This weekend in Kansas City: Kansas Focus Gallery grand opening, First Friday, Panic Fest and Monster Jam

The irreproachable optimism of Kansans as well as the austere outlook possessed by many natives of the state will be represented at the grand opening of the Kansas Focus Gallery at the Nerman Museum on Thursday. Generous donations of capital and art have led to the creation of the Kansas Focus Gallery, a new space that highlights the artistic endeavors of Kansans. Bruce Hartman, the executive director of the institution, suggests that the “museum now houses the largest and most significant collection of works by artists associated with metropolitan Kansas City.” The first exhibition features six of Lori Nix’s unsettling large-scale photographs. The New York-based artist born in Norton, Kan., specializes in creating eerie post-human landscapes.

5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4. Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. 913-469-8500. nermanmuseum.org. Free.

A new work of art has risen from the ashes of one of the most horrific incidents in Kansas City’s history. Six firefighters were killed in an explosion at a construction site in 1988. “Justice in the Embers” is a new play written by Michelle T. Johnson that’s based on reporting by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mike McGraw for The Star. The subsequent criminal proceedings of the case have been mired in legal complexities and moral ambiguities. Members of the audiences of the “community engagement project” are encouraged to share their memories and their relationship to the tragedy. The production is directed by Jennifer Welch and features actors Moses Brings Plenty and Amy Attaway.

Thursday, Feb. 4-Saturday, Feb. 20. Living Room Theatre. 816-533-5857. thelivingroomkc.com. $20.

The February installment of First Fridays provides visitors an ideal chance to pick up locally crafted Valentine’s Day gifts for their art-minded loved ones. A pair of events demonstrates the impressive range of Friday’s offerings. The Cultural Center of the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City hosts the opening reception of “The Missouri Immigrant Experience: Faces and Places” exhibition (5:30-8 p.m., 1617 Baltimore Ave.). The show contrasts “historical photos of Missouri’s immigrant communities” with contemporary art. The Mid-America Arts Alliance presents “I Can Haz Sheet Fort” (6-8 p.m., 2018 Baltimore Ave.). The live theatrical installation by the Arkansas-based Artist’s Laboratory Theatre is set amid hundreds of bed sheets.

Friday, Feb. 5. Crossroads Arts District. 816-994-7313. kccrossroads.org. Free.

Most people in Kansas City feel free to wear whatever clothing they prefer. Even the most unconventional sartorial choices are accepted by the friends, family, co-workers and strangers encountered by people who choose to display a unique flair. Even so, men who are reluctant to act on their impulses to slip into little red dresses have an ideal excuse to display their true selves at the Red Dress Dash on Friday. As part of National Wear Red Day, men, women and children are invited to participate in a free noncompetitive jaunt in the Power & Light District to help raise awareness of women’s heart disease. Drink specials, a dance-off, a photo booth and children’s activities that include face-painting are part of the lighthearted event sponsored by the American Heart Association.

5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5. Power & Light District. 913-652-1929. heart.org. Free.

Although Black Sabbath will perform at the Sprint Center on Feb. 17, the concert by the original dark lords of doom-laden rock probably won’t be the loudest function at the arena this month. Monster Jam, “the world’s largest and most famous monster truck tour,” will fill the Sprint Center with deafening sounds that might be capable of making Ozzy Osbourne cry out for earplugs. Daredevil drivers will get behind the wheels of vehicles with names worthy of heavy metal bands such as Grave Digger, Monster Mutt and Zombie. Thrill-seeking fans will be able to interact with drivers and pose for photos with the oversized trucks during the pit parties that accompany the four competitions this weekend.

7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7. Sprint Center. 816-949-7000. sprintcenter.com. $10-$50.

Twelve minutes of exhilarating modernism, John Adams’ The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra) is one of the most compelling classical compositions of the last several decades. A rendition of the stimulating 1985 work opens the Kansas City Symphony’s audacious program this weekend. Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4, though composed more than 200 years ago, remains just as vital as Adams’ work. The opening strains of Symphony No. 4 sound as if they could have been created yesterday. Vadim Gluzman, the famed violinist who once received the invaluable support of Isaac Stern, the father of the Kansas City Symphony’s Michael Stern, will take the lead in Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto.

8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5, and Saturday, Feb. 6, 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7. Helzberg Hall. 816-471-0400. kcsymphony.org. $23-$76.

