The Pitch, Pitch

PETA wants a memorial sign posted for the 30 cows killed in a truck accident in Kansas City, Kansas

Justin Kendall — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:00:37 -0500

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent the above image to The Pitch today. The sign is a memorial for the 30 cows killed when a transport truck crashed through a guardrail on Interstate 70, careened down an embankment and landed on 118th Street in Kansas City, Kansas, on April 26.…

Q&A: Eric Earley of Blitzen Trapper

Chris Parker — Wed, 30 May 2012 10:03:50 -0500

Eric Earley is now into his 12th year leading Blitzen Trapper. The band spent the first half of its life mired in Portland's local indie-music ghetto.…

New Belgium's Clips of Faith is tomorrow

April Fleming — Wed, 30 May 2012 10:00:00 -0500

We love it when drinking beer means supporting a good cause. New Belgium brings its annual nonprofit Clips of Faith film-and-beer show to Theis Park (48th Street and Rockhill Road) at 7 p.m., with all proceeds benefiting BikeWalkKC.…

Listen Before the Show: Ringworm

Nick Spacek — Wed, 30 May 2012 09:23:58 -0500

Cleveland's Ringworm is taking a brief jaunt down to Texas for the annual Chaos In Tejas festival in Austin, and Kansas City is lucky enough to get one of the dates on the way. The metallic hardcore sextet plays the Sidecar at the Beaumont this Thursday, May 31, with Everything Went Black, Renouncer, and At Your Throat.…

Downtown farmers market kicks off its season Thursday

Jonathan Bender — Wed, 30 May 2012 09:00:27 -0500

Downtown office workers will have another option besides the City Market this summer for fresh produce as the Downtown Farmers Market kicks off on Thursday at 11 a.m. Vendors will be set up in Ilus Davis Park at 11th Street and Oak.…

The summer is loaded with food and drink festivals. Here's where to go.

Jonathan Bender — Wed, 30 May 2012 08:00:32 -0500

The joy of summer is not slimming down to fit into a swimsuit or picking at a salad of baby greens. This is about putting on your winter weight with glorious bites of barbecue and deep gulps of wine.…

Kansas City is Travel + Leisure's 10th worst-dressed city in the nation

Jonathan Bender — Wed, 30 May 2012 08:00:06 -0500

It's always casual Friday in Kansas City, at least according to Travel + Leisure. The former print home of jet-setters, now generator of lists that includes Kansas City, has determined that this city is the 10th worst-dressed city in the country.…

Corporate FM needs a lot of money

Nick Spacek — Wed, 30 May 2012 07:31:05 -0500

We're not usually all that jazzed about Kickstarter projects here. If we posted each and every one that came about locally, we'd probably end up doing nothing else.…

Hacking It: Michael Gelphman assembles an app-building crew this weekend.

Justin Kendall — Wed, 30 May 2012 07:00:23 -0500

Michael Gelphman found a way out. After 12 years of working in IT, for companies such as Embarq and H&R Block, the 35-year-old took the leap in February and devoted himself full time to his passion.…

The Pitch Questionnaire with LEGOLAND Master Builder Jeremiah Boehr

Justin Kendall — Wed, 30 May 2012 06:00:17 -0500

Name: Jeremiah Boehr

Occupation: Master model builder, LEGOLAND Discovery Center, Kansas City

Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska

Current neighborhood: North Plaza

Who or what is your sidekick? My Brick Separator and iPhone

What career would you choose in an alternate reality? A Starship captain

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Day trips for summer days - and nights

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

A tour of the getaways within driving distance. MISSOURI Katy Trail Stretches across the state between Kansas City and St. Louis…

Summer 2012 music concerts

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

Dancefestopia June 1–2, $59-$129 Richard L. Berkley Riverfront Park 1298 East Riverfront Drive (between the Heart of America and Paseo bridges) dancefestopia.com Dance the weekend away to Wiz Khalifa, Flo Rida, Matisyahu, Yelawolf and dozens more, then safely (though probably not quietly) camp in the glow of Kansas City's downtown skyline.…

Fairs, fests, films, the Flaming Lips and more: The Pitch's guide to the hottest season

