Teams Kansas City Chiefs - War Paint

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Allegedly breaks his son's arm. F*ck, what a bell end.
 
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Chiefs give six-figure guarantee to undrafted receiver Jamal Custis
Posted by Michael David Smith on May 4, 2019, 6:06 AM EDT
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For some players, it’s better not to be drafted than to be selected late in the draft. Former Syracuse receiver Jamal Custis is one such player.
Custis, an undrafted rookie, was guaranteed more than $100,000 when he signed with the Chiefs, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Chiefs badly want to find receivers who can make big plays, and Custis averaged 17.8 yards per catch last year, and so they spent what it took to keep him from signing somewhere else.
If Custis had been drafted in the seventh round, he wouldn’t have had any options. Seventh-round picks have no choice but to sign the contract that goes with their draft slot, and players chosen late in the seventh round typically get a guarantee of about $75,000.
As one of the top undrafted players, Custis was presumably getting calls well before the end of the draft from teams offering him big guarantees. He was probably hoping he wouldn’t be drafted.
 

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Can they find another "Non Kid Hitting" Tyreek out there?
 

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Thought he might struggle without Tyreek. Makes the complicated look very easy. I guess having a MLB Pitcher for a father means you learn how to throw!!
 
I was all for going all in and trading for Jalen, but with the AB news I'm thinking we hold off and see if we can pickup any other corners later for less, obviously won't be the same talent but if we get Jalen we are losing another 1st rounder and will struggle to keep Chris jones
 
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25 Things You Should Know About Kansas City

BY EMILY BECKER
AUGUST 1, 2015

iStock


There's more to the City of Fountains than just barbecue. (Although the barbecue is legendary.) Study up before your next visit to the midwestern metropolis of 467,000.

1. Kansas City spans two states: Missouri and Kansas. The international airport, baseball stadium and football stadium are all on the Missouri side. The professional soccer team and theNASCAR race track are found on the Kansas side.

2. And you can be in both states at the same time if you stand on State Line Road, which runs north-south along the border of Missouri and Kansas.

3. However, the two states have not always been on friendly terms. During the Civil War, violence erupted across Kansas between abolitionists and fighters from slave state Missouri over whether or not Kansas would allow slavery. The state during this time became known as “Bleeding Kansas.”



4. Much of the city’s early economy was based on the Kansas City Stock Yards, which traded cattle, hogs, sheep, horses and mules.

5. In 1899, breeders established the American Royal Livestock and Horse Show, which, at the time, was the only livestock show in the country. The event is still held annually in the city.

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6. Speaking of cows, Kansas City is home to some great barbecue. In 1908, Henry Perry started his stand of smoked meats that catered to workers in the Garment District. He shared his secrets with Charlie Bryant, whose brother, Arthur, took over the eponymous restaurant after Charlie’s death.

7. A more recent addition, Joe’s Kansas City, was voted the best southern barbecue in the country by readers of USA Today.

8. The city is home to 200 fountains and claims that only Rome has more. Early architects of the city are said to have wanted to create an urban landscape with “more boulevards than Paris, more fountains than Rome.

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9.
Notorious outlaw of the late 1800s Jesse James was born north of Kansas City and began his criminal career robbing banks, stagecoaches, and trains in the area. James and his gang once raided the Kansas City Fairgrounds.

10. In the early 20th century, the city was controlled by political boss Tom Pendergast who ran the local Democratic Party. Pendergast directed the flow of illegal alcohol during Prohibition and rigged elections to keep his friends in power, including hand-picking Harry S. Truman as the next U.S. senator from Missouri.

11. Jazz lives at 18th and Vine. The area around the intersection became popular during the 1920s for its music and nightlife.

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12. Speaking of great jazz, Charlie Parker was born in Kansas City in 1920.

13. The area is also home to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, a privately-funded museum filled with memorabilia and exhibits about African-American baseball in the U.S. The roster of the Kansas City Monarchs, the Negro league's team in the city, boasted legendary players such as Satchel Paige, Buck O’Neil, and Jackie Robinson.

14. If you’re looking to go shopping in Kansas City, the place to visit is the Country Club Plaza. The fifteen-block area is filled with shops, restaurants, and a movie theater. During the Christmas season, the buildings are lined with Christmas lights that turn on at sundown every evening.

15. Walt Disney’s family moved to Kansas City when he was nine years old. While in elementary school, Disney took drawing classes on the weekend at the Kansas City Art Institute.

16. Union Station in Kansas City opened in 1914, and during WWII, an estimated one million travelers passed through the station. It was closed in the 1980s, but was renovated and reopened in 1999.

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17.
Across from Union Station sits the Liberty Memorial, home to the only World War I museum in the United States.

18. Boulevard Brewery on Southwest Boulevard is the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest.

19. As part of an effort to revitalize the downtown area, the Power and Light District, a shopping and entertainment neighborhood, was opened in 2008. Eight blocks of the area are exempt from the city’s open container laws.

