Things to do around Kansas City: Missouri bicentennial party, Festival of Butterflies
Kansas City will celebrate Missouri’s bicentennial with free activities 9 a.m.-1 p.m. July 24 at the François Chouteau and Native American Heritage Fountain (Northeast 42nd Street and Chouteau Trafficway).
The highlight will be the debut performance by KC Molière 400 of “Tartuffenthrope,” an original play by Philip “Blue Owl” Hooser, at 11 a.m.
Among other activities will be Native American dancers, period musicians, horse-drawn wagon rides and a ceremony recognizing the bicentennial. More information at kcparks.org.
Festivals and fairs
▪ Festival of Butterflies, July 22-Aug. 8, Powell Gardens ($5-$12). powellgardens.org.
▪ Mid-Summer Art Fair, July 23-25, Ward Parkway Center. wardparkwaycenter.com.
▪ Grand Carnivale, July 24-Aug. 8, Worlds of Fun ($39.99). worldsoffun.com.
▪ Kids Fest, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. July 24, Linden Square, Gladstone. lindensquare.info.
▪ Johnson County Fair, July 26-Aug. 1, Gardner (admission charged for some events). jocokansasfair.com.
▪ Leavenworth County Fair, July 27-31, Tonganoxie (admission charged for some events). leavenworthcountyfair.com.
Music
▪ Midland, 8 p.m. July 23, Kansas City Live! ($25-$30). powerandlightdistrict.com.
▪ Rich The Factor, J Stalin and J Diggs, 9:30 p.m. July 23, BLVD Nights ($40-$80). eventbrite.com.
▪ R&B Only Live, 10 p.m. July 23, The Truman ($49.99-$120). thetrumankc.com.
▪ Josh Abbott Band, 7 p.m. July 24, PBR Big Sky ($25-$500) powerandlightdistrict.com.
▪ Claude VonStroke, 8:30 p.m. July 24, Uptown ($25-$50). uptowntheater.com.
▪ The Lone Bello, 8 p.m. July 27, Knuckleheads ($30). knuckleheadskc.com.
More entertainment
▪ The Pavilion at John Knox Village will be the venue for the Summer Chill Art & Craft Expo, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. July 23, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. July 24. ibdpromotions.com/summer-chill.
▪ “War and Suffering 1914-1945: Artists Respond,” presented in conjunction with “Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away.” at Union Station, will run July 23-Feb. 27 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday. nelson-atkins.org.
▪ The Kansas City Art Institute’s “2021 Kansas City Flatfile & Digitalfile,” with works by more than 270 regional artists, will run July 23-Oct. 14 at H&R Block Artspace, noon-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. kcai.edu/artspace.
▪ The annual Georgia’s Chicken Run will take place at Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, 8 a.m. July 24 ($20). artsandrec-op.org/farmstead.
▪ Professional wrestling will return to the T-Mobile Center with WWE Raw, 6:30 p.m. July 26 ($23-$118). t-mobilecenter.com.
Hybrid event
▪ “Lawrence of Arabia,” the movie and the man, will be the focus for the T.E. Lawrence Society and the National WWI Museum and Memorial; film on the museum’s southeast lawn, 8:30 p.m. July 23 (free), and lecture online, 2 p.m. July 25. theworldwar.org.
This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
