Month: August 2017

T-Bones and Paula are sharp in 8-2 win

Luis Paula tossed a quality start and Marcus Lemon and Cedric Hunter had four hits each as the Kansas City T-Bones (54-40) beat the Sioux City Explorers (42-52) Wednesday night at Mercy Field at Lewis and Clark Park.

Kansas City took the lead 1-0 off left Hobbs Johnson in the top of the first with an RBI single from Marcus Lemon to score Cedric Hunter, who led off the game with a double. The X’s would come back to take the lead in the second with an RBI single from Dre Gleason and a sacrifice fly from Eudor Garcia to take a 2-1 lead off T-Bones starter Luis Paula.

Paula would then shut down the X’s, tossing four scoreless innings keeping the game 2-1 until the T-Bones offense could get untracked. They would do just that in the top of the fifth inning.

Zane Chavez, Tucker Pennell and Cedric Hunter each reached on base hits to load the bases. Marcus Lemon then singled to left to tie the game at two.

Kevin Keyes then stepped up to the plate and hit a deep fly to center field that Sioux City center fielder Tony Campana apparently lost in the lights.

The ball landed behind him to the left about 10 yards from wall. That scored three runs and gave the T-Bones a 5-2 lead with Keyes racing to third with a bases clearing triple.

In the top of the sixth Chantz Mack led off the inning with a solo homer to right off Johnson to make it 6-2 Kansas City.

With two out Tucker Pennell reached on a single and the red-hot Cedric Hunter would double him around for a 7-2 lead. Marcus Lemon then followed with an RBI single to up the score to 8-2.

Jackson Lowery worked two scoreless innings while Grant Side closed out the ninth for Kansas City.

Paula (7-2) held Sioux City to just four hits in getting the win, while the loss went to Johnson (3-9). It was the fourth start for Paula, who has worked 24 innings as a starter with a 3-0 record and a 1.88 ERA.

With the win Kansas City stayed tied with Fargo-Moorhead, who beat Lincoln Wednesday, in the race for the American Association Wild Card playoff spot with five games left to play.

Gary also won over Sioux Falls putting the RailCats one game behind the leaders. Lincoln still maintains a magic number of two over Kansas City for the Central Division and a 3.5 game lead over the T-Bones.

The T-Bones play their last regular season road game Thursday night in Iowa at 7:05 p.m. The game can be heard on the T-Bones Broadcast Network.

Kansas City will start right-hander Matt Sergey (5-3, 3.23) while Sioux City will counter with right-handed pitcher Justin Vernia (2-2, 7.30).

The T-Bones return home for their final home stand Friday night to open a four-game series with the St. Paul Saints.

Tickets for home games are available online, by calling 913-328-5618, or by visiting in person the Providence Medical Center Box Office.

– Story from T-Bones

Museum opens ‘Through Darkness to Light’ exhibit on Underground Railroad

Visitors to the Wyandotte County Museum’s new photographic exhibit, “Through Darkness to Light,” will get a sense of what escaping slaves may have seen on the Underground Railroad in pre-Civil War times. The exhibit opens at 6 p.m. tonight at the museum at 621 N. 126th, Bonner Springs. (Photo by David Hartman, Wyandotte County Museum curator)

by Mary Rupert

Tonight, an opening night party will kick off the “Through Darkness to Light” exhibit at the Wyandotte County Museum, 621 N. 126th St., Bonner Springs, Kan.

The party, free and open to the public, will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 31 at the museum.

The exhibit is made up of photographs taken, mostly at night, of sites along the Underground Railroad, said David Hartman, museum curator. It runs through Oct. 10.

Jeanine Michna-Bales, the photographer, took the pictures at night to give viewers a realistic portrayal of what it was like for slaves to travel at night, seeking their freedom, he said.

In this exhibit, Michna-Bales, a photographic historian from Texas, followed the trail from Louisiana to Canada, stopping along the way in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, Hartman said. She did not take photos in Kansas City, Kansas.

She took pictures of caves, trees and rivers that escaping slaves might have seen along their route. Also, she took photos of famous homes where slaves were assisted in their journey, and had a place to stay and eat, he said.

The museum’s east gallery has been transformed into a nighttime atmosphere, including sound effects of the forest, he added.

The Wyandotte County Museum will have companion artifacts from the Civil War era on display during this exhibit, he said. A Civil War cannon, a mask of President Abraham Lincoln, and a ball-and-chain that actually was used on a slave here are among the artifacts on display, he said.

Sometimes, homes that were stops along the Underground Railroad hung quilts on clothes lines or placed them on a railing outside the home, Hartman said. These quilts had symbols hidden in the patterns that helped direct slaves to a safe location, he added. One quilt will be on display at the museum.

Other artifacts from the old town of Quindaro, at 27th Street at the Missouri River, will be on display, he said. In the pre-Civil War era, escaping slaves would come across the Missouri River from Parkville, Mo., to Quindaro, because it was a free city. The city, founded by abolitionists, was demolished in 1866, it is believed, and the area is now the Quindaro Ruins. These artifacts were discovered in an excavation of the area in 1987 through 1990, he added.

About 30 objects that were unearthed from the Quindaro Ruins will be on display at the museum during this event, Hartman said. These include tools and dishes, along with photographs of the excavation, he added.

He said the exhibit has an educational value for residents.

“They’re going to learn more about slavery, the Underground Railroad, and how Kansas City took a part in that, as well as Quindaro city,” he said. “A lot of people know the street Quindaro, but don’t know a city called Quindaro, and where part of the Underground Railroad came through, where many people came through to gain their freedom from slavery.”

Hartman said he hopes this exhibit will bring more attention to the Quindaro Ruins, the Quindaro museum, and recent efforts to make the Quindaro Ruins a national landmark. Currently, visitors may see the Quindaro Ruins from the Quindaro Overlook, and private tours are available, he added.

The Wyandotte County Museum’s exhibit will be open to school groups and bus groups, as well as the public, through Oct. 10.

The museum, usually closed on the weekend, has special hours for Labor Day weekend, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Labor Day. Hours Mondays through Fridays are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is no admission charge.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/wycomuseum/.