20. GPS company Garmin and mobile phone provider Sprint both call the Kansas City metropolitan area home.

21. In 1998, Sprint built a massive 200-acre headquarters campus in Overland Park, Kan. At the time, it was the largest corporate headquarters in the Midwest.

22. In 2011, it was announced that Kansas City would be the first city in the country to receive Google Fiber, the company’s broadband internet service that boasts speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.

23. Sporting KC, the area’s professional soccer team, was one of the founding members of the MLS (under the name the Kansas City Wiz). The team has won the MLS Cup twice.

24. The Kansas City Chiefs, the NFL team, has only won the Super Bowl once, but that didn’t keep fans of the team from breaking the world record for loudest NFL stadium by creating 142.2 decibels of noise at a game in September 2014.

25. The number one rival of the Kansas City Royals baseball team is the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals. The team not only made the World Series finals for the first time in 29 years in 2014, but singer Lorde is said to have been inspired to write her single “Royals” after seeing a photo of the team’s former third baseman George Brett.

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A TALE OF TWO (KANSAS) CITIES

June 14, 2019

Have you ever wondered why there are two cities named Kansas City…specifically how the larger one isn’t even in Kansas at all?

KANSAS CITY VS. KANSAS CITY

There are two places in the Midwest named Kansas City, and they both sit and prosper along the Missouri River…although on opposite sides. There’s the major metropolis of Kansas City, Missouri (population: 490,000), as well as Kansas City, Kansas (population: 152,000), which is actually and confusingly considered part of the larger Kansas City, Missouri metropolitan area.

WHY DID IT HAPPEN?

These two places sprung up independently of one another, so the reason for the two cities with the same name isn’t like how Missouri’s St. Louis has a suburb called East St. Louis just over the border in Illinois. (However, they are very close together — about five miles apart.) Oddly enough, and it sounds counterintuitive, the Kansas City in Missouri was founded before the Kansas City in Kansas. Missouri’s Kansas City started up in 1850, while the Kansas one was officially founded in 1872, bringing together an amalgamation of smaller settlements in Wyandotte County.

CONFUSING INDUSTRY AND VISITORS

According to local legend, one of the reasons why the new city named itself Kansas City (even though the name was taken, and so close by) was resentment: The people there reportedly didn’t like how Missouri had a city named after their state. That it was a major, wealthy river-reliant city added insult to injury. So, they sought to steal back some of the attention by purposely trying to confuse industry and individuals to divert money (and visitors) there.

LOOK TO THE RIVER

So then why is there a city named Kansas in a state that isn’t Kansas? That’s because it’s not named after the state of Kansas, it’s named after the Kansas River, which in turn gets its name from the indigenous Kansa people. Before it was Kansas City, it was called simply Kansas, when incorporated in 1850, before the official establishment of the Kansas Territory in 1854. When that happened, Kansas the city — located just inside the boundaries of Missouri — changed its name to Kansas City to avoid confusion.
 
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Interesting Facts about Kansas City

Posted on June 5, 2018 by wpadm

How Kansas City got its name…
It was almost named Rabbitville or Possom Trot. Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri are different and unique in their own ways! It may get confusing between the 2, but each have their own successes and style.
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Some History… Movement west – Santa Fe, California, Oregon trails, and more!
In the mid 1800s, more than a quarter of a million people headed west to find their dreams in the “promised lands” of Mexico, California and the Oregon Territory. The “Queen City of the Trails” is the only city to serve as the launching point for the Santa Fe, Oregon and California Trails.
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KC is the home of barbecue. There are more than 100 barbecue restaurants, serving dishes liked pulled pork, ribs and burnt ends.

