KCKidsFun

The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is nearing, and Union Station in downtown Kansas City is gearing up for a fabulous exhibit: “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” is set to open to the public on March 10, 2012.  The exhibit is being presented by the company that holds the exclusive right to the wreck site of the RMS Titanic.

Union Station had a similar stroke of good luck (from a timing perspective) when it hosted the Diana exhibit during the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

The ocean liner, struck an iceberg just before midnight on its maiden voyage in the North Atlantic and sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912. More than 1,500 people perished in the frozen waters of the Atlantic.  You might remember a Union Station Titanic exhibit from 2001- this one is reportedly much larger (by one-third) and contains additional artifacts found since 2001.

The Titanic exhibit will be set up in Union Station’s 15,000-square-foot Bank of America Gallery on the lower level and will include elements that were hits with previous visitors, including an ice wall to touch that simulates the fateful iceberg. Ticket holders will be handed a boarding pass with the name of an actual Titanic passenger and at the end of the tour they can check a wall to see if their person is listed among the surviving or the dead.

“Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” will run March 10, 2012 through Labor Day 2012 at Union Station. Tickets: $19.12 for adults ($10 for Union Station members); $16.12 for children 3-12, seniors, college students and military and are available at Union Station, online or by calling 816-460-2020.

*image courtesy of unionstation.org

Kansas City, MO Mayor Sly James recently proclaimed October 19th “K- SEA day” to commemorate the ground breaking of SEA LIFE Aquarium.  SEA LIFE Aquarium is located in Kansas City, Missouri at Crown Center and is expected to open in April 2012.

Mayor James and dignitaries from Merlin Entertainments and Crown Center dug into over 2 tons of sand after talking about how SEA LIFE Aquarium will  benefit Kansas City tourism, continue to revitalize downtown Kansas City and  increase employment opportunities in the Kansas City area.  For locals, it’s a welcome addition to our city!  My kids are thrilled and can hardly wait for this to open.  We’ve always enjoyed visits to Crown Center, and have spent many summer and winter days exploring the area.  This will be an amazing addition!

If that weren’t enough, did you know that Kansas City is also welcoming a LEGOLAND Discovery Center? Scheduled to open just behind SEA LIFE (in May 2012), this will be the fourth LEGOLAND Discovery Center in the United States.  To commemorate LEGOLAND Discovery Center’s groundbreaking earlier this month, twenty thousand LEGO bricks spilled to the ground outside the construction site!

Described as stepping into the biggest box of LEGO bricks in the world, the $15 million, 30,000-square-foot interactive attraction will feature a MINILAND® exhibit which recreates landmark buildings in Kansas City out of LEGO® bricks, hands-on play areas, a 4-D Cinema, master classes from the LEGO® Master Model Builder, rides, and special party rooms for birthdays and other celebrations.

The MINILAND exhibit will be amazing- and you can vote on your favorite KC landmarks to be memorialized in LEGOs! Vote from landmarks like Arrowhead Stadium, Kauffman Center, J. C. Nichols Fountain and Union Station.   The top 10 will be announced November 7th.  (Personally, I would like nothing more than to see the Country Club Plaza in LEGOs!)

*images courtesy of INK inc.

Hope that everyone is off to a happy and safe Memorial Weekend!  It’s especially poignant this year as we remember those lost in the recent tornado and those still fighting overseas.  There are still so many stories of heroism, heartbreak and hope coming out of Joplin. Please take a minute to remember those who lost their lives…and consider donating to American Red Cross or Salvation Army if you haven’t done so already.

In addition to little league baseball tournaments (ours started at 8am this morning!) and cookouts with friends (rain, clouds, please go away!) there are some things going on tomorrow and Monday.  If you’ve never taken the little ones down to Crown Center to check out Jiggle Jam, the now-annual music event is becoming a regional favorite.  Tomorrow is supposed to be much warmer with a slight chance of storms.  Enjoy and be safe!

Sunday, May 29, 2011

• Jiggle Jam Family Fest – Crown Center Square. Returning for a fourth fantastic year, featuring national and local children’s entertainers. Many kids activities to enjoy. 10am-5pm today.
• Hot Air Balloon Invitational, Celebration Park in Gardner, KS – May 28th through 30th
• BANK OF AMERICA CELEBRATION AT THE STATION WITH THE KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY, 7:30 p.m. at Union Station – Spectacular patriotic concert by the Kansas City Symphony, followed by Kansas City’s largest fireworks display. Picnic on the North Lawn of the National WWI Museum at Liberty Memorial while enjoying fabulous pre-concert entertainment. Blankets and lawn chairs welcome. Instrument Petting Zoo, sponsored by Swiss Re, and pre-concert entertainment begin at 4 p.m. (Rain date: Monday, May 30)

Monday, May 30, 2011

• Hot Air Balloon Invitational, Celebration Park in Gardner, KS – May 28th through 30th
• Memorial Day Ceremony at the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial, KCMO – 9:30am (museum will open immediately following the ceremony)
• Memorial Day Ceremony at Union Hill Cemetery, KCMO – 11:30am