Melissa in Kansas City: Week Two

Melissa Graham

There are a lot of things I love about Kansas City, but one of the things I love the most is that I can always find fun things to do for free.

With gas prices on the rise and the cost of almost everything going up, I know my friends and I are definitely on a tighter budget. I hate having to give up things I want to do because of money, so I have come up with a list of some of the best free activities in Kansas City. It may cost you some gas money to get there, but once you're there you have nothing to worry about.

One thing you will almost never have to pay for in Kansas City is art. In the Crossroads Art District alone there are 60 art galleries that never have admission fees. My friend Erica and I spent last Friday night enjoying the First Friday Art Walk in the Crossroads, and we went home that night feeling blessed to have that kind of experience here in Kansas City. We must have seen at least 7 street performances from break dancers, musicians, Brazilian Capoeira and Quixotic, which was by far my favorite!

I am definitely sold now on seeing the Quixotic show at the Uptown Theatre June 27th. Sure, that will be one of the events I spend my money on, but after seeing a little of it for free at First Friday, I feel good about that decision. I was so impressed with all of the beautiful art at the galleries and the thousands of people who came downtown to take advantage of one of the best free events in Kansas City. Erica and I both agreed it was the best First Friday we had ever seen, and we were so proud of our city!

The next First Friday date is July 4th and all the galleries will be open for free that evening. If you've never been to the event before and you'll be in town for 4th of July, add that to your calendar!

This weekend, there's the 8th annual West 18th Street Fashion Show, entitled "Summer at Sea." On Saturday June 14th around 8pm, the whole block of 18th Street between Baltimore and Wyandotte will become one of the hottest fashion events of the year. It has always been an impressive fashion show, and it brings out almost everyone in Kansas City! My advice is to get there early so you can find a good spot to watch the show. It will be crowded!

Besides all the great galleries in the Crossroads, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art are also free. I could easily spend the whole day at both museums just getting lost in the amazing paintings, sculptures and photographs. The 22 acre Sculpture Park in front of the Nelson is a great place for a picnic, a game of Frisbee, or just relaxing in the sun with a great book. Also on three Saturday nights this summer the Nelson is hosting "Shuttlecock Cinema" in the park. Crown Center also offers "Free Friday Night Flicks" in July, and in August they host "Free Friday Night Concerts."

It seems the biggest trend in free activities in Kansas City is free concerts. Every Thursday evening from 5-8pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 2-5pm, the Penguin Courtyard and the Neptune Courtyard on the Country Club Plaza are home to "Plaza Live"; free summer concerts featuring local musicians. Zona Rosa and The Legends have both followed suit and are also doing the same on the weekends. Kansas City's newest developers, The Cordish Company, have said they will sponsor 100 free concerts at KC Live! in the Power and Light District. Last Wednesday I saw Everclear there, and the next day I read there were 4,000 people in attendance! It seems I'm not the only one who appreciates free things!

If you're in the mood for some theatre this summer, check out the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival in Southmoreland Park from June 17th to July 6th. This year's festival is "Othello", and this is the first time in 2 decades this work has been professionally produced here. Last year, my friend Sarah made us a terrific picnic, and we enjoyed "Romeo and Juliet" with Sangria, hummus and lots of great snacks! Again, I suggest arriving early to find the perfect spot.

In September, my favorite event of the month (besides my birthday!) is the Plaza Art Fair. Rated as one of the top 5 art fairs in the country, it is by far one of the best free events we have in Kansas City. From September 19th to 21st this year, they expect 300,000 thousand visitors to attend the Plaza Art Fair! The Plaza is the best setting for this event too, considering it is already home to over $1 million worth of outdoor art. Grab a map of the Plaza art sometime from the KC visitors center and take a walking tour of all the amazing European art. I promise you will be impressed!

The Power and Light District is hosting a new art fair this year the weekend of June 28th. The District Art Annual--Downtown Kansas City Art Fair will be the first of its kind for the new district, and I'm sure it will not be the last.

In May, my friend Joel and I took the Urban Tour and in one day toured 12 lofts and condos downtown. We spend the whole Sunday walking around the downtown loop and checking out places like Fountains Lofts, The Metropolitan, The Manhattan and my favorite, 909 Walnut. We only saw about half of the properties that were on the tour, so definitely make a weekend of it. It was such a great opportunity to see all of the cool places where people in Kansas City are living downtown. I loved seeing all the great places I could live.

Also in May is Celebration at the Station at Union Station. This year on Memorial Day, my friend Manders and I watched a free Kansas City Symphony concert followed by the best fireworks display I had seen in the city over Liberty Memorial. It was great!

Finally, if you live in Kansas City and are a fan of Boulevard beer, you absolutely must take the free tour of the Boulevard Brewery on Southwest Blvd.

If you want to take the tour on a weekend in July, there is still space available on a few Sundays, but the 4 tours offered on Saturday are already full. The tours of the brewery get booked months in advance, and I completely understand why. When my boyfriend Mike and I went a few years ago, we got a fully educated tour of the brewery and then had the chance to sample every beer they made for about 45 minutes. It was a wonderful 45 minutes!

Since then, the Boulevard Brewery has expanded and I'm sure the tour has improved. I think it's about time to make my reservation again!

Kansas City really is full of so many fun and unique events--you just have to pay attention. Search the VisitKC website, PresentMagazine.com, the Pitch and Urban Times.

Every weekend there is something new going on in Kansas City - you just have to find it. Spend some time being a tourist in your own city, and you just might find some favorites of your own! Take advantage of everything that this city has to offer, especially everything that's free!

Links to free activities in Kansas City and how to find them:

crossroadscommunityassociation.org
westeighteenthstreet.com
nelson-atkins.org
kemperart.org
crowncenter.com
countryclubplaza.com
powerandlightdistrict.com
kcshakes.org
artfestival.com
downtownkc.org
unionstation.org
blvdbeer.com
presentmagazine.com
visitkc.com
pitch.com
urbantimeskc.com
ruurbankc.com