brisket
Get an up close look at how the brisket is really made this weekend at The American Royal. (Jonathan Bender I Flatland)

The American Royal & Other Weekend Possibilities

September 1, 2017  |  Jonathan Bender  |  3 min read

Find your inner fire with Port Fonda’s (4141 Pennsylvania Ave.) second annual Hatch Chile Festival from 9 a.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday. The block party features an outdoor bar with Hatch chile margaritas and micheladas, as well as fire-roasted hatch chiles. They’ll also have live music starting at noon with The Grisly Hand.

Colony (312 Armour Road, North Kansas City, Missouri) launches its house brewery — Colony Handcrafted Ales — at 1 p.m. on Saturday. They’ve created a limited edition growler for the grand opening, and the first 50 people in line get to take it home.

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Go back to the days of the pioneers with Santa-Cali-Gon Days in Historic Independence Square in Independence, Missouri. The annual festival is a mash-up of craft fair, county fair, and music show. They’ve got a carnival, a blacksmith doing metalwork demonstrations and so much food. You can eat berry kabobs, burritos, ice cream, french fries, jerky, and snow cones; and then wash it all down with root beer. It runs from noon to 11 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday.

The American Royal World Series of Barbecue kicks off at the Kansas Speedway (400 Speedway Blvd., Kansas City, Kansas) tonight. The massive barbecue contest has a host of options for those who won’t be tending to a smoker. They’ve got a Taste of KC Barbecue, a family fun fest (from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday), a car show, and an induction ceremony into the Barbecue Hall of Fame. The gates open at noon today and 11 a.m. on Saturday.

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Kansas City Irish Fest runs tonight through Sunday at Crown Center. While there are plenty of goods to purchase, lots of live music and traditional dancing, you should save room and time for the spirits and food. Dive into Scotch eggs and meat pies, and then go ahead and attend a whiskey tasting.

Make it a day of Irish celebration on Saturday, with the Irish breakfast at Browne’s Irish Marketplace (3300 Pennsylvania Ave.). They’re serving up eggs, rashers, bangers, beanz and tomatoes, as well as a Bloody Mary bar between 8 and 11:30 a.m. Restless Spirits will also be there sampling their cocktails from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Fiesta Kansas City is at noon Sunday at the Power & Light District. The event, put on by the Hispanic Chamber of Greater Kansas City, features live acts including Little Joe Y La Familia.

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