All (Party) Animals Welcome

Events

All (Party) Animals Welcome

The annual KC jazz-centered fundraiser, Jazzoo at the Kansas City Zoo, is almost here. The event, with funds going towards food for the animals and education opportunities, features free food, drinks, and entertainment for all zoo and party animals alike.

The Event: Featuring live jazz and over 40 of your favorite local restaurants ranging from Mission Taco Joint to The Savoy, you’ll be able to party the night away for a good cause.

Tickets: Tickets are on sale now for the event. You may want to hurry before the event gets here June 2 at 7:30.

Attire: Set as creative black tie, patrons are encouraged to pair together a “fun and lively mixture of formal wear and frivolity.” If you don’t know what that means, you can check out previous years’ outfits.

Because of the timing of the event, most of the animals will likely be asleep. If the Lion King taught us anything, even Lions need their beauty sleep.

Festivals

Spring Fling is the Thing

Spring has officially sprung, and with that come the season of fun outdoor pop-ups and festivals. One such occasion is the second annual Waldo Spring Fling this Saturday, May 6, from 10-5 at the corner of Gregory and Wornall. Waldo welcomes all to come experience the Waldo Spirit with Vendors, food trucks, kids activities, and even things for your dog.

Vendors: From clothing, to food, to services, art and more! All the best that Waldo has to offer will be out in full force.

Kids Activities: All children are welcome and will have plenty of opportunities for fun. Kids can partake in face painting, a bounce house, and snow cones!

Bring your pet: Pet vendors from the local area will be there including Itty Bitty Pitty, The Plaid Badger, KC Paws, and Spoiled Rawtten. Who knows, they might even have treats!

Sports

Build it Like Beckham

After nearly a decade of development, the Paragon Sports Complex is nearly ready to open its multi-use sports complex in Lee’s Summit this spring. Having been a dream thought up in the early 2010’s by Paragon CEO, Flip Short, the project has faced many challenges in its development since its groundbreaking in 2016.

From the Ground Up: Part of the immense $250 million cost was that there was no infrastructure when construction began. “No roads, no sewer, no water,” said Bill Brown, Paragon COO.

Covid Setbacks: Originally supposed to be funded by taxpayers in the KC area, the project had to shift plans when the pandemic began in early 2020.

Fully Ready Fields: 8 out of 10 of the FIFA regulation fields have been painted and are ready for play with the others set to be ready for play this spring. The Complex also plans to offer pickleball and volleyball courts to accommodate all sports fans.

Now that the sports facility is underway, Paragon can begin the next phase of their development plan by putting in buildings for their shop, eat, and play village, beginning construction soon.

Development

More Skyline Changes

If it seems like every development company is buying up property near downtown to build massive buildings, it’s because they are. GDC Financial along with B16 Capital and EPC Real Estate Group recently partnered together to purchase a 3.2 acre lot just west of the Kauffman center with the hopes of adding a new skyscraper to the KC Skyline.

Sky High: The proposed plans for a new 250 apartment, 350 foot tall skyscraper are still very preliminary, but developers feel the “views are unmatched and there’s an opportunity to do something iconic.”

FAA Clearance: One hurdle that the potential project could face would be getting FAA clearance on the east side of Downtown with the Charles B. Wheeler Airport just north of the river. The ideal height of the project is up to 500 feet, according to Dan Car of EPC.

Big Price Tag: With a potential cost of nearly $350 million, there will surely be lots of hoops to jump through before the project is completed, but with the location being so accessible to the Crossroads and Downtown, the investment is almost sure to pay off.

RIP Denny’s: The land in question is the recently purchased plot of land off the I-35 exit where Denny’s used to welcome travelers and grand slam fanatics alike.

KC Daily Picks

In Other News

• Golf Ranch: Plans just released for a 36 bay virtual golf experience with food, drinks, and mini golf included.

• Brookside Art Annual: Head to one of our favorite neighborhoods in KC this weekend for the 37th annual festival that attracts artists from all over the country.

• Startup Crawl: Startland News is hosting a Startup Crawl showcasing over 50 local startups.

• Little Women: The beloved classic book will now be on the stage in Kate Hamill’s 21st century adaptation to theater at City Stage May 24-June 11.