Month: September 2014

‘Shakespeare in Parking Lot’ returns to Alcott Center Saturday

Alcott Arts Center, 180 S. 18th, Kansas City, Kan., will present “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as part of its Shakespeare in the Parking Lot series Sept. 6-7 and 13-14.

The play will begin at 3 p.m. at the Alcott parking lot.

Admission is $5 plus one nonperishable food item per person.

The Shakespeare productions here started in 2005 with the Wyandotte Players doing “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” directed by Kim Hentges for an Alcott fundraiser. The program is fashioned after New York theater companies’ production of Shakespeare in the Park Lot, and it was well received locally, now in its eighth year.

This year the Shakespearean comedy is directed by Frank Presler. The show will be held outdoors, but in case of rain it will be moved inside the Alcott center. Those attending may bring lawn chairs and blankets.

The cast include Alex Allee, fairy 1; Bailey Allee, fairy 2; Elise Allee, first fairy; Abigail Becker, moth, Joselyn Carolus, snout-wall; Felicity Freeling, Philostrate-Peaseblossom; Madison Drake, fairy 3; Finn Smith-Morris, Starveling; Dakota Garrison, Puck; Heather Hare, Hippolyta; Dave Bennett, Egeus; Jamie Johnson, Starveling-Moonshine; Khalid Johnson, Quince, prologue; Jordan Kaster, Lysander; Kelsey Matthias, Helena; Jen Morris, Titania; John Plunkett, Theseus; Roan Ricker, flute, Thisbe; Eli Purdom, Bottom-Pyramus; Jeffrey Shouse, Demetrius; Chuck Smith, Oberon; London Smith, Cobweb; Liz Swick, Hermia; and Katya Woolard, Snug-Lion.

The inside of the Alcott Arts Center is not ADA accessible. For ticket information, visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com.

Corps to release more water from reservoirs into Missouri River

Water will be released at four lower dams on the Missouri River, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today.

The higher releases will evacuate flood water stored in the Mainstem Reservoir System, preparing it to capture next year’s anticipated runoff, lessening the potential for future flood risk, the Corps of Engineers stated in a news release.

The excess water will allow the corps to extend the navigation season 10 days and provide higher winter releases, which will benefit winter hydropower generation and reduce risks to water intakes during the periods of ice formation in the winter, according to the announcement.

“Releases from Gavins Point Dam will be stepped up from the current release rate of 38,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 45,500 cfs during the next several days, and are expected to remain near that level throughout the fall. By evacuating the excess water from the reservoir system at the lowest possible rate for the longest period of time, the updated release plan will properly prepare the reservoir system for next year’s runoff season, while reducing downstream flood risk this fall,” said Jody Farhat, chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.. “Although releases are higher than normal for this time of year, flows are expected to remain in the channel unless we experience a significant amount of rain.”

The corps will carefully monitor downstream conditions and adjust Gavins Point Dam releases as necessary this fall to provide flood risk reduction and continue evacuation of stored flood water, according to a spokesman.

Bishop Ward to play 800th football game tonight

(BWHS photo)
(BWHS photo)

Tonight at 7 p.m. for the 2014 season opener, fans may watch the 800th all-time football game being played by the Bishop Ward Cyclones.

The Cyclones will be playing on the historic Dorney Field, sharing the same field where the first game was played in 1925.

Football has a long tradition at Bishop Ward High School, with only Wyandotte High School having a longer local history in the sport. The “Fighting Irish” of Catholic High of Kansas City, Kan., as the school was first known, had its first season in 1925 and went 0-2-1. The team first lost to Leavenworth Catholic High (Immaculata) and then tied but finally lost to Central High (Wyandotte High School).

The Cyclones have come a long way since that first season with 432 wins, 336 losses and 31 ties since 1925. The Cyclones have an overall school winning percentage of .541 percent.

The 2014 Cyclone team will play nine games this season and open against Sumner Academy tonight at 7 p.m. The Cyclones’ next home game will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26.

– Story from Joshua Sukraw, Bishop Ward High School