Now that the fall is here, it’s time to celebrate! One of your first opportunities for us to do so here in Shawnee is with the Scarecrow Festival.  Now in its 7th year, the festival will be presented by the Shawnee Downtown Partnership on Saturday, October 1st at City Hall from 9 am to 12 pm.  City Hall is located less than 5 miles from Hampton Woods... [Read more...]

I read an interesting story this morning that you might be interested in, too.  The preschoolers at The Goddard School on West 68th Terrace are looking to win a Guinness World Record on Friday.  For what? Here’s where it gets interesting.  They are trying to break the record for Largest Game of Simon Says in Multiple Venues.  Students at the national... [Read more...]

There are lots of reasons to live in a place that is close to many colleges and universities, not just because of the students.  Okay, of course it’s important that these young adults choose a college that’s in a town that they like, but having institutes of higher education close by is also good for the rest of the residents.  But why? Where there... [Read more...]

I grew up with artists in my family but I somehow just never caught the bug myself.  Okay, so maybe I loved art, but I felt like I had no clue how to make anything that actually looked like what it was supposed to.  Stick figures – had those down.  Doodling – check.  I always wanted to improve but never got around to taking any art classes.  It really... [Read more...]

Okay, bookworms, if you just moved here and are looking for a library to spend, well, all of your time at, we’ve got multiple options close to Hampton Woods.  It may be a good idea to visit a few and see which you like the best before settling on one. Do you enjoy spending time reading at the library or checking out books and getting settled on the... [Read more...]

On September 11th, 343 firefighters will participate in a 110 story climb to the top of the Town Pavilion high rise in downtown Kansas City.  They are doing it to remember the 343 firefighters who were lost on September 11th, 2001.  They will each climb in honor of a different FDNY firefighter to raise money for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. ... [Read more...]

Look out, music fans, because we’ve got Pops in the Park coming up! This Labor Day concert, which is being put on by the Kansas City Symphony, is a free event that will celebrate the holiday by bringing us classic songs and your favorite movie themes.  The sounds of Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more will fill the air. This event, which is... [Read more...]

    Labor Day is coming up this September, isn’t it crazy how time flies by. I swear summer just started. We were out at the pools lapping up the sun and now we can’t wait to get out of the heat. Labor Day starts the beginning of fall for me, but it could have different meanings for everyone. I have never really looked into Labor Day; I was just... [Read more...]

I’d like to introduce you to Ryan Lilja, football guard for the Kansas City Chiefs.  No, I don’t know him personally, but if you’re not familiar with him, I’ve got some history and info on him here.  After all, he IS from Kansas City! Ryan, now 29, was signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2004 after playing college football at Kansas... [Read more...]