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  1. Yes, we have a Kansas City Barbecue Society, at least 100 Barbecue restaurants in the city, and some of the largest competitions for barbecue throughout the country.
  2. The American Royal BBQ is one of the nation’s biggest and best barbecue competitions that brings grilling teams from across the globe to Kansas City for weekend of BBQing and fun. Teams fire up their grills on Friday and party while they cook until they race their entries to the judging hall on Saturday. The American Royal is something you don’t want to miss and yes, there are samples!
    The BBQ is traditionally held the first weekend in October, but the American Royal offers a full calendar of events September through November.
    If you miss the America Royal but still want to eat some of Kansas City’s famous barbecue, ask a local to recommend their favorite joint, or see what the Wall Street Journal says in its Smokin’ BBQ in Kansas City (BBQ Kansas City) story.
  3. Arthur Bryant actually created KC-style Barbecue when he added molasses to another man’s sauce to sweeten it. Style of BBQ
  4. A more recent addition, Joe’s Kansas City (http://www.joeskc.com/), was voted the best southern barbecue in the country by readers of USA Today. http://www.10best.com/awards/travel/best-southern-bbq/
  5. There are more BBQ restaurants per capita than anywhere in the world.
  6. Evolution of BBQ
  7. Dotty Griffith, in her book, Celebrating Barbecue: The Ultimate Guide to America’s 4 Regional Styles of ‘Cue, calls Kansas City the Constantinople of barbecue, “where the pork tradition of the South meets head-on the beef tradition of Texas. Barbecue in Kansas City represents the best of both worlds.” (p.91) (http://books.google.com/books?id=BP...&sa=X&ei=ju_mUanLN_i84APn6IAo&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAA)
  8. This love of barbecue is probably because Kansas City was a US hub for the meat industry. The Kansas City Stock Yards (KC Stock Yards) traded cattle, hogs, sheep, horses and mules. The Kansas City Stockyards operated in the West Bottoms of Kansas City from 1871 to 1991. It was the second largest stockyards in the nation and one of Kansas City’s most important industries.
    1. KC Stockyards
    2. In 1899, breeders established the American Royal Livestock and Horse Show, which, at the time, was the only livestock show in the country.
    3. The event is still held annually. (BBQ Events)
Arrowhead Stadium – home of the KC Chiefs – holds the Guinness World Record for loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium, 142.2 dbA, set on 29 Sep 2014.
(They won the game 41 to 14.) For more about KC’s sports teams, go here. It was also the first scoreboard to even transmit instant replay.

The Cradle of Jazz
Legendary Charlie Parker played his first gig at the Country Club Plaza, at a club called Martin’s. He was born in KC in 1920. Now, Kansas City is home to the 18th & Vine district, known for its culture of Jazz.
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Walt Disney!
His family moved to Kansas City when he was nine years old. While in elementary school, Disney took drawing classes on the weekend at the Kansas City Art Institute. Here in KC, he designed Mickey Mouse!
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First Fridays
For some weekend fun, Kansas City is booming on the first weekend of the month! check our First Friday’s for Art and night life.
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Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine ranked Kansas City #6 in its list of 50 Smart Places to Live.
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This makes our University stand out!

KC is called “The City of Fountains.”
Only Rome, Italy, has more fountains than Kansas City.
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KC is the “Paris of the Plains.”
Only Paris, France, has more boulevards than Kansas City.
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Union Station
The train station not only is a place of departure or arrival for the city and surrounding areas, but it also contains museum exhibits such as Science City, Irish Museum and Cultural Center, and the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity.
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Union Station in Kansas City opened in 1914, and during WWII, an estimated one million travelers passed through the station.

Louisburg Cider Mill Ciderfest
As soon as the leaves turn red and gold you should head south of KC to the Louisburg Cider Mill (Louisberg Cider Mill). Each year during the last weekend in September and first weekend in October the Cider Mill host Ciderfest. Ciderfest offers something fun for everyone including a pumpkin patch, corn maze, live music, booths and the best part: fresh homemade cider and warm donuts!
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Boulevard Brewery
…on Southwest Boulevard is the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest.
Boulevard Brewery
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Power & Light District
As part of an effort to revitalize the downtown area, the Power and Light District, a shopping and entertainment neighborhood, was opened in 2008. Eight blocks of the area are exempt from the city’s open container laws.
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FAST Internet!
In 2011, it was announced that Kansas City would be the first city in the country to receive Google Fiber, the company’s broadband internet service that boasts speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.


Some Fun History..
People all over the world are familiar with cowboys and the Old West. Kansas City was the home base for the James gang. Their first daytime bank robbery happened in Liberty, MO. Robbed by the James Gang, governed by the corrupt Pendergast Machine…it even had its own mini-massacre where Pretty Boy Floyd and a few fellow gangsters shot it out with FBI agents at Union Station.
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Prohibition Days
In the early 20th century, the city was controlled by political boss Tom Pendergast who ran the local Democratic Party. Pendergast directed the flow of illegal alcohol during Prohibition and rigged elections to keep his friends in power, including hand-picking Harry S. Truman as the next U.S. senator from Missouri.

Famous Kansas Citian, President Harry S. Truman
The 33rd President of the United States, Harry S Truman, lived in Independence, MO. The father of one of our staff members used to delivery Mr. Truman’s newspapers when he was a boy.

You can tour his home, which served as the “Summer White House” during his presidency. www.nps.gov/hstr

Greeting Card Galore!
One of the most famous greeting card companies in the world was started in Kansas City in 1910: Hallmark Cards. It was started by J.C. Hall.
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Civil War History
During the Civil War, there were several squirmishes over slavery. Missouri entered the Union as a slave state and Kansas entered as a free state. Pro-slavery activists wanted Kansas to allow slavery. Kansas became known as Bleeding Kansas during this period (Bleeding Kansas).

