The Weekend Starts Today
It’s Mother’s Day weekend. So, for goodness’ sake, pre-order those flowers, and make those brunch reservations now. Better yet, take mom out to see one of the great cultural events happening around our city. We’ve culled the best for her (and you) below. With May underway, it’s time for a First Friday in the Crossroads….
Jazzy B’s To Open Brick-And-Mortar Restaurant in Lee’s Summit
Food truck entrepreneur Brandon Simpson, owner-operator of Jazzy B’s, has plotted a route to open his first full-service restaurant in Lee’s Summit. He plans to open the restaurant in the former location of Pork-N-Pit BBQ (1803 N.E. Colbern Road) by the second week of June, if plans and permits proceed according to schedule. Meanwhile, Simpson…
Take 5 For Your Health
In Missouri, 300,000 Patients’ Dental Care Is In Limbo As State Struggles To Fund Coverage Earlier this year, 69-year-old Aneita McCloskey needed her two front teeth filed down and capped. “They were kind of worn down, and they were also getting little tears and cavities,” she recalls. Without dental insurance, McCloskey is on the hook…
For Farmers, Every Planting Season is a High Stakes Bet
Near Alexander, Iowa, on a cloudy spring Tuesday, Josh Nelson watches a bright red Case IH Magnum tractor pull a 24-row planter and crest a small hill, dropping corn seed at careful intervals. Nelson says his family farm dodged a weather bullet this week, but it’s just one of many hurdles this season promises. Planting…
Why You Should Care About OriginKC New Works Festival at The KC Rep
All spring, the OriginKC New Works Festival has been helping to build the city’s theater scene with events like Playwright Slams and the Monday Night Playwright Series. This weekend, the festival culminates with the opening of two full-length plays. Yes, two. The Rep is simultaneously staging a pair of dramatic works, presented in a rotating repertory from…
Parkville Microbrew Festival and Other Weekend Possibilities
The 13th-annual Parkville Microbrew Fest is Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at English Landing Park. You can enter the festival at 11 a.m., but sampling doesn’t start until 1 p.m. There are live music acts and more than 300 beers from 69 breweries (and seven home brewers) to try. Tickets are $36 in advance (and $45…
See Me, Feel Me
Walking out of her school library this morning, Manasvi Chennareddy gushed about spending the past hour learning about the variety of religions from around the world. “I didn’t know about Sikhs, or that other religions existed,” said Manasvi, a sixth-grader at Harmony Middle School in Overland Park. “And now I know all of their practices.”…
Wondering How to Navigate the Middle of the Map Film Schedule? Go with the Flow
Middle of the Map’s film festival kicks off this weekend and there’s a ton of fascinating stuff to see. So much, in fact, that you might have trouble deciding. Never fear. Flatland has a fun, little flowchart to help you choose. Check it out. [FLEX-CONTENT]
The Weekend Starts Today
This week has already been a wet one. Like “build an ark” wet. The upcoming weekend, unfortunately, might not be much drier. Luckily, most of the best stuff to do around town will be held inside, so water won’t be a problem. Except, that is, for the Brookside Art Annual. You might need rain gear for…
Little Piggy Food Truck Hub Opens This Weekend
The 1953 Spartan trailer was in a field outside of Rantoul, Kansas. Chef Michael Foust was returning from a farm visit with every intention of heading straight to his restaurant, The Farmhouse. But the sun winked on metal, he turned around, drove up a farmer’s driveway, and made an impulse buy. “My mid-life crisis is…
Take 5 For Your Health
Kansas schools, churches try new ways to deliver summer meals Delivering meals to low-income people is a long-standing way to improve nutrition, but a project in Iola Unified School District 257 will bring the whole diner. Kathy Koehn, nutrition and wellness coordinator at USD 257, said students taking vocational classes in the district are working…
KC Pinoy takes Filipino cuisine mobile
KC Pinoy food truck owner-operator Chrissy Nucum, born and raised in the Philippines, knows the secret to her grandmother’s atsara, a pickled papaya salad with carrots, red onion and green onions. The recipe traces back to the family’s roots in Pampanga, a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. “Filipinos from that region…
30 Stories in 30 Days | From ‘Star Wars’ to Mandolins
Videographer Alden Miller has created a challenge for himself: In the month of April, tell one story about Kansas City each day. Yup, that’s each and every day. Here at Flatland, we’ve teamed up with the dangerously-living Mr. Miller to showcase that work throughout the month. We check in with him at Alchemy New Media weekly to see how…
From the Still to the Barrel
Go behind the scenes with the Shannon family’s Restless Spirits distillery in North Kansas City. Michael Shannon explains the history, and Benay Shannon, the metro’s only female head distiller, puts on her pink boots to walk us through the how-to. The Shannon’s deep connection to Kansas City — and its sordid political history — can be seen on the labels, and we…
Feeding Bacteria to Livestock Could Cut Antibiotic Use
On a cold windy morning, Kelly Nissen feeds the cows at the Iowa State University Beef Nutrition Farm north of Ames. Far from just tossing hay, he weighs out specific rations and carefully delivers them to numbered feed bunks. “When you’re feeding, you’re always double-checking yourself to make sure it’s going in the right lot,”…