The action on the screens may not be the primary appeal of Panic Fest. The “film festival featuring horror, thriller and sci-fi films,” will provide enthusiasts of such fare an ideal opportunity to make friends with people who share similar interests. The three-day event includes screenings of a variety of spine-chilling and thought-provoking films. The most prominent selection may be the new time-travel movie “Synchronicity.” The anthology “Southbound” includes elements of slasher flicks and science fiction films, and “Everlasting” is a macabre mystery. Panic Fest is giving attendees a chance to see “The Invitation,” a horror film about a sinister dinner party, a few weeks prior to the movie’s official release date.

Friday, Feb. 5, Saturday, Feb. 6, Sunday, Feb. 7. Screenland Armour. 816-421-9700. panicfilmfest.com. $150 for a festival pass or $10 per screening.

The timing of the opening of the “Animal Tales & Trails” at the Crown Center Shops is fortuitous. Young explorers can engage in an enriching new environment without the need to brave icy conditions. Features at the “interactive habitat where children learn about the most interesting creatures” include a “penguin iceberg slide,” a kangaroo-themed trampoline and a reading area.

Saturday, Feb. 6-Sunday, May 1. “Animal Tales & Trails” is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Crown Center Shops. 816-274-8444. crowncenter.com. Free.

The Bach Aria Soloists’ core group of Sarah Tannehill Anderson, Elisa Bickers, Beau Bledsoe and Elizabeth Suh Lane will display its talents at a typically ambitious recital on Saturday. Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ “Don Quixote,” the concert features additional contributions from actor Mark Robbins and cellist Sascha Groschang. The program includes Georg Philipp Telemann’s “Don Quixote Suite” and other works that evoke the immortal tale of the deluded Spaniard.

7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. 816-820-1473. bachariasoloists.com. $35 and $17 for students.

The convivial culture of New Orleans has become so ubiquitous that it’s easy to find king cakes and feathered masquerade masks at Midwestern grocery stores and party supply shops. Yet most of the social aspects of Mardi Gras are lost without the opportunity to exchange beads with strangers or to belly up to the bar of a rollicking tavern. Four related events in the Power & Light District will allow celebrants to bask in the spirit of the holiday. An afternoon scavenger crawl will follow a 5K race. The masquerade party that begins at 8 p.m. will give participants an early look at the yet-to-be-opened No Other Pub KC, a new establishment affiliated with Sporting KC. Revelers who prefer to focus on drinking rather than dressing up can opt for a bar crawl.

▪ Mardi Gras 5K: 10 a.m. $35 in advance or $40 on the day of the race

▪ Scavenger Crawl: noon-4 p.m. $20

▪ Masquerade Party: 8-11 p.m. $50

▪ Bar Crawl: 9 p.m.-midnight $30-$40

▪ Saturday, Feb. 6. Power & Light District. mardigraskc.com.

The satirical troupe Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo bills itself as “the world’s foremost all-male comic ballet company.” The New York-based ensemble garnered rave reviews during its recent tour of Britain. A critic for The Daily Express gushed that “the 26-strong male group is concerned not only with shredding classical ballet’s conventions for a bit of a laugh but actually love the stuff as much as you and I.” A correspondent for The Telegraph praised the performers’ “strong technique, deep love of dance and a razor-sharp sense of its absurdities,” and noted that “they laugh at ballet from the inside.”

8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. Yardley Hall. 913-469-4445. jccc.edu/performing-arts-series. $40-$50.

A leisurely drive through historic Northeast area neighborhoods like Pendleton Heights is capable of making even the most committed apartment dweller consider the prospect of purchasing a house. The allure of the stately homes available for relatively low prices can be difficult to resist. Sponsored by Historic Kansas City and Young Preservationists, Saturday’s Old House Expo will provide a crash course in the nuances of refurbishing and maintaining properties in neighborhoods like the one surrounding the Kansas City Museum. Demonstrations and discussions range from the practical to the theoretical. A “plaster repair workshop” and a keynote speech titled “Preservation 2.0: Combating the Vacancy Vortex” are among the day’s offerings.

9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. Kansas City Museum. 816-931-8448. historickansascity.org. $20.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 2:29 AM with the headline "This weekend in Kansas City: Kansas Focus Gallery grand opening, First Friday, Panic Fest and Monster Jam."