Openings & Closings

Spooky, scary, (14-foot) skeletons: New Johnson County Halloween pop-up bar is opening

A visitor poses at KC Pumpkin Patch. The patch and its sister business, KC Wine Co., welcome thousands of visitors for fall activites every year. This year, a Halloween-themed pop-up bar is opening.
A visitor poses at KC Pumpkin Patch. The patch and its sister business, KC Wine Co., welcome thousands of visitors for fall activites every year. This year, a Halloween-themed pop-up bar is opening. tljungblad@kcstar.com

From its dino-filled Jurassic Farm to its Christmas pop-up, Jingle, KC Wine Co. in Olathe is known for its thematic events.

And while its pumpkin patch is a popular fall attraction, the winery has never hosted a Halloween pop-up bar — until this year.

Its newest event, Ghouls Halloween Pop-Up Bar, opens Sunday at 13875 S. Gardner Road.

Ghouls will offer themed drinks and spooky photo-ops, said Taylor Roesch, owner of KC Wine Co. String lights will hang from the ceiling, while coffins, pumpkins and a 14-foot-tall skeleton will adorn the venue.

KC Wine Co.’s Hallow-rita, a play on the margarita, will be one of the drinks served at its new pop-up bar.
KC Wine Co.’s Hallow-rita, a play on the margarita, will be one of the drinks served at its new pop-up bar. Taylor Roesch

The bar is meant to encapsulate the perfect fall night out. The event’s catchphrase is “Let’s go, ghouls,” Roesch said.

Drinks include the spiked cider slush, caramel apple sangria (served with caramel apple pops), and the vampire mojito, which comes with a syringe of red “blood.”

Light food options, like charcuterie and Bavarian pretzels, will be available.

“We plan to have really picture-perfect, Instagrammable drinks, and of course they’re going to be delicious,” Roesch said.

There’s no cover charge. It will be open 4 to 9 p.m. Fridays, noon to 9 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays until Oct. 27, when it will be open noon to 3 p.m.

Ghouls will be in KC Wine Co.’s new black barn, which was built last year and is next to the barrel room. Across a pond, the other half of Roesch’s business, KC Pumpkin Patch, is hosting Oktoberfest from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7, showcasing a variety of beers.

Ghouls, a Halloween pop-up, will open Sunday, Sept. 1.
Ghouls, a Halloween pop-up, will open Sunday, Sept. 1. Taylor Roesch

The pumpkin patch season will begin Sept. 28.

“We’re going all in this year, and the vineyard is going to be beautiful,” Roesch said. “There’s just so much to see and do.”

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Jenna Thompson
The Kansas City Star
Jenna Thompson covers retail news for The Kansas City Star. A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, she previously reported for the Lincoln Journal Star and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she studied journalism and English.
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