The event features short films made by New Belgium fans, as well as 16 varieties of brew (Tart Lychee, Cocoa Mole Ale, among them) from the Fort Collins, Colorado, brewery (available in 3- or 16-ounce pours). Look for games, contests, soft drinks and food from the Farmhouse and All-Star Pizza & Pub. It's bring-your-own chair, and dogs are welcome. Admission is free, and the beer bar is cash-only.
"The City is trying to lead by example to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to our employees and the surrounding downtown community," Circo said in a release. "Having access to fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as exercise, are keys to a healthy lifestyle. It improves your physical and mental health."
The Downtown Farmers Market will run from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays through mid-October. The market opening is weather-dependent. If it's raining, the kickoff will be pushed back to Thursday, June 7, at 11 a.m.
Behind every great meal is often a family tradition. And there's a host of tradition at the 51st annual Greek Festival held by St. Dionysios Greek Orthodox Church (8100 West 95th Street, Overland Park) Friday, June 8, through Sunday, June 10. Fill up on souvlaki, gyro plates, spanakopita and baklava while traditional Greek dancers take the stage. Or walk through the Plaka, a re-creation of an Anthenian marketplace, with clothing, jewelry and ephemera for sale. The festival runs 5 - 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sunday.
Gelphman is the founder of Kansas City IT Professionals, a grassroots networking group. He started it on LinkedIn in 2008, after reading a blog on career building.
"I didn't see anything on LinkedIn about IT in Kansas City," he says. "We got to 500 or 600 members, and I realized we might be on to something."
He's putting his hard work on display this weekend with Hack the Midwest, a two-day Hackathon (June 2 and 3). Gelphman expects 70 to 100 developers and designers from all over the Midwest - Kansas City, St. Louis, Omaha, Des Moines - to show up and build apps from scratch at the Heartland Golf Club (8200 Hillcrest Road, 816-523-8601).
"When you get people like that in a room and working together and you get this energy, you don't know what will come out of it," he says. "I'm hoping to see something awesome."
The Hackathon starts Saturday at 9 a.m. and wraps up Sunday at 11 a.m., with contest winners announced at 3 that afternoon. The all-star judging panel includes OpenAir Equity Partners' Thad Langford, AgLocal founder Naithan Jones, outgoing Kauffman Foundation Manager of Entrepreneurship Nick Seguin and others. (Register at hackthemidwest.com.)
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
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. A tapa, Perez-Andujar says, is not a starter. The word actually translates as "lid or cover," referring to the Spanish tradition of offering a slice of cheese or ham to cover the top of a wineglass. To keep out flies? Who knows, it's now a tradition of long standing.
Perez-Andujar will be flipping the lid off Kansas City's perception of the tapa experience when she introduces a new culinary festival to the city: TapasFest.
WWE's Monday Night Raw returns to Kansas City October 14
DelHi Soul Food Buffet closes in KCK
Courtney Cole, Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus executive director, answers The Pitch's questionnaire
Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper are headed to Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
The Gaf has closed in Waldo
D'Bronx corned-beef sandwich is a deli stopgap
Yo La Tengo is at Grinders tonight
Police leave Union Station after suspicious package found