A day-by-day guide to April events
April is the start of both the festival season and the baseball season in Kansas City.
Highlighting the first category is a new event at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival grounds. Kegs ’N’ Eggs on April 11 is an adults-only, week-late Easter celebration with an egg hunt, craft beer tastings and music.
Other festivals in April will include Ink magazine’s Middle of the Map Fest (April 8-25); the Kansas City FilmFest (April 15-19); Gatsby Days (April 24-26) in Excelsior Springs; and the Parkville Microbrew Fest (April 25).
Smaller celebrations will include the Multicultural Festival (April 10) at Donnelly College; Downtown Dog Day (April 11) in Overland Park; the Wyandotte County Ethnic Festival (April 11) at Kansas City Kansas Community College; and the Asian Cultural Festival (April 25) at Olathe East High School.
Baseball season will kick off with high expectations for the Royals when they open against the Chicago White Sox on April 6 at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals have 10 home games scheduled for April, including an early-season showdown with the Detroit Tigers beginning April 30.
Here, then, are our day-by-day picks for events to check out during the first full month of spring.
April 1
Scott Martelle: The author of “The Madman and the Assassin: The Strange Life of Boston Corbett, the Man Who Killed John Wilkes Booth” will discuss this little-known part of U.S. history and sign books. 7 p.m., Rainy Day Books, 2706 W. 53rd, Fairway.
Info: $24.95; rainydaybooks.com, 913-384-3126
2
“Guys and Dolls” (through April 19): This is a good old-fashioned musical comedy if there ever was one. 7 p.m., Musical Theatre Heritage, Crown Center, 2450 Grand.
Info: $17-$55; mthkc.com, 816-545-6000
3
“The Sing Off” Live: Musical groups from the NBC show will perform their a cappella versions of popular songs. 8 p.m., Midland, 1228 Main.
Info: $29.50-$49.50; midlandkc.com, 816-283-9921
4
Easter Bunny (also April 3): Kids can visit with the big, fuzzy critter and can even have their pictures taken with him. Or her. We’re not sure. Noon-4 p.m., Crown Center Shops, Level 1 Atrium, 2450 Grand.
Info: Free; crowncenter.com, 816-274-8444
5
Sporting Kansas City vs. Philadelphia: Start an Easter tradition: Take in a soccer game. 6 p.m., Sporting Park, 1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, Kan.
Info: $20-$275; sportingkc.com, 913-387-3400
6
Royals vs. Chicago White Sox: After reaching the World Series last season, the Royals have spawned high hopes as they kick off the 2015 season against their American League Central Division rival. 3:10 p.m., Kauffman Stadium, 1 Royal Way.
Info: $90-$202; kansascity.royals.mlb.com, 816-921-8000
7
Missouri Mavericks vs. Brampton: The home hockey team will take on the Beast in the final regular-season home game. 7:05 p.m., Independence Events Center, 19100 E. Valley View Parkway, Independence.
Info: $16-$38; missourimavericks.com, 816-252-7825
8
“Three Bears” (through April 18): This show takes the traditional story of Goldilocks and friends and turns it on its head. 10 a.m., Paul Mesner Puppets, 1006 Linwood.
Info: $6-$12; paulmesnerpuppets.org, 816-756-3500
9
“Equus” (through April 19): A disturbed boy blinds six horses, and a psychiatrist tries to find out why. 8 p.m., Living Room Theater, 1818 McGee.
Info: $25; thelivingroomkc.com, 816-533-5857
10
Screenland at the Symphony: “Singin’ in the Rain” (also April 11-12): The Kansas City Symphony will perform the soundtrack of “Singin’ in the Rain” while the movie plays on a huge screen. 8 p.m., Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway.
Info: $25-$85; kcsymphony.org, 816-471-0400
11
Kegs ’N’ Eggs: Come for the adult Easter egg hunt, stay for the beer, live music and other adult-only stuff. 1 p.m., Kansas City Renaissance Festival site, 633 N. 130th, Bonner Springs.
Info: $20-$55; kegsneggskc.com, 913-721-2110
12
William Baker Festival Singers: Members of the Kansas City Symphony will join the singers for the Kenneth Babcock Memorial Masterworks Concert celebrating the music of Mozart. 2 p.m., Grace & Holy Trinity Cathedral, 415 W. 13th.
Info: $15-$20; festivalsingers.org, 913-403-9223
13
Vital Remains: The death metal band from Providence, R.I., will be joined by Boris the Blade and many others. 7 p.m., Riot Room, 4048 Broadway.
Info: $15-$20; theriotroom.com, 816-442-8179
14
Fountain Day: The city will celebrate as its 48 public fountains are turned on for another season. 11 a.m., J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain, Mill Creek Park, J.C. Nichols Parkway.
