Faith news

To send in items for the Faith News, email information to Mary Rupert, editor, at  [email protected].

The Christ the King Catholic Church CYO will hold a fish fry from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays, through April 11, at the church hall, 3024 N. 53rd St.

A Community Blood Center blood drive is scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m. April 2 at the Community of Christ Church Fellowship Hall, 4400 Shawnee Drive, Kansas City, Kan. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 816-753-4040  or visit www.esavealifenow.org.

Faith City Church International will hold a grand opening Sunday, March 30, at 5100 Leavenworth Road. The location, the former Duff’s Thriftway building, is the first building purchased by the church, which has been in existence since 2009. The church moved from its former location of 5948 Wood Ave.  At the grand opening on March 30, visitors are welcome and may take a tour of the building. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Events start around 3 p.m. A small reception will be held at 3:30 p.m.

The second annual Rainbow of Colors in the Bible Luncheon will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 29. The host of the event is the Mary F. Handy Women’s Missionary Society of the First AME Church, 1111 N. 8th St., Kansas City, Kan. Other women’s organizations and members of other churches are invited. Table sponsorships are available at $200 per table, or individuals may attend at $20 per person. Each table will select a color. The program will include praise and worship while each table gives an overview on the interpretation of their color in the Bible. For more information, call 913-573-5423 or 913-219-0234.

Grandview Christian Church, 8550 Parallel Parkway, is collecting canned goods for Help 3:17, a local food pantry.

Grinter Chapel United Methodist Church’s Annual Ham and Bean Dinner will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at the church 7819 Swartz Road, Kansas City, Kan. Homemade vegetable soup also will be served. For a donation of $7 for adults and $3 for children 10 and younger, those attending will receive ham and beans or vegetable soup, corn bread, dessert and drink.

Open Door Baptist Church, 3033 N. 103rd Terrace, will hold a men’s prayer breakfast at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 5, in the dining room.

A Community Blood Center blood drive is scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m. April 21 at the Parkway Baptist Church classrooms, 12320 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 816-753-4040 or visit www.esavealifenow.org.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 2646 S. 34th, will feature a concert titled “Jesus” by the Rev. Kent O’Connor at 7 p.m. March 31. Father O’Connor will share images, reflections and original songs. There is no admission charge; an offering will be collected for Our Lady of Unity School.

Persons of all Christian traditions are invited to participate in Taizé prayer at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 3, in Annunciation Chapel on the campus of the Mother House of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, 4200 S. 4th St., Leavenworth, Kan.  Taizé prayer is a meditative, candlelit service that includes simple chants sung repeatedly, silence, and prayers of praise and intercession.  These prayer services emerged from an ecumenical community of monks in Taizé, France.  For more information, visit www.marillaccenter.org or call 913-680-2342.

Stony Point Christian Church, 149 S. 78th St., is planning an Easter Egg hunt for toddlers through fifth graders at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 19, in the church park. Those attending should bring their own baskets. The event will be moved indoors in case of inclement weather.

St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1086 N. 94th St., Kansas City, Kan., will be the site of a presentation and book signing by Teresa Tomeo. at 7 p.m. April 4. Tomeo recently has written the book, “God’s Bucket List.” She is the host of a Catholic talk show, “Catholic Connection,” and a columnist for the publication, “Our Sunday Visitor,” as well as host of the EWTN series, “The Catholic View for Women.”

Forgotten communities developed along Leavenworth Road

Views West

by Murrel Bland

There are several forgotten communities in Wyandotte County, particularly along what is now Leavenworth Road. That is the view of Bill Gregg who presented a program Sunday, March 23, at a quarterly meeting of the Wyandotte County Historical Society at the Wyandotte County Museum.

Leavenworth Road was developed to provide a road for soldiers from the levee in the city of Wyandot to Ft. Leavenworth, Gregg said. Ft. Leavenworth was established in 1827.  He said the road was established in the years after that; various communities came about along that route.

One of the communities was McGrew’s Grove near what is Sixth Street and Quindaro Boulevard that was developed in 1857, he said. Another was Six-Mile House, which was a stopover for soldiers traveling from the city of Wyandot to Ft. Leavenworth. Later there was a tavern nearby that developed a notorious reputation that it was a hangout for murderers and thieves, Gregg said.

The Calorific plant was developed in 1878 in the Brenner Heights community north of Leavenworth Road near 60th Street. Gregg said as many as 15 carloads of clay were shipped from there to plants in Kansas City, Mo., that manufactured firebricks.

