KCKidsFun

Wow, there’s lots to do in Kansas City this weekend.  Even though Halloween doesn’t fall on the weekend, it is jam-packed with all things Halloween!  If you and your kiddos do even half the stuff on this list…by the time Monday rolls around, you might end up handing out a few pieces of candy and calling it a night.

Don’t forget to check out our previous post on Trunk or Treats…there are some good ones on there!  Have a wonderful holiday, have a safe night(s), and don’t forget to savor each and every bite of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!!!

Thursday, October 27, 2011:

• Christian Youth Theater presents AIDA, Thursday, October 27 – Sunday, October 30 at The Bell Center, Mid America Nazarene University, 2030 E. College Way, Olathe, KS 66062. Ticket prices: $10 adults; $8 students 12 and under, Senior Citizens and groups of 10 or more. For more information: www.cytkc.org.

Friday, October 28, 2011:

• Trunk-or-Treat in parking lot of M&I Bank in Shawnee, 4-6pm. Sponsored by more than 35 Shawnee businesses and restaurants. The Police and Fire Departments will be there promoting lessons in safety.Also collecting canned goods to benefit the Harvesters Community Food Network. *In the event of inclement weather, event will be moved inside.
• Night of the Living Farm – Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, Overland Park – October 21 & 22, October 28 & 29 – 6pm to 9pm – $8 in advance, $10 at the door
• Friday Night Ghost Tours on Independence Square – At 7, 8, or 9 pm, tour 1859 Jail, wagon ride, ghost stories. Limited to 15 with advance reservations. Call 461-0065. Location: Historic Independence Square, Main, Lexington, Liberty & Maple
• Enchanted Forest at George Owens Nature Park, Independence, MO – Non-scary Halloween event, storybook characters and hayride. $3. (816) 325-7370.
• Christian Youth Theater presents AIDA, Thursday, October 27 – Sunday, October 30 at The Bell Center, Mid America Nazarene University, 2030 E. College Way, Olathe, KS 66062. Ticket prices: $10 adults; $8 students 12 and under, Senior Citizens and groups of 10 or more. For more information: www.cytkc.org.

Saturday, October 29, 2011:

• Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk! One mile walk around Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City Chiefs players will cheer walkers on. Food and drink included with registration fee. Entertainment for all ages to include face painting, clowns, pony rides, moon walks and other inflatables, balloon artists, carnival games, Radio Disney, dancing, KC Wolf and more! Free parking in Lot D. Register today –www.stepupfordownsyndromekc.org
• October at the Zoo – hayrides, treasure maps, Haunted Valley, spooky animal shows, special character guests and more
• Mildale Farm Fall Fest at Mildale Farm, 35250 W. 199th St., Edgerton, Kansas – Free public event. Visitors can explore and picnic on the 158-acre site including the 22-acre rental property as well as about 136 acres of future park land. Explore Mildale Farm’s main barn which features peg construction and a hand-laid brick floor. Nearby you’ll find cider and hot cocoa and a large pumpkin patch. A tractor-drawn shuttle will take you to a fire circle for roasting marshmallows and enjoying a storyteller. There will also be guided nature walks and horse-drawn hayrides. Catch-and-release fishing in any or all of seven ponds within the 158-acre area will also be offered, so bring your own bait and tackle. While District fishing permits have been waived for this event, anglers 16 and older will still need to have a valid Kansas fishing license. Restrooms will be available, but the property’s two homes and other outbuildings will not be open during this event. Remember, no alcohol is allowed, pets must be on-leash, and vehicles must remain on roadways. For more information, call (913) 831-3355.
• Night of the Living Farm – Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, Overland Park – October 21 & 22, October 28 & 29 – 6pm to 9pm – $8 in advance, $10 at the door
• Join us for a FREE Trunk or Treat from 2-4pm. We will have, candy, games, prizes, and of course more candy! At 3:00 there will be a costume contest, please keep costumes kid appropriate. Antioch Community Church is located at 4805 NE Antioch Rd, KC, MO 64119. Visit ACCKC.ORG for more info. In case of inclement weather this event will be held indoors.
• Reflection Point, workshop at Kemper Museum (KCMO) – Students will look at the reflective works of June Aherns with artist
  Cory Imig and discuss how different materials communicate different ideas. Students will then make a work of art using a variety of nontraditional materials.
• Spooktacular Zoofari Overnight – Come dressed in your favorite costume and celebrate a kid-friendly Halloween, Zoo style, on Saturday, October 29 from 4 p.m. and ending at 8:30 a.m on Sunday, October 30. Enjoy all of the awesome Boo at the Zoo activities until 6 p.m. and then stay overnight for more spooktacular fun! Overnight activities include: zoo admission, themed activities, up-close encoutners with animals, tours, climate-controlled sleeping areas, dinner and breakfast. Pre-registration is required. Please contact Education at 816.513.5723 or visit www.kansascityzoo.org for more information.
• Christian Youth Theater presents AIDA, Thursday, October 27 – Sunday, October 30 at The Bell Center, Mid America Nazarene University, 2030 E. College Way, Olathe, KS 66062. Ticket prices: $10 adults; $8 students 12 and under, Senior Citizens and groups of 10 or more. For more information: www.cytkc.org.
• Trick or Treat Off the Street at Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm, Olathe, KS – 4-6 p.m. Trick or treat on the Mahaffie grounds. $3/person, ages 3 and up. No registration required. Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm, 1200 Kansas City Rd., Olathe, KS 66061; (913) 971-5111; www.mahaffie.org
• Enchanted Forest at George Owens Nature Park, Independence, MO – Non-scary Halloween event, storybook characters and hayride. $3. (816) 325-7370.

