Sept. 16 Community Calendar

Wednesday, Sept 16

In recognition of Healthy Aging Month, cardiologist, professor, researcher and author James O’Keefe and his wife, Joan, a registered dietician, will offer nutrition and wellness tips to area seniors during an 11 a.m. luncheon at Bishop Spencer Place, 4301 Madison Ave. Guests will enjoy a presentation by the speakers; a complimentary copy of the O’Keefes’ book, “The Forever Young Diet & Lifestyle”; and a community tour of the continuing care facility. To R.S.V.P., call 595-5878 or visit www.bishopspencerplace.org.

Walter Schroeder, assistant professor emeritus of geography at the University of Missouri, will explore “The WPA Guide to Missouri” at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Library, 4801 Main St. Published in 1941, the Missouri edition of the American Guide series remains a useful resource for contemporary travelers, especially those interested in out-of-the-way places. Suggested tour routes are detailed and based on careful fieldwork. Copies of the guide will be available for patrons to check-out. Admission is free. To R.S.V.P., call 701-3407 or visit www.kclibrary.org.

Thursday, Sept. 17

Job-seekers and employees are invited to a career fair from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Vatterott College, 8955 E. 38th Terrace. Registration is free, but space is limited. For information, call 861-1000.

The Ramp Metering project will install meters or signals on the eastbound and westbound on-ramps along the south Interstate 435 corridor from Metcalf Avenue east to the Three Trails Memorial Crossing, formerly the Grandview Triangle. Scout hosts public meetings from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Jewish Community Center, 5801 W. 115th St., Overland Park, and from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at Leawood Middle School, 2410 W. 123rd St., Leawood.

Author Bob Freilich and Ruby M. Hulen, emeritus professor of law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, will discuss the sustainability movement at 6 p.m. at the school's E.E. (Tom) Thompson Courtroom, 5100 Rockhill Road. The lecture, free and open to the public, will focus on how the new stimulus and transportation acts encourage states and localities to adopt sustainable energy policies. Freilich will discuss state, city, county and regional plans that have been successfully implemented, as well as suggestions for the Kansas City area.

Young Friends of Art will meet for “Fromage, Vin and Impressionisme François” from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art's Museum Café, 4525 Oak St. Cheese and wine flights are available for purchase with discounts for members, and the event includes a guided docent tour of Impressionism. For reservations, call 751-1278 or visit www.nelson-atkins.org.

David Vine, an assistant professor of anthropology at American University, presents his book “Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia,” at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. The book tells the story of one of the most strategically important and secretive U.S. military installations outside the United States that has served as a launch pad for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He relates how, in the 1970s, the U.S. conspired with the United Kingdom to forcibly relocate the population of Diego Garcia, a small archipelago near the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, in order to build a military base. Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. To R.S.V.P., call 701-3407 or visit www.kclibrary.org.

Here’s Waldo Home Owners Association meets at 7 p.m. at Armour Heights Baptist Church, 7901 Jarboe. Mark Boland, central region manager for parks and recreation will discuss community projects. For more information, call 444-6954.

The Vans Warped Tour celebrates its 15th anniversary with a special theatrical event at 7 p.m. at The Palace Cinemark 14, 500 Nichols Road. The one-night event features two hours of headliner performances including 3OH!3, All-American Rejects, blink-182, Ice T and Katy Perry, recorded at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. For tickets, visit www.fathomevents.com.

Cauleen Smith will give a lecture at 7 p.m. in Epperson Auditorium, Vanderslice Hall, on the Kansas City Art Institute campus, 4415 Warwick, as part of the college’s “Current Perspectives” lecture series. Smith is a filmmaker, screenwriter and video installation artist. Her short films include “Daily Rains,” selected for Sundance Film Festival, and “Chronicles of a Lying Spirit,” which screened twice by demand at The Robert Flaherty Film Seminar Exhibition. Her first feature film, “Drylongso,” premiered at Sundance and won several awards. For information, call 802-3423.

Author Tracy Daugherty discusses “Hiding Man,” his new biography of Donald Barthelme, at 7 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. Barthelme, who came to prominence as the leader of the postmodern movement, was a fixture at The New Yorker, publishing more than 100 short stories, for which he earned acclaim as an innovator of the short story form. The event is the first in the 2009-10 Writers at Work series organized by Kansas City novelist Whitney Terrell, and co-sponsored by Chris Davis and the UMKC English Department. Admission is free. A 6:30 p.m. reception precedes the event. To R.S.V.P., call 701-3407 or visit www.kclibrary.org.

Friday, Sept. 18

The Heart of America Gesneriad Society Annual Flower Show and Plant Sale is this weekend at Loose Park Garden Center, 5200 Pennsylvania Ave. A pre-show plant sale, only open to the public is from noon to 4 p.m. Friday. Event hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For information, call 784-5300.

