"It's an excellent opportunity to get our lethargic youth some physical exercise outdoors, away from video games," says Jack Lowe, president of the disc club. "It's also a chance to reclaim some of our city's dilapidated green areas and deter illicit activities by putting people back in the parks."
The debut of the disc golf course coincides with the Northeast Fall Festival (which promoters call "the city's largest multicultural block party"), scheduled from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday and from 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Concourse Park (Benton Boulevard and St. John Avenue). Call 816-231-3312.-- Mark Inman
Everyone's a Critic
9/10-9/12
Serious artists may love to pooh-pooh art festivals, but upturned noses aren't enough to stop Art Westport from celebrating its 25th anniversary Friday through Sunday on the street, at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Westport Road. As if to spite any snobs, this year's fair is bigger than ever, with 150 local artists, an impressive offering of live blues and jazz bands, a culinary court, and a beer and wine garden. On second thought, maybe it's the Plaza Art Fair organizers, not the elitists, who'd better watch out. The tenacity of the founders, some of whom are still active in the festival, has kept the show alive over the years. But coordinator Alyson Curtis humbly suggests that the festival owes its success mainly to demand from the community. "It's something Kansas Citians respond to so well -- I've been getting calls for weeks," Curtis says. For more information, call 816-531-4370. --Jason Harper
Friends on the Edge
FRI 9/10
Apparently, the members of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art's Young Friends of Art are purging their prim associations. They've moved this year's Fusion fund-raiser to the block of 21st and Central, giving it a new street feel. With shifting, colorful lights and the beats of DJ Ozgood, partygoers should be too entranced to mind paying for admission ($35 for members, $45 for nonmembers in advance, $50 at the door). The patrons' soirée is from 7 to 9 p.m.; the party moves indoors (to 2030 Central) from 9 to midnight for the general public. Call 816-751-1278 for information. -- Annie Fischer