Sunday, October 30, 2011:

• Safe Trick-Or-Treating at Independence Center – 4pm to 6pm – Mall Wide
• Christian Youth Theater presents AIDA, Thursday, October 27 – Sunday, October 30 at The Bell Center, Mid America Nazarene University, 2030 E. College Way, Olathe, KS 66062. Ticket prices: $10 adults; $8 students 12 and under, Senior Citizens and groups of 10 or more. For more information: www.cytkc.org.
• Trunk-or-Treat at Briarcliff Village- from 3-5pm at Briarcliff Village (Kansas City north). It will be a safe and fun environment for children under 12 to enjoy Halloween festivities!
• October at the Zoo – hayrides, treasure maps, Haunted Valley, spooky animal shows, special character guests and more

Monday, October 31 (HALLOWEEN!)

• Halloween Event at Independence Center – 5:30pm – 7:30pm Price: Free to Kidgits Club members. Membership is $5 per child for a full year. Ages: 0-8 Location: Food Court Description: Kidgits Club members join us for our Halloween event on Monday Oct 31st between 5:30pm and 7:30pm! Radio Disney will be providing games, music, giveaways and LOTS OF FUN! Not a Kidgits Club member? Join for only $5 per year. Visitwww.simon.com/kidgits or Independence Center Guest Services for more info. All giveaways while supplies last.
• Trunk or Treat from 5 to 8pm. Alcott Arts Center, 180 S. 18th st. Kansas City, Kansas 66102 913.233.2787
• Halloween Snack and a Story Event at Englewood Hy-Vee, 207 NE Englewood, KCMO – 10am to 11am – bring your small toddler/preschool age children to hear a “spooky” Halloween story and enjoy healthy Halloween snacks. This event will be located in the upstairs conference room. Costumes are optional! Children ages 5 and younger with parent or guardian. Please sign up advance by calling Keli at 816-286-4381 Cost: $5/child

Thanks to all who entered our Max & Ruby Bunny Party ticket giveaway…and thanks to our friends at Midland Theatre, we are lucky enough to have 5 winners!  Each winner will receive 4 tickets to the June 12, 2011 production at KC’s Midland.  Congratulations!

Our lucky winners, randomly chosen, are as follows:

• Kelly Daniels
• Shy P.
• Mendy Drown
• Chantel
• Seth Hunt

I will be contacting the winners via email with redemption instructions. Thanks to everyone for entering. Lots of great suggestions from our readers for springtime activities~ Deanna Rose Farmstead in south Overland Park is always a favorite (opens April 1).  Picnics, planting flowers and nature hikes were frequently mentioned, too.  Even spring cleaning showed up every now and then!  Now…where’s that warm weather?!?

Contest Winners Announced!!!!

***Congratulations to our 2 Globetrotters Ticket winners!  PAUL HIMMELSTEIN and KELLY MULVIHILL (Eudora, KS) will receive 4 tickets each to the Jan 2 show!***

For over 30 years, the popular Deanna RoseChildren’s Farmstead in south Overland Park has been a free attraction for all visitors. The facility was open to the public and funded entirely by private donations, a nonprofit supporter group and Overland Park tax money.

The Overland Park City Council voted 10 to 2 on Monday to approve a $2 admission fee, to be charged Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, beginning when the Farmstead opens for the season in April. The facility is open from April 1 to November 1 each year. Admission will still be free for children under 2. And families can buy season passes – $35 for Overland Park residents; $50 for non-residents.

Attendance at the Farmstead is close to 500,000 people each year – only a quarter of those visitors are Overland Park residents/taxpayers. The Kansas City Star article about the new fee indicated that the admission fee is largely an attempt to reign in attendance which was hitting 5,000 to 6,000 on Saturdays and was only slightly less on Sundays. (For comparison, the Star recently reported that the 200-acre Kansas City Zoo logged 540,000 visitors in 2009.)

The Farmstead began in 1978 as a small petting zoo/farm. It has grown amazingly over the years and is now a 12-acre park with farm animals, a fishing pond, hay rides, a dairy barn and many interactive activities for kids.

So, moms, dads, grandparents, caregivers, educators – what do you think about the new admission fee at Deanna Rose? Tell us in the comments below!