KCKidsFun

Who went to the Plaza Lighting ceremony? Or to the Crown Center Mayor’s Tree Lighting? The last two weekends have been filled with holiday lighting ceremonies all over Kansas City.

That means it’s time to bundle the kids up, buckles them into the car and start driving around to look at Kansas City’s Christmas light displays!

The list of great Kansas City-area lighting ceremonies and light displays seems to grow larger each year. There are still a few lighting ceremonies left on the schedule – and several of them have some fun family-friendly activities planned to round out the evening.

If we’ve missed your favorite Kansas City-area Christmas/holiday light display, let us know in the comments!

Kansas City Lighting Ceremonies

11/28 – Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting, Belton, MO, 5:30pm. Along with Santa, food and more!

12/1 – Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting: Grandview, MO, 6:45pm. Santa and live music too!

12/2 – Mayor’s Tree Lighting – Mission, KS, 5pm. Hot chocolate, s’mores, caroling, popcorn and lots more fun!

12/2 – Christmas on the River in Parkville, 5pm to 9pm. Live Music and Dancing, Santa and reindeer, fireworks, shopping and a TON of fun. (Free shuttles available from Park Hill South High School and South Platte County Community Center YMCA.)

12/2 – Holiday Lighting Ceremony – Raytown, MO, 6pm.

12/2 – Old Town Lenexa Lighting Ceremony, 6:30pm. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive, entertainment and refreshments in the Lenexa Community Center after the lighting!

12/3 – Christmas Around Town and Mayor’s Tree Lighting -  Shawnee, KS, 4:30pm. Carolers, arts & crafts, Santa. Tree will be lit at 5:15pm with event to continue until 7:30pm at Shawnee Town.

12/3 – Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting and Candy Cane Hunt – Merriam, KS, 5:30pm. Tree lighting, a candy cane hunt, music and Santa!

12/6 – Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting – Blue Springs, MO, 5:30pm to 7pm. Entertainment, refreshments, Santa and more!

After the switches are flipped, there are a TON of Christmas light displays – some commercial, some residential – that you and the kids won’t want to miss! (If we missed your favorite display, let us know in the comments and we’ll add it to the list.)

Kansas City-Area Christmas Light Displays

• Country Club Plaza, KCMO

• Mayor’s Christmas Tree at Crown Center, KCMO

• Mormon Visitors Center, Independence, MO

• Christmas Card Lane (through Jan. 1, 2012) north of 151st around Ridgeview and Frontier (Mission Ridge subdivision) in Olathe, KS.

• Christmas in the Park (through Dec. 31, 2011. Sun-Thur 5:30-10pm, Fri-Sat 5:30-11pm) at Longview Lake Campground on Raytown Rd. in Lee’s Summit, MO. Over 300,000 lights!!!

• Northern Lights at Zona Rosa (runs throughout the season) at I-29 & Barry Rd. in Kansas City.

• Legends Outlets features a light show, synchronized to concert-quality holiday music.  Located at I-70 and I-435 in Kansas City, Kansas.

• Downtown Overland Park, Briarcliff Village (KCMO),  Brookside and Downtown Lee’s Summit have light displays.

• “Christmas Place” in the Terrace Place subdivision, 132nd and Antioch, south Overland Park, KS.

• 75th Street and Falmouth, Prairie Village, KS. This is a completely over-the-top decorated home!! You must see the Babick house!

• Chicago Street Lights, Blue Springs, MO at Hwy 7 and Walnut. Animated story of Christmas in lights.

• Paulie’s Penguin Playground–Olathe, KS at Indian Creek Parkway and Mur-Len. This is a sight to see–more blow-up decorations than you ever knew existed!

• The Ultimate Tree, south Overland Park, KS – huge flat-panel LED Christmas tree display, synchronized to music. Runs from 5:30pm to 10pm weekdays, 5:30pm to 11:30pm on weekends, through first week of January. 6600 block of 131st Street at Deer Creek Golf Course

• Vince & Associates – 103rd & Metcalf, Overland Park – huge display, coordinated with music!

