Month: October 2017

Community calendar

The Wyandotte Daily news is interested in news of your community event in Wyandotte County. Send information to [email protected] and include your name and phone number. Please send in planned events about a week before the event if possible. In the event of inclement weather, call to see if the event is still planned.

Programs offered for Spanish-speaking women
Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., offers these programs for Spanish-speaking women: Grupo de mujeres: Puedo Vivir En Armonia, Desarrolle las erramientas para manejar sus emociones y vivir emocionalmente saludable, martes, Octubre 24 y 31, 10-11:30 a.m.; Grupo de salud emocional para la mujer, ofrecido por MOCSA, contacte a Sinead McDonough, llame al 816-285-1349, los martes, 1 – 2:30 p.m. For more information or registration, call 913-906-8990.

Dracula comedy continues
“Dracula, the Final Countdown,” a comedy by Geoff Bamber, continues at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22 and 29, as well as at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 and 28 at the Alcott Arts Center, 180 S. 18th St. Kansas City, Kansas. The retelling of the old Dracula story will include twists that give a different turn to the story. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $6 for students. Funds raised will go toward paying the bills at the Alcott Center. The art galleries at the Alcott Center also will be open. The building is not ADA accessible. For more information, see https://www.alcottartscenter.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/alcott.arts.center/.

Candidate forum to be held Oct. 24
A candidate forum will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, at New Bethel Church Haven Center, 735 Walker Ave. The forum is sponsored by Unity with Purpose and Forum Partners.

Blood drive to be held in Fairfax area
A Community Blood Center blood drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, at Central Solutions, 401 Funston Road, in the conference room, Kansas City, Kansas. The Fairfax Industrial Association is participating in the event. To sign up for blood donations in advance, call 1-877-468-6844 or visit www.savealifenow.org.

Halloween parties planned
The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library is planning Halloween parties at the different branches. The Main Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library at 625 Minnesota Ave., has a party at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25; the South branch at 3104 Strong Ave. at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26; the West Wyandotte Library at 1737 N. 82nd has a Halloween event at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26; and the Turner Community Library at 831 S. 55th has a Halloween event at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. For more information, visit www.kckpl.org and click on “Events.”

UG Commission to meet Oct. 26
The Unified Government Commission is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at the Commission Chambers, lobby level, City Hall, 701 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas. Check www.wycokck.org for an agenda.

‘Storytelling around the Campfire’ on Oct. 28 at Grinter Place
“Storytelling around the Campfire” is planned at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at the historic Grinter House, 1420 S. 78th St., Kansas City, Kansas. It is a free event. Those attending may roast and eat hot dogs, s’mores and drink hot chocolate or Kool-Aid and enjoy a historical re-enactment of Dr. James Naismith, the man who invented basketball and the first basketball coach of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. Bill Nicks, curator of Grinter House, will present his first-person re-enactment of Naismith and offer the stories about the history of basketball.

Halloween party to be Oct. 28 at Eisenhower Recreation Center
A Halloween party for area children will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at Eisenhower Recreation Center, 2901 N. 72nd. The event is sponsored by the Unified Government Parks and Recreation Department, Leavenworth Road Association and Multiply Church. Activities, games, treats and trick-or-treating at tables will take place. There will be treats and hot dogs. For more information, call the Leavenworth Road Association office, 913-788-3988 or email [email protected].

Boo Bash to be Oct. 28 at Bonner Springs Library
The 5th annual Boo Bash is planned Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Bonner Springs City Library, 201 N. Nettleton Ave., Bonner Springs. The event, for all ages, is from noon to 2 p.m. A disc jockey will play “terrifying” tunes, scary stories will be told by the fireplace, pumpkin decorating, games and candy, are part of the events. Those attending may wear costumes. Signup is not needed.

Halloween event planned Oct. 31 at Alcott
A Halloween trick-or-treat event is planned from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31 at the Alcott Arts Center, 180 S. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas. Volunteers will decorate the lawn of the center, and children may trick-or-treat. There will be face painting and a cartoonist. It is a free event.

UG Ethics Commission to meet
The Unified Government Ethics Commission will meet at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, at the second floor, Wyandotte County Courthouse, Division 18, old county commissioners’ chambers, 710 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas.

CABA plans Day of Dead celebration Nov. 4
The Central Avenue Betterment Association is planning a Day of the Dead parade and celebration from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, from 6th to 16th streets on Central Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. Live music and food are planned along Central Avenue. An offerings celebration will be held earlier in the day on Central Avenue. For more information, visit https://www.cabakck.org/.

Grinter Place Friends to hold chili dinner Nov. 4
On Nov. 4, the Grinter Place Friends will hold their annual chili dinner from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Grinter Barn, 1400 S. 78th, Kansas City, Kansas. There will be all-you-can-eat chili for $8 for adults and $4 for veterans with identification, in honor of Veterans Day, and also for children 12 or younger. Included with dinner is a drink and dessert. There also will be hot dogs and chili dogs available for purchase. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/Grinter-Place-Friends-Inc-560554977327335/.

Blood drive to be Nov. 2-3 at KU Med Center
The University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd., will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 2 and 3 at Hixson Atrium. To schedule a donation, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

Blood drive scheduled at Washington High School
Washington High School, 7340 Leavenworth Road, will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, at the small gym. To schedule a donation, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

Veterans Day Commemoration planned Nov. 4
A Veterans Day Commemoration program is planned 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Salvation Army Harbor Light Village, 6732 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. It is a free community event. The program is presented by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 6401, Wyandotte County, www.vfw6401.org. The doors will open at 9:30 a.m. The guest speaker is David Thaxton, former staff sergeant in the Kansas Army National Guard 2-137th Infantry, who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Also part of the program will be the Piper High School Music in Motion, the Veteran’s History Project, commemorative displays and brunch. There will be recognition of all war veterans with emphasis on veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan and Desert Storm. Partners and sponsors include the Kansas City, Kansas, Women’s Chamber, KCK Convention and Visitors Bureau, Salvation Army Harbor Light Village, Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library and Providence Medical Center.

