PV meets Oct. 15 on gay/lesbian protections

After the issue didn’t get a hearing as expected on Sept. 17, a non-discrimination ordinance protecting the LGBTQ community and other marginalized groups will come before the Prairie Village City Council on Oct. 15.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 77th Street and Mission Road.

The Sept. 17 meeting was canceled late that afternoon for lack of a quorum after a number of council members said they couldn’t make it.

A sea of sunflowers

After a Johnson County commissioner suggested it and a farmer agreed to do the planting, an 8-acre field of sunflowers is in bloom at Heritage Park in the Olathe area.

“A county commissioner encouraged us to investigate planting to provide a location for a sunflower field in Johnson County so area residents didn’t have to drive elsewhere to enjoy them,” Bill Maasen, the county’s superintendent of parks and golf courses, said in a news release.

“We found a farmer who lived nearby who was willing to do it. He had not planted sunflowers before, but investigated it and did a great job.”

The variety planted is the kind used for sunflower row crops. The plants grow to about 4 feet in height, and each stalk has multiple flowers averaging 6 to 8 inches across, county officials said.

The field is southeast of Shelter #7 on Hallet Street. From Plfumm Road, go east on 172nd Street, which curves north and turns into Hallet. Parking is available at Shelter #7 or one car width off the road along Hallet.

Visitors are asked not to cut or harvest the flowers, and those who do could be ticketed by park police.

“We’ll see if the citizens appreciate this use of Heritage Park,” Maasen said. “We’ll gauge public comments and decide if we want to do this again in the future.”

Wanted: 1,000 new election workers

The Johnson County Election Office is seeking 1,000 new election workers to serve at the polls during the Nov. 6 general election.

To be eligible, residents must be registered to vote at their current address in Johnson County, complete election worker training and be available from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Training sessions will be offered multiple times between Oct. 20 and Oct. 31, including evening and weekends.

Workers are paid $110 for Election Day, $25 for attending classroom training and $25 for hands-on training with the voting equipment.

Go to jocoelection.org to apply or learn more.

College Clinic next week

More than 200 colleges and universities will be represented the evening of Oct. 10 at the Shawnee Mission College Clinic, where students and parents can scope out the options available after high school.

The clinic will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Shawnee Mission East High School, 75th Street and Mission Road in Prairie Village.

Students from any high school are encouraged to attend the free event and talk with college representatives face to face.

Merriam inaugurates street party Oct. 6

Merriam will hold its first Merriam Drive Live event on Oct. 6, when the downtown area will be the scene of a street and lawn party with music on two stages.

Also part of the event are food trucks, a beer garden, yard games, kids activities and music, crafters and Farmers’ Market vendors.

It all happens from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Merriam Marketplace, 5740 Merriam Drive. Admission is free. Live bands start performing at 10. The headline band, the Eagles tribute group Lyin’ Eyes, goes on stage at 3 p.m.

Throughout the day, Touch-a-Truck will give kids a close look at a Merriam police car, fire truck, dump truck, street sweeper, trash truck, and backhoe.

Visit merriam.org/MDL for more details.

New playground for Fairway park

Within a month or so, the city of Fairway hopes to have installed a new playground at Peterson Park at a cost of $212,895.

Construction began Sept. 17 and — weather permitting — should be completed by late October or early November, the city said.

Brice Soeken, the city’s director of parks and recreation, said the contractor is Athco, the same company that installed the old playground equipment nearly two decades ago.

Most of the cost, $198,920, is being paid from the 2014 Sales Tax Fund for playground equipment and safety surfacing, Soeken said. The rest, which covers demolition and site preparation, is coming from another parks and recreation fund.

The park, named for former Fairway Mayor Neale Peterson, is at 6000 Mission Road.

Free weekend at arboretum

The Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens is waiving its admission fee Oct. 6 and 7.

The arboretum, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. those days, is at 8909 W. 179th St. Besides plantings and walking trails through the woods, the arboretum also has a sculpture collection along a paved trail.

Dumpster Days in Lenexa

Lenexa residents have an opportunity this weekend to get rid of household items like furniture, appliances and electronic equipment that can’t be included in regular trash collection.

Dumpster Days are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 6-7 at the Municipal Services Service Center, 7700 Cottonwood St. across from Mill Creek Elementary School.

On Oct. 6 only, Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore will be there to collect new and gently used, non-stained upholstered furniture, wood and laminate furniture in good condition, lighting accessories and rugs.

Proof of residency will be required, and fees will be charged based on the size of the load and the type of item. Lenexa trash haulers are required to offer one curb pickup each year for bulky items. Residents should contact their hauler about that.

Search for Dumpster Days at lenexa.com to learn what items are acceptable.

Japan Festival at JCCC

Traditional food and music, martial arts and cultural presentations will be part of the 21st annual Greater Kansas City Japan Festival, which takes place Oct. 6 at Johnson County Community College.

The festival begins at 10 a.m. in the Carlsen Center and lasts into the early evening. Tickets cost $5 to $15, but children 5 and under are admitted free.

The opening ceremonies will include the ritual of Kagamiwari — the breaking of a sake barrel and toast. The featured topic this year is Shodo: The Japanese Art of Calligraphy.

Learn more at kcjapanfestival.org.

Scarecrow Festival in Shawnee

Families can immerse themselves in fall activities at the annual Scarecrow Festival from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 6 at Shawnee City Hall, 11110 Johnson Drive.

Presented by the Shawnee Downtown Partnership, the festival features scarecrow-making, pumpkin-decorating, kids activities, a farmer’s market and a baking contest with categories for pumpkin pie, fruit pie and pumpkin bread. The winners get $50 and visitors can purchase samples.

In front of City Hall and along Johnson Drive, visitors can also see creative displays that are part of a scarecrow contest for businesses and merchants.

This story was originally published September 28, 2018 at 11:54 AM with the headline "PV meets Oct. 15 on gay/lesbian protections."