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It’s a US pop culture reference!
Kansas City has been immortalized in music ranging from the Lieber and Stoller song about all the “crazy little women” to Tech N9ne’s “It’s Alive.” It has also featured in such movie classics as the Betty Boop cartoon “Kitty from Kansas City” and Raquel Welch’s roller derby epic “The Kansas City Bomber.”


Stroud’s Restaurant
Michael Stern of “Road Food” declared Stroud’s the most delicious fried chicken in America. The servings are humongous and served “family style.”

Kansas City PIZZA
Kansas City was chosen by Travel and Leisure Magazine as one of America’s best cities for pizza. They gave the nod to Minsky’s and Pizzabella, but other local faves include Kelso’s, Spin and Waldo Pizza.
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LaMar’s Donuts was founded here. YUM
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A City of Bookworms
Kansas City has not only been the setting for books ranging from history to mystery to the cheesiest of romances, but it also ranks among the top 13 most literate cities in the U.S.
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Shopping!!!!
The Country Club Plaza shopping district (only a few blocks from UMKC) was modeled after Seville, Spain. It’s considered the first suburban shopping center, built by developer J.C. Nichols. It’s a mix of stores, restaurants, courtyards, fountains and lots of public art.
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By the way, you can hardly call yourself a Kansas Citian if you don’t know what happens every Thanksgiving evening on the Plaza. That’s when the switch is flipped on the Plaza Lights, one of the city’s most enduring holiday traditions. Throw in some softly falling snow and you’ll feel like you’re in a dream.
 
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FUN FACTS ABOUT KANSAS CITY

  • Swope Park, at 1,805 acres, is more than twice the size of Central Park in New York City.
  • Kansas City is the 29th most populated metropolitan area in the US.
  • The scoreboard at Arrowhead Stadium was the first to transmit instant replay.
  • Kansas City has more barbeque restaurants per capita than any other US city.
  • The Country Club Plaza, opened in 1922, was the country’s first suburban shopping district.
  • Possum Trot and Rabbitville were early name suggestions for our city. Town of Kansas was agreed upon, which later became City of Kansas and then Kansas City.
  • 1934 was the hottest Kansas City summer on record, with an average temperature of 84.9 degrees.
  • You probably know about the famous shuttlecocks on the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, but did you know that the museum is supposed to be the net in the badminton game?
  • By the late 1940s, 86 factories were manufacturing garments in Kansas City.
  • In 1963, what is widely believed to be the first multiplex movie theater opened in Ward Parkway Shopping Center.
  • More than 25 colleges and universities call the Kansas City area home.
  • Before Harry S. Truman went into politics, he owned a Kansas City haberdashery.
  • The Happy Meal was invented in Kansas City. Bob Bernstein, founder of local advertising agency Bernstein-Rein, got the idea after noticing his son staring at a cereal box during breakfast.
  • Ernest Hemingway worked as a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star from 1917 to 1918 and wrote the ending to his novel, “A Farewell to Arms,” while back in the city for the birth of his second son.
  • Kansas City ignored Prohibition during the 1920s, leading to a surge of boozy jazz clubs, brothels and gambling joints.
  • Russell Stover, the largest maker of boxed chocolate in the world, has been based in KC since 1932.
  • Before Jackie Robinson became the first African-American major leaguer, he was a shortstop with the Kansas City Monarchs, a Negro Leagues organization.
  • Kansas City has over 200 fountains, giving it the nickname The City of Fountains.
  • John Steinbeck’s book, “The Grapes of Wrath,” was banned in KCK in 1939.
  • Jazz legend Charlie Parker’s first gig was in The Country Club Plaza, where restaurant Fogo De Chao is now located.
  • The Plaza Christmas lights tradition started with a strand of 16 lights over a doorway in 1925.
  • Walt Disney opened his first animation studio, called Laugh-O-Gram Studios, in Kansas City. Mickey Mouse was inspired by a real-life mouse in the building.
  • Jam sessions originated in Kansas City, when jazz musicians would play into the wee hours of the morning.
  • KCMO has over 220 parks, 29 lakes, 103 playgrounds and 134 miles of trails and bikeways.
  • Joyce Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards, started out selling postcards out of a shoebox in Kansas City.
  • The Jacksons’ Victory Tour, fresh off the success of Michael’s album “Thriller” launched at Arrowhead Stadium in 1984.
  • Our airport was originally called Mid-Continent International but became Kansas City International when it opened in 1972. The designator code remained MCI, because K is reserved for broadcast station call letters.
  • The Kansas City Royals got their name from the American Royal, the livestock show that's been held in KC since 1899.
  • Kansas City has more boulevards than Paris.
  • March 23, 1912 set a record for most snowfall in a single day in Kansas City–20.5 inches.
 