The Pleasant Grove community developed in the 1860s near what is now 62nd Street and Cernech Road. It was a stop on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. There was a school and church in this community, Greg said.

Gregg said the Fairdale community developed near what is now 67th Street and Leavenworth Road. Vance School was first located here; there was a large YWCA camp there.

The Bethel community first developed near what is now 82nd Street and Sewell Avenue in the 1880s.  Gregg said there was a railroad station, a town hall and a terra cotta plant.

Pleasant Ridge was developed near what is now 99th Street and Cernech Avenue; it had a school and lodge building, Gregg said.

The Vance community was established in 1855 at what is now the north end of 67th Street. By 1861, according to Gregg, the community had a population of about 400.  Vance had a general store and a landing area for steamships. The area moved to what is now 72nd Street because of flooding of the Missouri River.

The Historical Society presented its annual awards after Gregg’s presentation.

Dennis Hays, who recently retired as the Wyandotte County administrator, received the Garland M. Smith Award; he was recognized for his and his staff’s efforts in helping with “the preservation and enhancement of the Wyandotte County Museum.”

Donald Thomas Taylor was named the “Historian of the Year.”  Taylor, a Kansas City, Kan., trial lawyer, was recognized for historical research and writings on members of the Wyandotte County Bar Association.

The Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber of Commerce received the Margaret Landis Award for Regional Historic Preservation. The chamber donated many of its historical records to the museum. Cindy Cash, the immediate past-president of the chamber, and Pat Gaunce, a former chairwoman of the chamber board, assisted in gathering these historical materials; they received a Special President’s Award. Cash said others who assisted in organizing and transporting materials were George Turner, Terry Robinson, Jerome Simmons and Quinn Simmons.

Kurt Russell received the Volunteer of the Year Award. He assists the professional staff at the museum. The Strawberry Hill Museum was recognized with the V.J. Lane Award for its preservation of the rich history of Wyandotte County.

Don Wolf, a professional photographer, received the Ethnic History Award. Wolf has published a book entitled “Croatian Love Story” including stories and photos of Strawberry Hill.

Those receiving Meritorious Service Awards were Bill Gregg, Roger Miller and the late Jim Masson. Gregg and Miller also received Lifetime Service Awards.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is a board member of the Wyandotte County Historical Society. 

Founder of EyeVerify to speak at KCKCC Innovation Summit

by Kelly Rogge

Toby Rush, CEO and founder of EyeVerify, will be the keynote speaker at the 3rd annual Kansas City Kansas Community College Innovation Summit. The summit features entrepreneurial innovations in the region.

Rush’s EyeVerify created a technology of biometric authentication that applies pattern-recognition techniques to video images of the veins in a user’s eyes. Smartphones and tablets already have cameras that are sufficient to capture the eye image. This means that the Eyeprint Verification software can be used on hundreds of millions of devices that are already deployed.

The Innovation Summit is 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, April 4, in the Upper Jewell Center on the main KCKCC campus, 7250 State Ave. in Kansas City, Kan.

The summit includes a State Street Perfect Pitch Contest with 12 emerging entrepreneurs in the high school and general divisions. These participants will offer innovations in areas including information technology, apparel, medical devices, culinary arts and others. A total of $10,000 in cash prizes will be awarded by State Street Bank. Registration is $10 per person and includes a continental breakfast and lunch.

In addition, the summit will feature a panel of entrepreneurs including Joyce Williams, founder of Joyce Williams Salon and developer of Joyce Williams Hair Care Products.  Kansas City, Kan. Mayor and CEO, Mark Holland, will provide a lunch address, where competition participants will also be awarded prizes. The lunch is a partnership between KCKCC and the KC Chamber First Friday Focus.

Innovation Summit sponsors include State Street Bank (platinum sponsor); KCKCC (host sponsor); University of Missouri (breakfast sponsor); Youth Entrepreneurs, Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Wyandotte Economic Development Council, Kansas Small Business Development Center, KCSourceLink KCK Chamber, KCK Women’s Chamber and Emporia State University-KC (friend sponsors).

To register for the Innovation Summit, visit www.kckcc.edu/academics/academicDivisions/business/workforceDevelopment/innovationsummit.aspx. Then select “Registration Form” and follow the instructions.

For more information, contact Marisa Gray at [email protected] or call 913-288-7659.