‘Was it all worth it?’ A sad shame that violence ends Lee’s Summit festival | Porter
Lee’s Summit’s annual Downtown Days Festival is no more. In a stunning announcement made late Tuesday, the Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street board of directors decided to call it quits after a raucous weekend saw swarms of unruly teens wreaking havoc at the family-friendly event.
“With heavy hearts, we have made the decision that the 2026 Downtown Days festival will be our last,” a statement from DLSMS’s board read. “The safety of our community, small businesses, partners, volunteers, and attendees comes first.”
After viewing several video clips of teens behaving badly on the streets of downtown Lee’s Summit — one clip appeared to show a group of young people swarm a police officer while he was on his knees on the ground — who could blame the nonprofit organization for saying enough is enough? I certainly don’t.
While this development is certainly discouraging, it is my hope that organizers find a way to fill what is sure to be a void in the city’s annual celebration of the downtown area.
Backup from sheriff, Highway Patrol
According to The Star, Lee’s Summit Police responded Saturday evening to multiple fights, assaults, property damage and large groups of young people refusing to disperse. The mayhem was so out of control, Lee’s Summit Police officials summoned backup from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, The Star reported. Similar disruptions were reported at the event last year and the year before, according to The Star.
Because I covered the festival every year from 2012 to 2016 as a business reporter for The Star’s sister publication, The Lee’s Summit Journal, I have a soft spot for the city’s annual traditions like Downtown Days. In the time since I left, I’ve looked forward to the yearly gathering and other events out that way. Despite the commotion caused by the rowdy crowd over the weekend, I still felt a bit of devastation when the news of the festival being canceled was announced.
According to event organizers, a number of security and safety measures such as increased police presence and enhanced surveillance cameras were implemented in recent years with the hope that the nearly 40-year-old community tradition could continue.
“Even with those changes, it was not enough to prevent what happened Saturday evening at Downtown Days,” the statement read.
Lee’s Summit’s Sir Adams
Sir Adams is a hip-hop artist from Lee’s Summit. Two years ago, he became the first original rap act to perform on the main stage at Lee’s Summit’s annual Oktoberfest. On Tuesday, I reached out to the Lee’s Summit resident to get his reaction to the news. He questioned the motive of the teens’ behavior we’ve seen broadcast all over social media.
According to Lee’s Summit police, in one incident, a juvenile unleashed bear spray in a crowd, and in another, officers recovered an untraceable ghost gun — a weapon assembled from unlabeled individual parts, sometimes 3D printed — after chasing another teen.
“It’s sad to see a near 40-year tradition come to an end over something that could have been prevented,” Sir Adams wrote in a direct message on Instagram. “No matter the reason for it, you have to ask, was it all worth it?”:
Old Tyme Days
Started in 1989 as Old Tyme Days, the annual festival was a fundraiser created by a group of business owners who came together to hatch a plan that would revitalize a dormant downtown Lee’s Summit — and the transformation strategy seemingly worked. In 2010, Lee’s Summit’s business district was named one of the best in America by the National Trust Main Street Center. Nine years later, the area was named one of the country’s Great Neighborhoods by the American Planning Association.
Since its inception, Downtown Days helped lead to the creation of other yearly traditions in Lee’s Summit, including Christmas tree lightings and holiday-themed children’s parades, organizers noted in their statement. It’s really disappointing that a select few unsupervised teens ruined the event.
“Those visionary business owners’ dream became the catalyst for transforming downtown Lee’s Summit into the downtown we all love and cherish today,” the board’s statement read.
According to organizers, the DLSMS group will continue to look for ways to bring the community together to celebrate Lee’s Summit.
“We are grateful for everyone who has supported us and this event in countless ways over the years,” organizers wrote. “You are part of our story, and none of this would have been possible without you. We cherish each and every one of you. As we say goodbye to this tradition, we look forward to bringing our community together to build new events and write the next chapter of our downtown.”
It really saddens me that such a good thing as Downtown Days had to end so abruptly.