• Downtown Kansas City – don’t miss the amazing computer-generated facade of the Downtown Marriott hotel!

• Candy Cane Lane, 79th & Outlook, Prairie Village, KS
• Hale Christmas House, 3719 NE 34th Terrace, KCMO

For a great list of Johnson County, KS residential displays, don’t miss Keith’s list at KansasTravel.org (and convenient driving maps) which even includes some photos!

CONGRATULATIONS TO RACHEL WHITMAN–  OUR LUCKY WINNER!  HAVE A GREAT TIME!

Our advertising partners at Paradise Park are behind our latest giveaway…and it’s a great one!  Especially with Thanksgiving break and Winter Vacation upon us.  One lucky winner will receive a FULL day of fun for a family of four! Specifically, the winner will receive 4 “Max Pak” wristbands, which sell for $28.95 each. With the wristband, you get unlimited use of the indoor and outdoor attractions on the day of your choice!

Paradise Park, located in Lee’s Summit, MO off I-470 and Colbern Road, is an amazing family-friendly place with TONS to do.  My kids especially like the Foam Factory–it’s great for letting off excess kid energy!  There is also a Children’s Edutainment Center, Rock Climbing Wall, Bumper Cars, Miniature Golf and Go Kart Rides.

How to enter?  Simply leave a comment below and let us know if you have any Thanksgiving traditions for AFTER the big meal! Football in the back yard? A long walk?  A long nap?  A family viewing of Christmas Vacation?!?  Entries will be accepted until 9pm CDT, on Monday, November 21, 2011. Good Luck!  Have a great weekend.

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Must be 18 years of age to enter and win. Only one entry per household will be considered. No substitutions or transfers. Giveaway prize is not redeemable for cash. By entering, winner consents to allow the use of his/her name for promotional purposes without further compensation. Winner releases all sponsors of liability regarding use and enjoyment of the prize. No purchase necessary to enter or win.

ONE (1) winner will be randomly selected, and will receive a 4-pak of “Max Pak” unlimited indoor/outdoor attractions wristbands. Prize has a value of $116.00 ($28.95 each).

We’ve had the good fortune of welcoming some new advertisers to the KC Kids Fun advertising community these past few months!  All are family-friendly and all would appreciate your business.  Especially as the holidays draw near, we like to encourage readers to shop and buy local first.  There are so many terrific locally-owned businesses right here in KC, and you can feel good knowing that your hard-earned money is staying here in the metro!

Thanks to all of our advertisers throughout the years.  We’ve been very lucky to have worked with a tremendous group of business people and business owners from the community who recognize the importance of family and kid-friendly activities!

Our first welcome is to Kansas City Repertory Theatre– where you will want to catch the annual production that is quintessential Kansas City Christmas– A Christmas Carol. Tickets are available now and the production runs November 19- December 26, 2011.W

We also want to welcome The Ice at Park Place in Leawood, KS.  The Ice is Johnson County’s ONLY outdoor ice rink!  It’s size makes it perfect for a beginner’s first spin on the rink, and Park Place is home to some wonderful shops and restaurants for pre- or post-skate.  You can satisfy your sweet tooth at Paciugo Gelato or Cupcake A La Mode, or enjoy a freshly-prepared meal at Ingredient Restaurant or Carmen’s Cafe.

Thanks also to our long-time advertisers:  Sprint Center, Kansas City Allergy & Asthma (KCAA), Paradise Park, Coterie Theatre, Burleson Orthodontics, Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), The Language Workshop for Children,College Nannies & Tutors, Revisin, Midland/AEG and Faulkner’s Ranch.

We also have many businesses advertising in our various directories as Sponsored Listings.  These include: Yogi Bear’s™ Kansas City Jellystone RV Park and Resort, Zonkers, Little Masters…big art, Pinnacle Gymnastics, Successful Sounds, Christian Youth Theatre (CYT) and Camp Kidz Rock!