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FIFTY THINGS EVERY KANSAS CITIAN SHOULD KNOW

1)
The most-visited piece at the world-class Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art? You might suppose it’d be a famous painting. But the Nelson’s staffers say it’s probably the ancient Egyptian known as Meretites — or to be precise, the elaborate funerary assemblage from the 2,300-year-old noblewoman’s tomb. (Say it “me-ret-IT-es.”)

2)
The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl IV on Jan. 11, 1970, beating the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans in front of more than 80,000 fans.

3)
The famous song “Kansas City” promises some women, some wine and definitely a good time at the corner of 12th Street and Vine. But don’t take it too literally; there is no such place. Not anymore. But do pose for photos under the commemorative sign that marks the historic intersection at the renovated park that has been there since 2005. The crazy little women? Good luck! (You can, however, find a jazz museum, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and more at 18th and Vine.)


4)
It doesn’t really matter whether you say “Plaaaza” or “Plahza.” What matters is knowing that the elegant shopping district, the brainchild of developer J.C. Nichols, is a Kansas City original (though it’s modeled after Seville, Spain), considered the first suburban shopping center.

When it opened in 1922, the area around Brush Creek was considered, as we say these days, “out south.” We now know the 15-block Plaza as a mix of stores, restaurants and apartments. Plus lovely courtyards, fountains and other public art such as a sculpture of Mr. and Mrs. Winston Churchill.

By the way, you can hardly call yourself a Kansas Citian if you don’t know what happens every Thanksgiving evening on the Plaza. That’s when the switch is flipped on the Plaza Lights, one of the city’s most enduring holiday traditions. Throw in some softly falling snow and you’ll feel like you’re in a dream.

5)

Ask any minor with a big coming-up birthday: Kansas and Missouri have very different liquor laws. For one, Kansas grocery and convenience stores are not allowed to sell full-strength beer, wine and liquor; you’ll need to go to a real liquor store if you want more than “near beer” in Kansas.

Missouri? Shop till you drop. Its grocery stores have some of the most complete wine and liquor selections around.

6)
The most iconic piece of public art in Kansas City might well be “The Scout,” a Sioux on horseback that has looked out over downtown since 1922. (“The Scout’s” home, Penn Valley Park, happens to be in the midst of a $7 million beautification.)

A 2008 Star Magazine cover story, “If Statues Could Talk,” asked readers what the Indian or its steed might say if given the chance. Our favorite was this line, spoken by the horse: “Tonto, I don’t believe we’re in Kansas anymore.”

7)
Kansas City is not one of the 10 largest metropolitan areas in the country (not even close — 27th), but it does boast one of the nation’s largest urban parks. That’d be Swope Park, which at 1,805 acres is more than twice the size of New York City’s 843-acre Central Park.

True, Kansas City is also not Manhattan. But it’s easy to forget just how many attractions can be found inside Swope: the Kansas City Zoo, Starlight Theatre, Lakeside Nature Center, Kansas City Community Gardens, Southeast Community Center not to mention (OK, we will) park amenities like golf and disc golf courses, a pool, ball diamonds, soccer fields and various trails. Get out and explore.

8)
Burnt ends — barbecue gold — are cut from the pointed end of a brisket and then barbecued to their charry best. (Or cut after cooking. Chef’s choice.) Fattier than the rest of the cut, they are commonly found inside sandwiches, baked beans and grill masters named Bubba.

9)
Spaceships? Hair curlers? World-class art? No matter your position, the “Sky Stations” atop the Bartle Hall pylons downtown have sparked conversation since their 1994 installation by artist R.M. Fischer as part of the city’s public art program. The aluminum and steel artworks were funded by the expansion of the convention center and are meant to recall the art deco works inside Municipal Auditorium.

10)
Kansas City is the City of yes, Fountains. Glad you got that one. And every April, the fountains get turned on, on Fountain Day. (It was April 10 this year.)

11)
Do you know the difference between North Kansas City and Kansas City, North? North Kansas City (“Northtown”) is the small city just north of the Heart of America Bridge; I-35 runs through it, too. Northtown’s main arteries are Burlington Street and Armour Road.

Kansas City, North, is any part of Kansas City, Mo., that lies north of the Missouri River (in both Clay and Platte counties).

“The Northland” is everything north of the river, including all of the above as well as other communities such as Parkville, Gladstone and Liberty. Technically, we suppose, Des Moines is the Northland, too.

P.S. When you hear a commercial announcer shouting about “on Barry Road in North Kansas City!” — he’s wrong. Barry Road is several miles north of North Kansas City.

12)
Speaking of North Kansas City, many of its north-south streets are in alphabetical order, moving west to east: Atlantic, then Burlington (or Buchanan), Clay, Swift (?), Erie, Fayette, Gentry, Howell you get the idea. “Dwift,” anyone?

13)
In both Kansas and Missouri, if your windshield wipers are on, your headlights must be, too. “It’s the law!” as the frequent interstate signs will remind you (and state troopers, too).