Info: Free; kcparks.org
15
Burton Cummings: The former lead singer of the Guess Who is still going strong 46 years after “American Woman.” 8 p.m., Knuckleheads, 2715 Rochester.
Info: $38.50; knuckleheadshonkytonk.com, 816-483-1456
16
“The Last Night of Ballyhoo” (through May 3): Opening night of the 1997 Tony Award-winning play set in 1939 Atlanta, where the Ballyhoo is the social event of the season. 7:30 p.m., Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre, 3614 Main.
Info: $15-$29; metkc.org, 816-569-3226
17
Alan Jackson: The popular country singer will celebrate his 25th anniversary in the business with guests Jon Pardi and Brandy Clark. 7:30 p.m., Independence Events Center, 19100 E. Valley View Parkway, Independence.
Info: $25-$80.40; independenceeventscenter.com, 816-442-6100
18
“Tosca” (also April 22, 24 and 26): Lyric Opera of Kansas City will perform Giacomo Puccini’s melodramatic opera. 7:30 p.m., Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway.
Info: $45-$170; kcopera.org, 816-471-7344
19
Kansas City FilmFest (April 15-19): The five-day event wraps up with shorts, full-length movies and a live screenplay reading. Noon, Cinemark Palace, 526 Nichols.
Info: Prices vary; kcfilmfest.org
20
“What They Did for Love: The Songs of Marvin Hamlisch and Burt Bacharach” (April 17-May 17): A play for baby boomers if there ever was one; songs will include such classics as “That’s What Friends Are For,” “Alfie” and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.” 7:30 p.m., Quality Hill Playhouse, 303 W. 10th.
Info: $31-$34; qualityhillplayhouse.com, 816-421-1700
21
Joel Sartore: The wildlife photographer will have plenty of stories to tell with his “Grizzlies, Piranhas and Man-Eating Pigs,” part of the National Geographic Live series. 7:30 p.m., Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway.
Info: $15-$50; kauffmancenter.org, 816-994-7200
22
Ink’s Middle of the Map Fest (through April 25): The music portion of the festival will begin with performances by the Republic Tigers, White Arrows and OK Go. The film portion of the festival is April 8-12, the forum portion April 15-17. 7:30 p.m., Uptown, 3600 Broadway.
Info: $15; middleofthemapfest.com
23
Wild About Harry: Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Liberation Trilogy,” will be the featured speaker, and former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole will be honored at this USO-style fundraiser for the Truman Museum. 7 p.m., Downtown Marriott, 1213 Wyandotte.
Info: $175; trumanlibraryinstitute.org/events/wild-about-harry, 816-268-8237
24
Gatsby Days (through April 26): Culture of the 1920s is the focus of the weekend, with artists and musicians providing entertainment throughout and with a vaudeville show scheduled for opening day. Hall of Waters & Cultural Museum, 201 E. Broadway, Excelsior Springs.
Info: Prices vary; esculturalguild.com
25
Drink of your choice: This day is big for events celebrating alcoholic beverages. You’ll have your choice of three.
▪ Parkville Microbrew Fest, 1-5 p.m., $30-$35, English Landing Park. parkvillemicrobrewfest.com
▪ 14th Street Wine Walk, 2-6 p.m., $30, Power & Light District. powerandlightdistrict.com
▪ Kansas City on Tap, 2:30-6 p.m., $35, Richard L. Berkeley Riverfront Park. americaontap.com
26
Neil Diamond: The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer continues to pack arenas with fans who can’t get enough of “Sweet Caroline,” “Cracklin’ Rosie” and “Song Sung Blue.” 8 p.m., Sprint Center, 1407 Grand.
Info: $65-$150; sprintcenter.com, 816-949-7000
27
Dirty Heads: This Southern California band will bring its mix of hip-hop, reggae and rock. 7 p.m., Granada, 1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence.
Info: $25-$28; thegranada.com, 785-842-1390
28
Home Free: Winner of NBC’s “The Sing-Off,” a five-member a cappella group from Minnesota, performs with a country flavor. 8 p.m., Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th.
Info: $30-$100; follytheater.org, 816-474-4444
29
“If You Give a Cat a Cupcake” (April 21-May 16): Theatre for Young America will present a musical following the antics of Cat and his human friend, Laura. 10 a.m., H&R Block City Stage, Union Station, 30 W. Pershing.
Info: $10; unionstation.org or tya.org, 816-460-2020 or 816-460-2083
30
Royals vs. Detroit: The Tigers finished ahead of the Royals in the American League Central Division last year and figure to be the home team’s chief competition this season. 7:10 p.m., Kauffman Stadium, 1 Royal Way.
Info: $9-$40; kansascity.royals.mlb.com, 816-921-8000
This story was originally published March 31, 2015 at 7:00 AM with the headline "A day-by-day guide to April events."