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

Where to go and what to do this summer. Something happened while we were all waiting for snow this year: Summer arrived. Like, back in March.…

2 x 10 x 20 = The Pitch's summer movie guide

Brent Shepherd — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

by Brent Shepherd We've pared down the summer-release slate to 20 movies that we think may be worth your two hours and ticket price. If you don't see a major summer blockbuster listed here, don't worry — the big-studio marketing hacks will compensate by carpet-bombing you with trailers, TV spots and Taco Bell promotions.…

Tara Varney dolls up the Fringe Festival

Berry Anderson — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

by Berry Anderson If KC's Fringe Festival has a face, it might be Tara Varney's. For the past four years, the playwright, director and producer has been involved with at least one of the festival's 10 most-attended shows.…

Up, up and away with the Great Midwest Balloon Fest

Nancy Hull Rigdon — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

by Nancy Hull Rigdon The glow of 50 hot-air balloons once again dazzles Olathe's evening sky August 10-12. The Great Midwest Balloon Fest's airships make way — weather permitting — for a sunrise fly-in balloon competition and spectacular visual displays (balloon inflation, mass ascension and glow).…

Music Forecast May 31-June 6: DJ Ozgood, Blitzen Trapper, New Edition, Disney classics and more

David Hudnall — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

by David Hudnall Blitzen Trapper Blitzen Trapper is not touring on a new album, and that's probably a good thing. The Portland act has released four albums in six years, and its most recent, last September's American Goldwing, was a little light on new ideas.…

Indoor and outdoor summer shows onstage

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

See websites for show descriptions, showtimes and prices (where they apply). Starlight Theatre June 5–September 2 Swope Park 4600 Starlight Road 816-363-7827, kcstarlight.com…

Summer 2012 fairs and festivals

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

The Seventh Annual Pitch Summer Guide Golf Tournament June 7 Painted Hills Golf Course 7101 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas $100 per person secure.pitch.com The day on the course begins with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. and includes sponsor giveaways, and lunch and dinner.…

Wayne Coyne, of the Liberty Hall-bound Flaming Lips, just wants your full attention

April Fleming — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

The Flaming Lips are Lawrence-bound, but first Wayne Coyne has a few things to say. by April Fleming There is no one else in the world quite like Wayne Coyne. As frontman and songwriter for the Flaming Lips, Coyne has been a prolific, entertaining and reliably odd force in music for nearly three decades.…

Mastering the farmers market with the City Market's Deb Connors

Abbie Stutzer — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

by Abbie Stutzer What skills does it take to run a top-notch farmers market? A market manager needs to love local fruits and vegetables, of course, and have the ability to tolerate all those early — way early — mornings.…

The Hotel Frederick in Boonville offers an old-fashioned getaway

Crystal K. Wiebe — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

by Crystal K. Wiebe Two years ago, Bill Haw Jr. quit a job with Amazon in Tokyo to run Hotel Frederick, a boutique lodge that his cattleman father had bought in Boonville, Missouri. The hotel offers environmentally conscious accommodations and old-fashioned hospitality with an oyster bar and Cajun restaurant and 25 rooms decked out with antique furniture and contemporary art.…

Dancefestopia, a hip-hop and pop-oriented festival, arrives this weekend

David Hudnall — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

by David Hudnall America's appetite for music festivals has proved remarkably strong over the past decade, and there's been no shortage of promoters and organizers cashing in on the demand. But festivals don't always work out: Attendance at Kanrocksas, a two-day party at the Kansas Speedway last year, was shy of expectations, and it is not returning in 2012.…

Farmers markets to visit from now till fall

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:00:00 -0500

A guide to the farmers markets in and around Kansas City. BadSeed Farmers Market 4–9 p.m. Fridays, through November 16 1909 McGee 816-472-0027, badseedkc.com The Urbavore Farm Saturday Farmstand 2–6 p.m.…

The tapas festival requires a passport, but no forms, no photo

Charles Ferruzza — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:45:53 -0500

Maria A. Perez-Andujar was missing tapas. The native of Spain was pleased that more and more local restaurants were adding small plates to their menus (including chef Martin Hueser's new German restaurant, Affare, which is all small plates), but often as options on the appetizer list.…