Royals’ Dayton Moore, Alex Gordon to flip switch on Plaza Lights
Dayton Moore has often said he’s pictured the Royals parading through the Country Club Plaza after winning the World Series.
The Royals fell one win short of his dream during a thrilling postseason this fall. But Moore, the Royals general manager, and left fielder Alex Gordon will take part in a Kansas City tradition this Thanksgiving — flipping the switch at the 85th annual Plaza Lighting Ceremony.
Moore will be joined by his family and Gordon, a four-time Gold Glove winner, and his family.
“Coming off a storybook playoff run, Alex Gordon and his teammates filled the entire city with pride and joy, making Alex a fitting guest,” said Glenn Stephenson, vice president and division manager of Highwoods Properties in Kansas City, which owns the Plaza.
The ceremony starts at 6 p.m. on Nov. 27 with the switch flipped at 6:54 p.m., followed by three simultaneous fireworks displays: near the stage at J.C. Nichols Road and Pennsylvania Avenue, at Nichols Road and Broadway and atop the InterContinental Hotel on the south side of Brush Creek at Ward Parkway and Wornall Road.
There are also pre-ceremony performances scheduled from 5-6 p.m. by the Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol,” The Kansas City Ballet’s KCB II and The Snow Globes. After the ceremony, there will be an hour-long free concert by The Mowgli’s on the main stage.
After the switch is flipped, the Plaza Lights will shine until 3 a.m. and then each following day from 5 p.m.-3 a.m. through Jan. 18.
This year, 85 percent of the bulbs will be LEDs instead of the traditional colored lights. An LED — which stands for light emitting diode — emits light when a diode is activated, while an incandescent bulb uses power to heat up a piece of wire to provide the light. The standard Plaza holiday bulbs use 10 watts each, while the more energy efficient LED bulbs use 0.46 watts each.
This story was originally published November 13, 2014 at 11:58 AM with the headline "Royals’ Dayton Moore, Alex Gordon to flip switch on Plaza Lights."