Award-winning journalist and documentary photographer David Bacon will discuss issues of labor, immigration and international politics at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Library, 4801 Main St. A reporter and documentary photographer for nearly 20 years, Bacon also was a labor organizer for unions in which immigrant workers made up a large percentage of the membership. Bacon’s book, “The Children of NAFTA,” was published in 2004 and in 2006 he completed a photo documentary project sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. In his latest project, a traveling exhibit titled “Living Under The Trees,” Bacon photographed and interviewed indigenous Mexican migrants working in California’s farm fields. Admission is free. To R.S.V.P., call 701-3407 or visit www.kclibrary.org.

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s newest curator, Colin MacKenzie, leads a gallery discussion from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Chinese Buddhist Sculpture gallery at the museum, 4525 Oak St. For information, visit www.nelson-atkins.org.

Saturday, Sept. 19

Malley Surgical Center and New Hope Bariatrics present the Walk from Obesity at Theis Park, 47th and Oak streets. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the walk starts at 9 a.m. For information, visit www.walkfromobesity.com.

The 2009 Zoo Run for the Chimpanzees includes a four-mile run/walk at 8:30 a.m. and a one-mile run/walk at 9:30 a.m. at the Kansas City Zoo, 6800 Zoo Drive, in Swope Park. Proceeds go to a conservation project endorsed by the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan, committed to advancing the care of chimpanzees and making a stand on some of the critical issues facing chimpanzees in the United States and in their native Africa, including the bushmeat crisis and deforestation. For more information or to register, visit www.kansascityzoorun.org.

Red Bridge Merchants, Red Bridge Lions Club and Center High School sponsor Kids Fest 09 is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Red Bridge Shopping Center, 11140 Locust St. Youth age 5 to 15 can enjoy games, a hula hoop contest at noon and prizes, including a drawing for a David DeJesus autographed baseball. There will be some activities for children under 5. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is a canned food item to be donated to a local food pantry.

Camp Lake of the Woods, an event celebrating Swope Park’s improved trail system, is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the park, 6600 Swope Parkway. Cyclocross racing will take place Saturday, with mountain bike races and a trail run Sunday; kid races take place both days. The festival offers the latest and greatest in bike gear, bike information, trail guides and more. For information, visit www.kcmo.org/parks.

The Ali Kemp Educational Foundation sponsors a T.A.K.E. Defense program at 10 a.m. on the playing field at Kauffman Stadium, address here. Participants are asked to complete a registration form online at kansascity.royals.mlb.com/kc/community/take_defense.jsp and bring it with them, but walk-in participants will be accepted on the day of the event. Participants should bring sunglasses and sunscreen; bottled water will be provided. The self-defense program represents a living legacy in honor of Ali Kemp, a 19-year-old Leawood resident who was murdered while working as a lifeguard at a neighborhood pool. The goal of the program is to raise awareness and to give females age 12 and older the self-protection skills they need to avoid becoming victims of violent crime.

Sunday, Sept. 20

Plaza Pzazz takes place from 6 to 10 p.m. along the 200 and 300 blocks of Ward Parkway of the Country Club Plaza. The 13th annual event features Kansas City’s finest and most popular food and beverage establishments. Proceeds will help reduce the burden of childhood illness on children and their families, providing thousands of families a place to stay when their children travel to Kansas City for medical care. For information, call 842-8321, ext. 103, or visit www.rmhckc.org/ready/plaza_pzazz.htm.

Tuesday, Sept. 22

Award-winning author Joseph O’Neill discusses his new novel “Netherland” at 6:30 p.m. in the Truman Forum at the Plaza Library, 4801 Main St. Set in post-Sept. 11 New York City, “Netherland” is the story of Hans van den Broek, who stumbles upon the vibrant New York subculture of cricket after his English wife and son return to London. Thanks to a friendship with a Trinidadian named Chuck Ramkissoon, van den Broek begins to reconnect with his life and his adopted country. As the two share their different experiences of contemporary immigrant life in America, a portrait emerges of an “other” New York. The event is co-sponsored by Rainy Day Books. The author will sign copies of the book purchased during the event. Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. To R.S.V.P., call 701-3407 or visit www.kclibrary.org.

Wednesday, Sept. 23

Southtown, Waldo and Brookside business associations host an AM Networking session from 8 to 9 a.m. at Wirken Photography, 7430 Washington St. For more information, call 523-5553 or visit www.waldokc.org.

Grapes with the Apes wine tasting is from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Kansas City Zoo, 6800 Zoo Drive, in Swope Park. Guests can enjoy samples from Wine, appetizers and live entertainment as they mingle with the animals. The fundraising event is open to ages 21 and older. Tickets are $15 for Friends of the Zoo members and $25 for non-members. For information, visit www.kansascityzoo.org.

The Latino Writers Collective brings The Wind Shifts tour to Kansas City with editor Francisco Aragón and two contributors, Brenda Cardenas and John Olivares Espinoza, who will read their work at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St. “The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry” is the 2008 winner of the International Latino Book Award in Poetry. The event includes a reception and book signing. To R.S.V.P., visit www.kclibrary.org/event/cuarta-pagina.

SUBMISSIONS

Please send items to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by noon Friday.

Trackback(0)

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Write comment