Royals season is winding down….
Watching Our Water | Farmers Dabble in Voluntary Measures to Stop Harmful Runoff
On a gray day, just as the rain begins to fall, Roger Zylstra stops his red GMC Sierra pick-up truck on the side of the road and hops down into a ditch in Jasper County, Iowa. It takes two such stops before he unearths amid the tall weeds and grasses what he’s looking for. “Here…
PHOTOS: A Peephole Into The Lives Of Coal Miners, Teen Moms, City Folk
It’s a puzzling image — with a crime story behind it. Women in colorful saris — hot pink, highlighter yellow, teal and royal blue — snake up a dusty gray quarry, carrying baskets of coal over their heads. It’s early in the morning; they’re stealing from the mine before officials come in for the day….
Hello Atelier | Getting Into the Free Motion of Modern Quilting
Flatland has teamed up with Hello Atelier, a Kansas City-based podcast that explores what it means to be a working artist. Hosted by Betsy Blodgett, the weekly podcast takes you into to the studios of designers of all different mediums to learn about their inspiration, their design process and the personal stories behind their art. Hello Atelier is presented by Phonicalia,…
Watching Our Water | Farmers Feel Pressure to Fight Agriculture Water Pollution
Living in the Platte River Valley in central Nebraska means understanding that the water in your well may contain high levels of nitrates and may not be safe to drink. “When our first son was born in 1980, we actually put a distiller in for our drinking water here in the house,” says Ken Seim,…
Take 5 For Your Health
KU Researchers Aim To Improve Health Of Kansans With Disabilities University of Kansas researchers plan to use a $1.5 million federal grant to help Kansans with disabilities catch up to their non-disabled peers in several health categories. Jean Hall, director of KU’s Institute for Health and Disability Policy Studies, will lead a team of partners…
Watching Our Water | How Are Nitrates Ending Up In Drinking Water Supplies?
Contaminated drinking water isn’t just a problem for Flint, Michigan. Many towns and cities across the Midwest and Great Plains face pollution seeping into their water supplies. A big part of the problem: farming and ranching. Farmers spread nitrogen- and phosphorous-based fertilizers on their fields to help their crops grow. Excess nutrients, though, can leach…
Chapter 1 | From Discard to Destiny
Kansas City is often called a melting pot of barbecue. The idea is that we’re willing to cook a lot of different meats, and that we’ve taken the time to understand how to do each one right (here’s a hint: it’s almost always low and slow). But Kansas City isn’t just an aggregator of barbecue,…
Watching Our Water | A Special Report
Watching Our Water is a five-part series in partnership with Harvest Public Media. Follow the entire series on Flatland through Friday, Sept. 23, and look for the half hour documentary that evening at 8 p.m. on KCPT. How does pristine water running off of snowpack high in the Rocky Mountains end up as a floating chemical…
Four-Legged Friends Bring Aid, Comfort to Veterans
Brittany lives from day to day with relentless anxiety, depression, nightmares, insomnia and a fear of crowds. She’s a 30-year-old U.S. Army veteran, a combat surgical nurse who did stints in South Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan while in the service from 2005 to 2013. She suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. Brittany’s PTSD stems from combat…
Corn Mazes & Other Weekend Possiblities
Corn is no longer just for eating. You’ve got your choice of a pair of area corn mazes to test your directional sense without Google Maps to help. The Liberty Corn Maze opened last weekend and has two side benefits: a beer garden and open fire s’mores. The Louisburg Cider Mill opens its pumpkin patch…