This Missouri town’s power will be out during Chiefs’ Germany game. How locals respond
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The city of Odessa, 30 minutes east of Kansas City, knows exactly when the power outage is coming.
And at least from a strictly football perspective, it couldn’t come at a worse time.
The entire town of 5,000 residents will be out of power from midnight to noon Nov. 5 as the electrical utility Evergy rebuilds a transmission line that feeds the city power, according to Evergy spokeswoman Gina Penzig.
That means it will be more difficult than usual for many people in town to watch the Kansas City Chiefs’ highly anticipated game against the Miami Dolphins that Sunday in Frankfurt, Germany, at 8:30 a.m. Central Standard Time.
Penzig said Evergy, which provides transmission service to the city, has communicated with the city of Odessa about the needed repairs and associated power outage for around the last two months. The city of Odessa operates a municipal electric utility and provides electric service to the community, and it has been communicating to the city’s customers since Oct. 12.
The power company plans to send multiple crews to rebuild the transmission line as efficiently as possible before the weather gets colder. One of the city’s preferences was to get it done during a weekend since there would be less disruption for local businesses and schools.
As for the game, locals are working to adapt to the situation.
Tina Peersom, owner of the Broken Dollar Saloon in Odessa, is opening her bar at 8 a.m. that day with the help of a generator she obtained from a friend. She never opens the bar early on Sundays, but considers this a special occasion. She will be making biscuits and gravy, Bloody Mary’s and mimosas.
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“It’ll be a great time,” Peersom said.
Most of the people Peersom has talked to about the power outage said they have somewhere to go and have plans set in stone. She said that it also helps that most, if not all, of the town will be asleep for a majority of the time the power is out.
Rumors Bar and Grill owner Daniel Robinson said he has a generator and will open his bar at 7:30 a.m..
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This story was originally published October 27, 2023 at 1:47 PM.
