KCKidsFun

School has finally started and it’s already time to have a day off!!  I just know that we’ll get into the school routine– by mid-September! Record numbers of folks will be traveling over the long weekend, but if you’re staying in KC, or if you’re visiting our city from another place, here is a rundown of activities to keep you and your families entertained.  Have a safe, wonderful holiday!

These three events occur over multiple dates and are worth checking out!

• Adventures with Clifford the Big Red Dog exhibit at Crown Center – May 29 thru September 6 – FREE!
• Kansas City Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs, KS – September 4 thru October 17
• Zing Zang Zoom! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at Sprint Center, September 8 thru 12 – discounted tickets available through our Special Offers page!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

• Animal Tales at Ernie Miller Nature Center, Olathe, KS – 10:30am to 11am – ages 2 to 6 – stories, songs and more
• Storytelling with Priscilla Howe – Tomahawk Ridge Community Center, Overland Park, KS – 10am – FREE
• Funky Mama live in concert at Matt Ross Community Center, Overland Park, KS – 10am – FREE
• Culpepper & Merriweather Great Combined Circus, Weston MO – 5pm and 7:30pm

Thursday, September 2, 2010

• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – September 2 thru September 6 – TONS of fun for kids and adults alike. If you’ve never been, you should definitely try this one!
• FREE Family Science Night at the Kansas City Zoo – 5pm to 7pm – the theme this time: Wicked Weather

Friday, September 3, 2010

• Kansas City Irish Fest – Crown Center, KCMO – great music, dancing, a terrific children’s area and more! – thru September 5
• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – September 2 thru September 6 – TONS of fun for kids and adults alike. If you’ve never been, you should definitely try this one!
• Friday Night Family Fun – Kansas City Public Library, Plaza Branch – 7pm – this week: Honey Night

Saturday, September 4, 2010

• Kansas City Irish Fest – Crown Center, KCMO – great music, dancing, a terrific children’s area and more! – thru September 5
• Wildlands Wanderings, Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center, KCMO -10am to 2pm – reservations req’d by 9/2
• Make Leafy Tees – Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center, KCMO – anytime between 10am and 2:30pm
• Barnes & Noble at Oak Park Mall is celebrating ‘American Girl’! Join a storytime marathon in the Children’s Department, where stories will be read throughout the day: 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:00 pm, and 5:30 pm. Enter to win great prizes!
• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – September 2 thru September 6 – TONS of fun for kids and adults alike. If you’ve never been, you should definitely try this one!
• KC Symphony’s annual free “Pops in the Park” concert at The Theatre in the Park, Shawnee Mission Park, Lenexa, KS – a celebration of great American music – from The Sound of Music, to the Music Man, to Star Wars and Superman! Bring your family and friends, plus blankets and lawn chairs to the park. There will also be an Instrument Petting Zoo beginning at 5:00 p.m. so youngsters can experience a pre-concert activity where trained musicians help them try their hands at a variety of orchestral instruments. It will be a night to remember! The parking lot opens at 4:30 p.m.; gates open at 5:00 p.m.; concert starts at 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – September 2 thru September 6 – TONS of fun for kids and adults alike. If you’ve never been, you should definitely try this one!
• Kansas City Irish Fest – Crown Center, KCMO – great music, dancing, a terrific children’s area and more! – thru September 5
• First Sunday Family Fun Day at the Kansas City Museum – noon to 4pm – this month’s theme: Record Your Own History

Monday, September 6, 2010 (LABOR DAY)

• Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – September 2 thru September 6 – TONS of fun for kids and adults alike. If you’ve never been, you should definitely try this one!
• Labor Day Parade, Louisburg, KS – 10am, followed by fun activities at American Legion Park

*Renaissance Festival image from NortheastNews.net

Something interesting came across my email earlier this month, and I think it’s worth checking out.  A national non profit financial literacy initiative is coming to Kansas City in late July. These days, you can’t plan an activity or make a purchase without thinking (and rethinking) the expenditure.  Parents are struggling to make ends meet, so this is very timely. On July 23rd there will be free ice cream for people who attend the event. Great for the kids!

The Your Money Bus Tour will be in Kansas City on July 23rd and 24th. The tour is sponsored by the NAPFA Consumer Education Foundation, TD Ameritrade, and Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine.  This year, the bus will hit 25 cities across the country promoting the message of financial freedom. In each city, local financial advisors volunteer their time to sit down with residents and answer their financial questions, FREE, with no strings attached. The Free Financial Advice Events are strictly consumer outreach and a way to help residents get back on track with their finances. So far this year,over 1200 consumers been helped during the Tour’s 15 stops.  In each city, the Tour works closely with the Mayor’s office and other non-profits to maximize the impact of the financial freedom tour.  Here’s the KC-area lineup:

July 23:

Free Financial Advice Event, 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. at Crown Center (on the square in front of the fountain that cascades from the upper to lower level). 2405 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO

Free Financial Advice and Ice Cream Event, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Kansas State University Institute of Personal Financial Planning, in partnership with the NAPFA Your Money Bus Tour, will hold a free advice and free ice cream event on July 23 from 11AM – 2PM at Crown Center in Kansas City. University instructor Ann Coulson, Ph.D., CFP®, will offer free financial advice to interested members of the metropolitan community.

