Raising KC's Spirits

Awards

Raising KC’s Spirits

Between our Chiefs, our BBQ, and now our spirits- people are giving KC its crown as a real title town. This year, at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Kansas City-based distilleries brought home the hardware. With two local distilleries pulling in Gold and Double Gold awards, you could say that things went down smoothly.

J. Rieger Co: The family-owned historic distillery pulled in major awards for its Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Midwestern Dry Gin. After resurrecting the company from its prohibition-era closing in 2010, this is a big win for one of KC’s premier distillers.

Holladay Distillery: Tucked away in historic Weston, the Holladay Distillery has been pumping out winners for years. This year, the local distillery took home Double Gold for its One Barrel Bourbon and Gold for its Soft Red Wheated Bourbon.

Tasting Victory: Both distilleries sell their award-winning whiskey locally, and also have tasting rooms geared towards sipping down the smoothest of drinks in the presence of good company.

Development

Riverfront Renaissance

For years, the KC riverfront left much to be desired. That is until now. With several projects completed and under construction in the area, the riverfront may just finally get the shine it deserves.

Casino Hits Big: Bally’s riverboat styled Kansas City casino on the is putting the finishing touches on a $40 million dollar renovation. With more retail and dining options than before, you may come to spend time here for more reasons than to win in blackjack.

River Current: With the highly anticipated new Women's Soccer League

\\\stadium on its way, KC Current fans can’t wait to get in the gates to cheer on our girls.

Streetcar: Even the streetcar is getting in on the action. The KC Streetcar, which currently turns around in the River Market, will now go almost all the way to the new Current stadium.

New Hotels: With all of that business coming to the area, there will be plenty of opportunity for the Origin Hotel, a new 118 room boutique hotel opening just down the street from where the Current will call home.

So whether you’re watching a game, playing the slots at the casino, or drinking with your dog at bar K- the riverfront is the definitive new up and coming area all KC natives can enjoy.

Social Media

Local Business is Humming

It turns out that your niece’s aspiring Tiktok career may finally work out thanks to Hummingbirds. Kansas City Hummingbirds is a company built with the intent of leveraging local influencers and social media aficionado’s to spread the word about local businesses by mobilizing campaigns to boost local brands and get the word out about everything from local restaurant openings to niche boutiques.

How it works: Partnering local businesses with local social media users, Hummingbirds gives both the opportunity to push events and openings to a local audience. You can sign up as a business or local social media influencer here.

Perks: Being a social media influencer does come with its perks. From free food, to gift cards, and more- hummingbirds KC makes sure it pays to share with friends.

Get Started: To get started, you simply need to create an account, sign up for campaigns, and start plugging your community.

Industry

KC Company to Join Space Force

If you hyped up the new KCI terminal as much as I did, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that March was the busiest month for KCI since before Covid-19. Dubbed by my out of town friends who recently flew in as “the coolest airport in the Midwest,” KCI is starting to get quite a lot of clout.

Busy Months: With March kicking off the year with a boom and April almost assuredly outdoing it due to the NFL Draft, things are shaping up nicely for the new airport.

The Numbers: If you’re curious just how the numbers broke down, KCI publishes them in an easy to digest format.

More flights: A bigger and cooler airport isn’t just good news for out-of-towners. Southwest recently announced 3 more international direct flights from KC to Cancun, Cabo, and Jamaica.

KC Daily Picks

In Other News

• Tuesday Mourning: Your mom may need a new place to find discounted towels because Tuesday Morning announced recently that it will be closing its doors and liquidating its inventory.

• Collecting KCI: If you’re still mourning the loss of the old terminals at KCI where Kansas Citians could arrive and board a flight in 10 minutes, KCI is auctioning off old airport seats and carousels.

• Kids Flea Market: Corinth Square is hosting its 13th annual kids flea market where kids can run their own booth and sell their gently used toys, books, and games. Now to explain to them how investing works…