Free concerts hit Johnson County this week, plus more things to do

Live music will be in the air throughout Johnson County this week, from De Soto to Mission to Overland Park. If free concerts aren’t your jam, check out the community recycling event in Leawood, the mobile wellness event in Shawnee or the food truck frenzy in Lenexa.

Each week, as part of our Johnson County News coverage and weekly newsletter, we share news, tips, events and community resources for several cities across Johnson County.

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De Soto

Catch an outdoor concert: Rhythm & Roots Market and an after-party with live music and local vendors kicks off from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, in downtown De Soto.

Leawood

Find new treasures: A citywide community recycling event starts Saturday and continues through the rest of the weekend. All residents have to do is set out unwanted items on the edge of their driveways at 7 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20. Residents must pick up items that were not recirculated from their driveway by Monday.

Meet the police: The Leawood Police Department is hosting an open house from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Leawood Justice Center. There will be K-9 demonstrations, drone displays, a motorcycle unit showcase, bounce houses, free food, station tours and evidence collection demos.

Lenexa

Try new food: Food Truck Frenzy will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Lenexa Public Market, 8750 Penrose Lane. More than 15 food trucks are expected. There will be live music and local craft vendors.

Honk some horns: The Lenexa Public Market is hosting Touch-A-Truck will from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24. Kids can get up close to some of the big trucks and equipment, climb into the driver’s seat, honk a horn or two and meet some of the city’s municipal services staff.

Mission

Catch an outdoor concert: Good Fuzz will perform a concert at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, in a park off of Lamar Avenue. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and can enjoy drinks from Rock Creek Brewery’s beer garden and food from Eat Schmidt and Chick-fil-A.

Pick pumpkins: Registration is open for the Floating Pumpkin Patch to be held 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Powell Community Center. It costs $15 per child. Attendees can splash around to find the perfect pumpkin. There will be snacks, beverages, crafts and music.

Overland Park

Improve bike trails: There will be two interactive pop-up engagement meetings for the city’s effort to make bike and hike trails easier to use by adding wayfinding signage along Tomahawk Creek and Indian Creek trails. The pop-ups will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Corporate Woods leg of the Indian Creek Trail. They will host another session from 10 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Tomahawk Trail connection to Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead.

Listen to a free concert: The Overland Park Orchestra will perform a free concert at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, at Matt Ross Community Center. The program will include classical orchestral pieces and beloved movie soundtracks.

Prairie Village

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month: Harmon Park is hosting a Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Harmon Park.

Roeland Park

Showcase your art: Roeland Park artists can submit one to three works (paintings, photography, crafts, sculpture) for the annual RP Artists Invitational, which will be held Nov. 1 through Jan. 3 at the George R. Schlegel Gallery at Roeland Park’s City Hall. Contact Lynda J. Leonard, the gallery director, at RPgallerydirector@roelandpark.org to get involved.

Shawnee

Get a free wellness assessment: There will be food distribution from Harvesters, wellness screenings and games at Parks & Recreation’s Mobile Wellness Hub from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at Shawnee Elementary.