July 24:

Free Financial Advice Event, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Oak Park Mall (outside the Food Court Entrance).  11149 W. 95th Street, Overland Park, KS

The Kansas City air is getting hot and sticky. The mosquitos are biting and the kids are already complaining of boredom. Must be June in Kansas City!

And June in Kansas City means the start of a long schedule of fairs and festivals! We’ve already seen the Brookside Art Annual, the Prairie Village Art Show, Old Shawnee Days and Lee’s Summit Downtown Days.

But there are plenty left!  And each and every fair has a TON of awesome activities to share with your kids! KC’s fair and festival season is starting…and there are so many that you have ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSE to not catch at least one!

The 2010 Kansas City fair and festival schedule looks like this:

Sugar Creek Slavic Festival - Sugar Creek, MO – June 11 and June 12

Scottish Highland Games & Celtic Festival, E.H. Young Park, Riverside, MO – June 11 thru June 13

Greek Festival – St. Dionysios Greek Orthodox Church, Overland Park – June 11 thru June 13

Dragon Boat Festival, Brush Creek near the Country Club Plaza, KCMO – June 12

Fiesta Filipina – Filipino Cultural Center, 79th St. between Antioch & Frontage in Overland Park – June 12 and June 13

Festival on the Trails, Gardner, KS – June 12

Belton (MO) Community Days, Mackey Park – June 16 thru June 19

Browne’s Irish Street Faire – Kansas City, MO – June 19

Chalk & Walk Festival, Crown Center Square, Kansas City, MO – June 19 & June 20

28th Annual Waterfest, Excelsior Springs, MO – June 26 and June 27

KC Riverfest – Berkley Riverfront Park, KCMO – July 3 and July 4

Cass County Fair, Pleasant Hill, MO – July 13 thru July 18

Amelia Earhart Festival – Atchison, KS - July 16 and July 17

Miami County Fair, Paola, KS – July 24 thru July 31

KC Fringe Festival – various KCMO locations – July 23 thru August 1

Platte County Fair, Platte City, MO – July 21 thru July 24

Douglas County Fair, Lawrence, KS – August 3 thru August 7

Wyandotte County Fair, Kansas City, KS – July 27 thru July 30 (4H fair only this year; to be held in Leavenworth County due to unavailability of new fairgrounds)

Johnson County Fair, Gardner, KS – August 2 thru August 7 – don’t miss the rodeo, Family Fun Night or the parade!

Missouri State Fair, Sedalia, MO – August 12 thru August 22 – 12 & under FREE every day; lot of free kids’ entertainment

Festival of Butterflies, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO – August 6 thru August 8 and August 13 thru August 15 – no carnival but still super cool!

Leavenworth County Fair, Tonganoxie, KS – August 10 thru August 14

5th Annual Midwest Kids Fest, Overland Park, KS – August 21 and 22, Overland Park Trade Center

Ethnic Enrichment Festival, Kansas City, MO – August 20 thru August 22

Trails West!, St. Joseph, MO – August 20 thru August 22

Parkville Days Riverfest, Parkville, MO – August 20 thru August 22

Lewis & Clark Trail Days, Buckner, MO – August 27 and August 28

Santa-Cali-Gon Days, Independence, MO – September 2 thru September 6 – TONS of fun for kids and adults alike. If you’ve never been, you should definitely try this one!

Kansas City Irish Fest, Kansas City, MO – September 3 thru 5 – awesome children’s area at this Crown Center event

Kansas City Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs, KS – September 4 thru October 17

The 48th Annual Annunciation Greek Food Festival, Kansas City, MO – September 10 thru September 12

Old Settlers Days, Olathe, KS – September 9 thru September 11

Valley Fair Days, Grain Valley, MO – September 10 and September 11

Kansas State Fair, Hutchinson, KS – September 10 thru September 19 – Selena Gomez closes the Fair on the 19th!

Blue Springs Fall Fun Festival, Blue Springs, MO – September 17 thru September 19

Zona Rosa Art Festival, Kansas City north, MO – September 17 thru September 19

Jesse James Festival, Kearney, MO – September 10 thru September 19

Plaza Art Fair, Kansas City, MO – September 24 thru September 26 – spend some time at the Kids’ Art Workshop!

(Photos via jonathan_moreau)