Tech N9ne coming to KC’s Twelfth Street ‘Santa’s Wonderland’ holiday lighting
Thirty-three years ago, the Twelfth Street Heritage Development Corporation held its first lighting ceremony at Gates Plaza. The event was a small gathering, with just a handful of families showing up to see the modest holiday lights decorate the brick exteriors of the businesses in the strip mall at 12th Street and Brooklyn Avenue.
Today, after more than three decades, the lighting event — now called Santa’s Wonderland — attracts thousands of visitors every year. Attendees come to enjoy the festive lights, take photos with Santa, receive free toys, and witness a special guest appearance.
“So it started as a lighting ceremony for the area, as well as a toy giveaway to the kids,” said Dwayne Williams, Twelfth Street Heritage Development’s chief executive officer. “We wanted to make sure that every kid at least got a toy for Christmas and so that’s kind of the nature of how this thing got started. That’s kind of what we’ve been doing now for 33 years.”
Williams, who has been with the organization for 15 years, has seen the event evolve into a cherished community tradition.
The event will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday Nov. 27 at 2124 E. 12th Street. Williams said that every year Twelfth Street Heritage gives away 700 to 1,000 toys to area children.
Since Williams began organizing the ceremony, he has made it a point to invite community leaders and entertainers as special guests. This year’s guest is KC hip-hop icon Tech N9ne, who performed at Santa’s Wonderland six years ago.
Sean Tyler, Tech N9ne’s manger and long time friend says the artist is always grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community he is from.
“This is actually in the neighborhood we grew up in and this opportunity presented itself and he is home for the holidays so it just worked out,” said Tyler. “The way we grew up in this community is everything, so going back is him making sure they understand that his presence and heart is here in Kansas City.”
The independent music artist is excited to again contribute to the holiday celebration in his home town, Kansas City. According to Twelfth Street Heritage Development, Tech N9ne was eager to come back and give back to the community.
“When we ask people to come, what they’ve all said is we remember this from when we were kids and always see this as a way to give back,” said Alexis Williams, Director of Operations for Twelfth Street Heritage Development. “But anytime we’ve mentioned it to any artist and we put that out there, they’re always excited to do this. They really get a hands-on experience with the community.”
Previous guests have included Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, actors KeKe Palmer and Trevor Jackson, as well as music artists such as SleazyWorldGo and Kevin Ross.
“He wants to make sure the city grows up and grows into everything it aspires to be and he wants to lend his voice to whatever helps,” said Tyler. “He loves to make the crowd happy, he loves being with his fans especially when it is in our own community and the neighborhood we grew up in.”
Alexis Williams said she believes that in recent years, the event has eased some of the added pressure parents face during the holiday season by offering free toys and other festive activities.
“When you go to the mall, those pictures with Santa are very expensive and they (kids at Santa’s Wonderland) get free pictures with Santa, Mrs. Claus, all of them, Rudolph, Frosty, Elsa from Frozen, elves and the Grinch,” she said.
Williams shares that she and the entire team are eager for another year of community engagement, with the only challenge they face nowadays being the unpredictable weather.
The team at Heritage Development Corporation, she said, is working tirelessly to ensure that this year’s lighting ceremony is another success.
The corporation’s CEO knows that for the people who live in the community the event is so much more than flipping a switch and handing out toys.
For many it serves as a yearly reminder that they have a place to go during the holidays where they are valued and cared for.
“Everybody just comes down and celebrates this festival,” said Williams, the CEO. “I think it gives the people around here something to look forward to, like they do on the plaza. We do it all over the city, but to have something in your own backyard, I really think, makes the community and the children feel like we’re just as important as anywhere else.”