14)
Given that Walt Disney grew up partly in Kansas City (and found inspiration in a local mouse), you’d think Disneyland would have opened here. No. But in 1973, KC finally got its own theme park, Worlds of Fun. The theme was borrowed from the Jules Verne book “Around the World in 80 Days” — hence WoF neighborhoods Americana, Europa, Scandinavia, Africa and the Orient.

Attractions that spanned sections even changed names accordingly: The no-longer-there overhead cable ride was “Sky Hi” in Americana but “Ski Heis” by the time you got to Scandinavia.

15)
Shawnee Mission is a school district and a postal district, but not a city (though Shawnee and Mission both are). Confused yet? It’s named for the old Shawnee Indian Mission in what is now Fairway.

16)
May 20, 1957, was a day of numbers for one south Kansas City neighborhood: 44 dead. 531 injured. 7-inch hail. The F5 tornado that ripped through Ruskin Heights was nearly a half-mile wide and traveled at 42 mph, according to the National Weather Service. It was one of 35 tornadoes in the central Plains that day, beginning its journey in Williamsburg, Kan., before lifting up in Knobtown, Mo., 1 hour, 38 minutes and 71 miles later.

17)
The “S” in Harry S. Truman’s name stands for nothing, according to the former president himself. It was a compromise between the “S” names of his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young.

18)
True, we love air-conditioned comfort, but Kansas Citians also love spending warm evenings under the stars at Starlight Theatre. The Swope Park theater with its iconic towers opened in the summer of 1951, and throughout that decade, summer seasons of 10 locally mounted Broadway-style shows were typical.

Fifty years ago, the summer of ’62, eight shows graced the big Starlight stage, starting with “The Music Man” and ending with “Bye Bye Birdie.” Star showcases filled the early 1970s (“The Pearl Bailey Show,” “The Roy Clark Show,” etc.), and by the 1980s, just four musicals made up some seasons.

This summer, six shows fill the bill, but one of those, “Aida,” will be indoors and nowhere near Swope Park: at the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts downtown.

19)
You know the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s famous “Shuttlecocks.” But did you know that the museum is intended to be the net in the oversized game of badminton? That’s why there are three shuttlecocks on the south lawn and one on the north lawn. One sailed over the net!

20)
Westward ho! Most of us know that the fur trading activity of the early 1800s — abetted by Lewis and Clark’s enthusiastic reports from their famous expedition — fueled much of our country’s expansion into the western territories. But did you also know that the starting points of the Santa Fe, Oregon and California trails were in Independence?

The Santa Fe Trail was first to emerge, in 1821, as a trade route with Mexico; the Oregon Trail was next, in 1843, as a migration route for western settlers. The California Trail was famous as the route that would deliver — or, more usually, would not — western emigrants their fortunes in gold.

All three had their beginnings at the principal “jumping off point” in Independence, and all three would ultimately help change the face of American history. Learn more at the National Frontier Trails Museum at 318 W. Pacific Ave., Independence. Or just come out for Santa-Cali-Gon Days, the Labor Day weekend festival named for the trails.

21)
The bull on a pylon you can see from I-35 downtown? That’s a Hereford. The bull and the former headquarters of the American Hereford Association were dedicated in 1953 by none other than the president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Mr. Big ’n’ Beefy lost his original perch in 2000 but rose again two years later, this time across the interstate in Mulkey Square Park. Just one reason we’re Cowtown. (Another: the old stockyards in the West Bottoms.)

22)
You might think Kansas City’s best-loved dog parks are right next door (oh, the barking!), but the best-behaved neighbors let their dogs run till they drop at some of these popular off-leash dog parks: Shawnee Mission Park off-leash area, Stoll Park in south Overland Park, Penn Valley Dog Park in Kansas City, Gregory O. Grounds Park in Blue Springs and Wayside Waifs Bark Park in Kansas City (for a fee).

23)
Who needs an “All-Electric House”? You do, especially if it’s 1954 and futuristic, gee-whiz inventions like 19-inch “big screen” TVs and germ-killing lamps fill your electric dreams. Billed as “California living” back in the day, the Johnson County Museum’s irresistible attraction was originally a project of Kansas City Power Light Co. designed to showcase the latest innovations in modern electric living.

Walk the entire home, touch the pink laminate countertops and pull back the bamboo curtains at this perfectly preserved 1950s home at the Johnson County Museum, 6305 Lackman Road, Shawnee.

24)
Oops! The large south Kansas City neighborhood and school district known as Hickman Mills was originally to be known as Hickman’s Mill. A clerk in Washington recorded it incorrectly on the federal post office application in the 1800s.

25)
When you say “anchorman” in Kansas City, you probably think Larry Moore at KMBC. He started at Channel 9 as a reporter in 1968, as anchor climbed to the top of the ratings in the 1970s and then left town.

