Weekend Possibilities | KC Symphony Plays The Beatles, Good Living Expo, Mediterranean Lunch

Start the new year with a symphonic take on the Fab Four’s legacy at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, an expo focused on healthy habits, a tasty gyro — it’s your weekend.

Just be safe out there.

Friday, Jan. 7

9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Anyone looking to spice things up in the kitchen, quite literally, should swing by the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library’s Spice Club Friday Curbside Pickup event, 625 Minnesota Ave. This week’s Cuban-themed spice kit will have everything you need to create a Cuban spice blend, plus a storage container and recipes while supplies last. The Spice Club package is free.

10:30 a.m. Creative Storytime at Ceramic Café, 9510 Nall Ave., is providing the space for little ones to do arts and crafts away from the kitchen table. The preschool-aged workshop includes a ceramic piece for kids to paint, as a group leader reads a children’s story to the class. Each story-themed masterpiece goes home with its creator. A snack is included. Creative Storytime is $15 per child, no reservation required.

6:30 – 9 p.m. The Belvoir Winery & Inn, 1325 Odd Fellows Road, will host a Murder Mystery Dinner Friday evening in the former Odd Fellows Home in Liberty, Missouri. A ticket to the dinner includes appetizers, a full entre, two drinks from the bar and the show. Can’t catch the killer? The good news is the bar is open for the duration of the evening. Dress is casual. Tickets are $57.

Saturday, Jan. 8

10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Bundle up for Tropical Weekend at the Kansas City Zoo, 6800 Zoo Drive. The zoo-wide “island state of mind” celebration will have lei and sandcastle-making stations in the lobby, plus tropical enrichment items for animals to enjoy across the grounds. Tropical Weekend activities are included with the price of admission. General admission tickets are $17-$20. Jackson and Clay County residents get in for $8.50-$10.

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Good Living Expo at Overland Park Convention Center, 6000 College Blvd., is underway just in time to assure those New Year’s resolutions hold up. The two-day interactive event and expo is focused on promoting lifestyle enhancement through fitness, natural beauty, nutrition, weight loss and overall physical and mental wellness. If you make plans to check out the Good Living Expo, be sure to scroll through scheduled classes to sign up for, plus a full list of participating vendors. Daily admission is $5, a weekend pass is $8. Children 12 and under are free.

12:30 – 2 p.m. Wildlife: Footprints in the Snow is an afternoon of animal tracking, storytelling and arts and crafts for children ages 5-8 at the Anita B Gorman Conservation Discovery Center, 4750 Troost Ave. Kids will look for prints in the powder from various forest critters before coming up with a story about the animal’s journey, which will be shared as an art project. Be sure to make a reservation.

4 – 8 p.m. BeerSauce Shop KC, 1219 W. 103rd St., is set to host a Ready to Drink Cocktail Flight tasting Saturday evening. The shop’s shelves hold more than 600 craft beers and 200 sauces to look over while enjoying a flight featuring small pours of ArtSpritz Aperitivo Italiano, Copper Can Moscow Mule and more. You must be 21 or older to participate in the tasting. The flight is $12.

Sunday, Jan. 9

10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The Kansas City Reptile Show wraps up Sunday at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Overland Park, 10100 College Blvd. The creepy crawly convention will have thousands of reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates to check out or take home, plus feeders and supplies like cages, aquariums, bedding and much more. Tickets are $5 for children ages 5-10 and $10 for adults.

11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Looking for lunch? Mediterranean Market, 1404 Westport Road, offers a short but tasty menu with falafel, pita and hummus, shawarma and gyros, plus an assortment of Mediterranean salads at a reasonable fare. Be sure to make a few laps around the joint while the order is prepped. The market has imported goodies from across the Middle East and around the world.

2 p.m. There’s a symphonic tribute to The Beatles Sunday afternoon at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway Blvd. Get tickets to see the final performance of Revolution: The Music of The Beatles by the Kansas City Symphony. Music for the show has been transcribed and arranged from the original masters of The Beatles’ “Abbey Road” and features the hits and more in a musical journey highlighting the Fab Four’s legacy. Tickets are still available starting at $40, plus taxes and fees.

Flatland contributor Clarence Dennis also is a social media manager for 90.9 The Bridge.