Weekend Possibilities | Brew at the Zoo & Wine Too, KC Mac & Cheese Fest, A Brand New Chicago-style Pizza Joint, and Bob Dylan

There are about 48 hours between leaving work on Friday and the time you start thinking about work once again on Sunday night. Weekend Possibilities is your roadmap for food, drinks and fun for the perfect Kansas City weekend.

Friday, Oct. 18

6 – 11 p.m.  The Kansas City Juggling Festival kicks off its weekend at Rockhurst High School (9301 State Line Road) with Friday night’s open gym, workshops and free fire show following the Hawklets’ home football game. The full schedule for the festival includes daily open gyms, master classes, main stage performances, a Saturday night after party and much more. Open gym weekend passes are $5, main stage tickets are $15, while masterclass session prices vary. 

Friday night dinner options should include newly-opened Third Coast Pizza in Lenexa (7820 Quivira Road). Inspired by Windy City cuisine, Third Coast’s menu features deep dish and thin crust pizzas, Italian beef sandwiches and, of course, Chicago dogs. The new spot offers daily specials and catering.

Saturday, Oct. 19

Cafe Corazon, a brand-new spot for Kansas Citians to start their day, is now open in Westport (1721 Westport Road). A member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Cafe Corazon specializes in latinx-style coffee and espresso and bills itself as the only spot in the Midwest to serve traditional yerba mate the right way. The menu also offers rotating tamale and pastry options. Cafe Corazon is open weekends from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

12:30 – 7:30 p.m. Local chefs and restaurants are competing for KC’s top spot when it comes to mac and cheese and you can be the judge. The 2019 Kansas City Mac & Cheese Festival is coming to Berkley Riverfront Park (1298 Riverfront Road) Saturday afternoon and should delight with two sessions of unlimited mac and cheese sampling, an all-inclusive open bar, plus a commemorative spork to take home. Tickets for the 21-and-up event range from $59 to $85. The festival is in support of The Hope Center, which “aims to develop healthy communities in Kansas City where the vulnerable can have hope and flourish.”

3 – 7 p.m. The first-ever PupPong tournament is coming to KC Live at Power & Light District (13th Street and Grand Blvd.) for a good cause. Grab your sharp-shooting beer pong buddy, register for the double-elimination tournament and battle for prizes. If you get knocked out early, don’t worry, there will be a loser’s bracket plus plenty of pups to pet. Attendees can also win raffle baskets and enjoy drink deals, with 100% of proceeds going to Unleashed Pet Rescue. Registration for those 21 and up is $40.

7 – 11 p.m. Head to The Kansas City Zoo (6800 Zoo Dr.) for Brew at the Zoo & Wine Too, a one-of-a-kind night of live music and sampling of more than 45 local breweries and wineries. Those 21 and older will be treated to tunes courtesy of Atlas Genius and Winnetka Bowling League. As for grub, local food trucks Taste of Brazil, Wiener Wagon, Chunky Al’s and many more will be on site. General admission tickets are $50, and friends of the zoo can get in for $40.

Sunday, Oct. 20

2 – 5 p.m. Make Sunday a family fun day with the Kansas City Halloween Extravaganza at Hy-Vee Arena (1800 Genessee St.). Kids will have the chance to meet superheroes and princesses, along with a cast of other favorite characters. There will be bounce houses, face painting, costume contests and much more. Individual tickets are $9. Family four-packs are available for $30.

7 p.m. Get in the door and settle in for legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan at Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland (1228 Main St.). Dylan has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 10 Grammy Awards, the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. He’s toured extensively for the majority of his more-than 50 years of music making and returns to Kansas City for the first time since 2016. He’ll take the stage at 8 p.m. Tickets for the show are available and range from $48 to $135.