Kansas City bar and music venue is celebrating 20 years this weekend: ‘We’re the O.G.’
Jeff Rumaner, the artist and entrepreneur better known as Stretch, has been hanging around the Crossroads since the 1980s — first as an artist and welder, later as a property developer and the owner of Grinders KC.
“We’re the O.G. down here,” Rumaner said this week “There wasn’t a whole lot else going on when I opened Grinders.”
That was back in 2004. This Saturday, Rumaner is throwing a party in celebration of those 20 years. It’ll be held in Grinders’ backyard — the former sculpture park he converted into a music venue in 2008.
The party starts at noon with comedy from Dave Williamson, host of the “Meat Dave” podcast, and a free whole-hog barbecue — Rumaner, who does competition barbecue, is smoking 24 butts. That part of the party is free and goes till 3 p.m.
At 5:30 p.m., the bands start. The hair-metal act Quiet Riot (“Cum on Feel the Noize”) headlines, with support from Mad Libby, Frogpond, Dolewite, and Stretch.
Yes, the same Stretch. Rumaner also has a band.
“We started about a year and a half ago,” he said. “We’ve toured with Tesla, and we were also out with Buckcherry and Skid Row for some shows in December and January. It’s good, clean, fun rock ‘n roll — all the songs are about food and family.” Their debut single was called “Flavortown.”
Tickets to the show are $22.
“We wanted to do old-school prices for this, like from 20 years ago,” Rumaner said. “Come out and celebrate ground zero of the Crossroads. Food, art, music — it brings people together.”