KMBC, meanwhile, sank like a rock after axing 30-something co-anchor Christine Craft in 1981 supposedly for being too old, too unattractive and not sufficiently deferential to the men on the news set. Two trials followed. In the midst of all the bad press, Moore returned to KMBC and stayed.

No doubt other KC stations salivate at the thought of Moore signing off one of these days. True, Channel 9 recently hired a new co-anchor, Len Jennings, for KMBC’s 5 p.m. news, but as for Larry, “no R-word plans yet,” he says.

26)
If you’re looking to mellow out on a Friday or Saturday night, your first move should be to turn on the radio: KCUR, 89.3 FM. Chuck “Haddock” hosts “The Fish Fry” (8 to midnight), serving up commercial-free “blues, R, soul, jumpin’ jazz and zydeco.” There’s nothing else like it. (Real name: Haddix.)

27)
Around here, it’s usually pretty easy to figure out roughly where a high school is — most school districts just add directionals to their name. Hence Northeast, East and Central high schools in the Kansas City district and, in the suburbs, Blue Springs South, Shawnee Mission South, Olathe East, Blue Valley West, etc.

Not so in Kansas City, Kan., where the schools are mostly named for people (Harmon, Washington, etc.). And the North Kansas City School District mostly sticks to place names for its high schools, because adding “South” or “West” or whatever would sound strange: East North Kansas City High School?

There actually is a North Kansas City High School. The others are Winnetonka, Oak Park and Staley.

And by the way, the NKC school district covers far more territory than the city of North Kansas City. (See item on North Kansas City/Kansas City, North.)

28)
One dark day: On July 17, 1981, during a tea dance, two skywalks collapsed in the Hyatt Regency hotel’s lobby atrium. The death toll would be 114 souls, with more than 200 people injured. (Just last year the hotel became known as Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center.)

A memorial is planned for Hospital Hill Park across the street.

29
Another dark day: On Nov. 29, 1988, six Kansas City firefighters died at a construction site for Bruce R. Watkins Drive in south Kansas City when a burning trailer containing 25,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil — five times what later destroyed the federal building in Oklahoma City — exploded.

In 1997, five people were sentenced to life in prison for setting the fire, but their guilt has been called into question. In 1991, the Firefighters Fountain at 31st Street and Broadway was dedicated to all fallen KC firefighters.

30)
Think this last winter was typical for KC? Uh, no. Remember the winter of 2009-10, when Mother Nature dumped 44 inches of snow on us? But that was the most in almost 50 years.

Since 1981 (and not counting this last winter), Kansas City has averaged about 19 inches of snow per winter season. The most snowfall ever was in 1911-12, when we got 67 inches. The least was, yes, 2011-12: a mere 3.9 inches, “topping” the record of 4.5 inches in 1922-23.

31)
The hottest Kansas City summer on record was 1934, with an average temperature of 84.9 degrees. 2010 ranked 15th at 79.7.

Perhaps the heat wave most people remember was the one of 1980, when for 17 straight days in July temperatures vaulted past 100 degrees — killing 176 people.

32)
The east side of Missouri has Anheuser-Busch. But this side has Boulevard Brewing Co., which is still locally owned. Boulevard was founded by John McDonald in 1989 and sold 1,747 barrels of beer in 1990, its first full production year. Number of barrels sold last year? 157,277. Boulevard is the country’s 10th largest craft brewer. Biggest seller: Unfiltered Wheat.

33)
“Christopher Elbow” may sound like something you’d see the doctor for, but chocolate-loving Kansas Citians know better. Elbow, a Liberty native, worked as a pastry chef for Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico in Las Vegas and the American Restaurant here. Now he’s renowned for artistic, pricey “artisanal chocolates.” (He has a shop in San Francisco, too.)

And don’t forget Elbow’s collaboration with Boulevard Brewing — Chocolate Ale, which comes out once a year and can be hard to get — and his unique and decadent Glacé Artisan Ice Cream (get it at the shops south of the Country Club Plaza and in Leawood).

34)
In 1856, the Great White Arabia steamship went down, felled ultimately by a snag from a walnut tree in the Mighty Mo. In 1988, she began to come up, saved by five families determined to excavate and preserve her cargo.

The Steamboat Arabia Museum, in the City Market downtown, tells the story of what river travel and westward expansion looked like in the mid-1800s and showcases settlers’ near-perfectly preserved artifacts — Wedgwood china, shoes, boots, clothing, weapons, razors, doorknobs and more.

35)
Going to Leavenworth is fine. But being sent to Leavenworth is something else entirely: Leavenworth County is prison central, home to the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks (the military’s only maximum-security prison), the Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility (for members of the military sentenced to less than five years), the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth (medium security for federal inmates), Lansing Correctional Facility (a state prison) and Corrections Corp. of America’s privately run prison.

