The Heart is Art 🤍

Good morning, Kansas City! Here’s what’s in today’s KC Daily:

🤍 Parade of Hearts reveals new sculpture design

📊 Community poll

☕️ Kinship Cafe on the move

🏠 Parade Park Housing initiative

Community

Parade of Hearts Reveals New Sculpture Design for 2026

On Monday, the Parade of Hearts revealed its new sculpture design for its 2026 campaign.

• New Shape: The hand-painted, heart-shaped sculptures that pop up around the metro each year will get a new look for the 2026 campaign. The new design from Dimensional Innovations features a circle symbolic of unity, a heart-shaped opening at the center, a smooth surface for artists to create on, and a new curved base.

• New Mission: The Parade of Hearts, now a bi-annual tradition, celebrates Kansas City’s diversity and supports nonprofits by placing the hearts designed by local artists throughout our city. 150 of the new fiberglass hearts will be commissioned in 2026, welcoming guests for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Learn more about the Parade of Hearts and its new design for 2026 HERE.

Community Poll

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Opening

Kinship Cafe to Celebrate Grand Opening in Independence

After recently closing up shop in Strawberry Hill in KCK, Kinship Cafe will open a new location in Independence on March 28th.

• Sugar Creek Coffee: Kinship will celebrate the grand opening of its new space at 10725 E. US HWY 24 in Independence on Friday, March 28th from 7 am to 4 pm. There will be a ribbon cutting, local vendors, and, of course, all of Kinship’s roasted coffee.

• Coffee With Soul: Owner TJ Roberts launched Kinship Cafe in June of 2021 before beginning roasting operations in July 2022. Kinship’s model has always been to be the “best-friend to the city’s soul”, and now will have an impact on the other side of the state line.

Learn more about Kinship’s grand opening HERE.

Development

Funding Sought for $300M Parade Park Housing Project

KCMO city leaders introduced an ordinance that would fully fund the $300M Parade Park Homes revitalization project.

• Homes on Parade: The ordinance would allow the project to receive more than $20M through different city sources to revitalize the historic community near 18th and Vine. The ordinance is backed by KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas, Councilwoman Melissa Patterson-Hazley, and Councilwoman Melissa Robinson.

• Eastside Expansion: If passed and funded, the project would be the largest housing investment in the history of Kansas City’s Eastside. The mixed-use development would feature 1,100 affordable homes, senior-accessible units, family housing, and workforce options.

Learn more about the Parade Park Homes redevelopment initiative HERE.

KC Daily Picks

In Other News…

• 💍 I Do at Blue Cedar: Kansas City's newest rustic event venue, Blue Cedar Landing, is now taking bookings for the 2025/2026 season. Inquire now for special early bird pricing!*

• 🎶 The Biggest Stage: The Youth Chorus of Kansas City (YCKC) was recently invited to sing at Carnegie Hall in New York City this upcoming June.

• 🛗 Going Up: An Omaha-based co-working and co-warehousing space called Elevator will soon open its first location in Kansas City near Chicken N Pickle in NKC.

• 🚌 Getting Around: KC2026 released a video with an update on transportation plans for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The city expects around 650,000 out-of-town guests during the duration of the tournament.

• 🚀 To the Past: Do you love nostalgia trips? Sign up for On This Day, a free weekly newsletter giving you a nostalgic look at the events and pop culture of today’s date during a random year between 1970-2010!

• 📈 Advertise with KC Daily: Reach 21,739 local readers every weekday morning. Fill out this short form, and we’ll connect with you about advertising opportunities with KC Daily!

*content is sponsored

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