36)
If 10 people are in a room, odds are five will pronounce the south Kansas City road “WORnall” and five will say “WorNELL.” The verdict? According to the John Wornall House Museum, it’s the first option, with a slight accent on the first syllable. The road is named after John Wornall, an early Jackson County farmer and banker.

37)
The Kansas City Royals won their only World Series on Oct. 27, 1985, beating the St. Louis Cardinals four games to three in what was known as the “I-70 Series.” Pitcher Bret Saberhagen was named series MVP. Twenty-seven years later, fans are still hoping this will be the Royals’ year.

38)
Kansas City hosts hundreds of serious and not-so-serious running events each year. Google search to get details on these popular ones, or just continue to shuffle around your own neighborhood (free T-shirt not included): Groundhog Run, Hospital Hill Run, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Kansas City Marathon, Sprint Thanksgiving Day 5K and Family Stroll

39)
Kansas City is the barbecue capital of the world. Just ask any Kansas Citian. Back in the day, the stockyards provided cheap meat that was slowwwwww-cooked over native hardwoods like hickory and fruit trees. As for KC-style sauce, it’s typically tomato- and molasses-based.

40)
What’s in a name? Plenty. Lore has it that “Possum Trot” and “Rabbitville” were in the running before “Town of Kansas” was agreed upon, which then became “City of Kansas” as it grew, and ultimately, Kansas City. Such a great name, there are two.

41)
Six-year old Bobby Greenlease, son of wealthy auto dealer Robert Cosgrove Greenlease Sr. of Mission Hills, walked calmly out of Notre Dame de Sion grade school with a woman claiming to be his aunt on Sept. 29, 1953. Six ransom notes, 15 phone calls and $600,000 later, Bobby still had not been returned to the Greenlease family.

The kidnappers, Carl Hall and Bonnie Heady, were captured in St. Louis within a few days and executed in Missouri’s gas chamber together less than three months later. Bobby Greenlease’s body was found buried in Heady’s front yard in St. Joseph.

42)
“In Cold Blood” (1967), “Mr. Mrs. Bridge” (1990), “Kansas City” (1996) and “Ride With the Devil” (1999) were all largely filmed here. Still up for debate: Was the Raytown of television’s “Mama’s Family” our Raytown? The studio has always been mum.

43)
Community Christian Church at 46th and Main streets was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The “Steeple of Light” illuminated beams are visible Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from dark until midnight.

44)
Short on gas and near the state line? Head for Missouri. Due to a difference in the state gas tax, you can often find gas 10 cents cheaper per gallon.

45)
The Union Station Massacre took all of 30 seconds on June 17, 1933, and saw convicted felon Frank Nash and four law enforcement officers killed during a shootout in front of Union Station during Nash’s transport from Arkansas to the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, from which he had escaped a few years earlier.

The FBI identified “Pretty Boy” Floyd and Adam Richetti as gunmen; Floyd was shot dead later in Ohio, and Richetti was convicted for the murders and died in Missouri’s gas chamber. You can still see the marks on the front of Union Station that for years were thought to have come from the bullets.

46)
The American Royal, an every-autumn-since-1899 horse and livestock show, was first known as the National Hereford Show. It picked up a new name, the story goes, after an Iowa State ag school dean returned from the British Royal Agricultural Fair and declared that the KC show compared favorably with the Brits’. The American Royal, meanwhile, is also at least part of the reason our major league baseball team is known as the Kansas City Royals.

47)
Why do your baggage tags say MCI instead of KCI? MCI = Mid-Continent International, the airport’s name in the planning stages. When it opened in 1972, it was Kansas City International Airport. But “KCI” doesn’t fly as a three-letter airport code because K’s (along with W’s) are reserved as prefixes for broadcast station call letters.

48)
The Jacksons’ (yes, those Jacksons) Victory Tour launched right here in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium in 1984. It was the last concert tour featuring all of the Jackson brothers together, including Michael. Tickets were $30 each, an unheard-of sum at the time. Fans went crazy for the moonwalk, songs from “Thriller” and the other brothers, too, presumably.

49)
It’s perfectly possible that back in the 1930s, “Boss Tom” Pendergast sank some of his political foes in several feet of concrete — say, beneath City Hall or Municipal Auditorium. Pendergast did, after all, own a concrete company. But, rumors to the contrary, the king of corruption apparently did not lay anyone to rest under Brush Creek on the Plaza. In 1991, when the Army Corps of Engineers was working on a Brush Creek flood control project, it found the creek was paved with just 10-12 inches of concrete — “insufficient,” The Star pointed out, “for burying any but the skinniest political enemy.”
 

revo333

Norm Smith Medallist
Jan 7, 2018
6,756
5,902
AFL Club
Western Bulldogs
Visited Kansas City 2 years ago and couldn't wait to leave.

However the people were really nice and I hope the Chiefs deliver them the ultimate win.
 
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