Bishop Ward High School to hold blood drive
Bishop Ward High School, 708 N. 18th St., will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 8 at the gym. To schedule a donation, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

Medicare open enrollment assistance event scheduled
Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-3rd Dist., has scheduled a Medicare open enrollment assistance event for seniors from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Nov. 8, in the West Wyandotte Library auditorium, 1737 N. 82nd St., Kansas City, Kansas.

Piper High School schedules blood drive
Piper High School, 4400 N. 107th, will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at the gym. To schedule a donation, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

Grinter Jamboree to be Nov. 14
The Grinter Place Friends are bringing back their Jamboree, which will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 14, the second Tuesday of the month, at the Grinter Barn, 1400 S. 78th, Kansas City, Kansas. One was held during October and about 40 to 50 people attended. The MP3 Band will perform. There will be a cover charge of $5 per person, and a snack bar will be available to purchase light refreshments. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/Grinter-Place-Friends-Inc-560554977327335/.

Blood drive scheduled Nov. 16 at TEC Center
KCKCC Technical Education Center, 6565 State Ave., will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 16 in the multipurpose room. To schedule a donation, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

Blood drive planned at Turner High School
Turner High School, 2211 S. 55th St., will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 7:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 17 in the auxiliary gym. To schedule a donation, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

Blood drive scheduled Nov. 20
Harding and Associates, 8437 State Ave., will hold a Community Blood Center blood drive from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 20 in the parking lot. To schedule a donation, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

Blood drive scheduled Nov. 27
A Red Cross blood drive is scheduled from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27, at Dave and Buster’s, 1843 Village West Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. For more information or to schedule a blood donation, visit www.redcrossblood.org.

Blood drive scheduled Nov. 29
A Red Cross blood drive is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29, at Kansas City Kansas Community College, 7250 State Ave. For more information or to schedule a blood donation, visit www.redcrossblood.org.

Counseling available
The Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., offers counseling services for men and women. Individual counseling and couples counseling is available. Nothing is billed and donations are accepted. Call 913-906-8990 for information or to schedule an appointment.

Wyandotte County Museum
The Wyandotte County Museum, 631 N. 126th St., Bonner Springs, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is no admission charge. For more information, call 913-573-5002 or visit https://www.facebook.com/wycomuseum/.

Strawberry Hill Museum
The Strawberry Hill Museum, 720 N. 4th St., Kansas City, Kansas, is currently closed for holiday decorating. The museum will reopen Nov. 3. For more information call 913-371-3264 or visit www.strawberryhillmuseum.org.

Grinter Place Museum
The Grinter Place State Historic Site, 1420 S. 78th St., Kansas City, Kan., is one of the oldest homes in the area, built in 1857. For more information about hours and days it is open, call 913-299-0373 or visit http://www.kshs.org/p/grinter-place-plan-your-visit/15857.

Old Quindaro Museum
The Old Quindaro Museum is at 3432 N. 29th St., Kansas City, Kan. For more information about the museum, call 816-820-3615 or visit https://www.facebook.com/ccoqmuseum/.

Strong thunderstorms reported

The National Weather Service reported that at 6:41 p.m., Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along a line extending from Platte City, Mo., to near Bonner Springs, Kan., to near Wellsville, Kan.

Movement was northeast at 35 mph. Kansas City, Kan., and Bonner Springs, Kan., are in the path of the storm.

Half-inch hail and winds higher than 40 mph will be possible with these storms, the weather service said.

Wyandotte County remains under a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 p.m. Saturday.

Sporting KC to visit Real Salt Lake on Sunday

The eight-month MLS regular-season marathon sprints to a dramatic close Sunday when Sporting Kansas City (12-8-13, 49 points) visits Real Salt Lake (12-15-6, 42 points) in a monumental showdown rife with playoff implications.

The renewed rivalry — one of MLS 11 matches set to kickoff simultaneously at 3 p.m. on Decision Day — will be televised live on FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest, with three hours of coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m.

A live stream will also be available via FOX Sports GO, while the Sporting KC Uphoria app will provide live updates of all Decision Day developments. Listeners can tune into La Grande 1340 AM for a live Spanish radio broadcast.

With a club-record seventh consecutive playoff berth already clinched, Sporting Kansas City can still finish anywhere between second place and fifth place in the Western Conference depending on Sunday’s results.

A victory would guarantee manager Peter Vermes’ men a top-four finish and a home playoff game for the first time since hosting the 2013 MLS Cup.

Anything less than three points, however, and Sporting KC runs the risk of being leapfrogged by the fifth-place Houston Dynamo, who sit two points lower in the standings but would own the head-to-head tiebreaker should they beat the Chicago Fire at home in their regular-season finale.

Real Salt Lake faces a far more desperate prospect, knowing a loss – and most likely a draw – would eliminate the Claret and Cobalt from postseason contention.

Head coach Mike Petke’s side currently sits eighth in the West, a point below the San Jose Earthquakes and FC Dallas.

In order to snag the sixth and final playoff berth, RSL must win and have both San Jose and FC Dallas drop points in their home games against Minnesota United FC and LA Galaxy. The Utah club would also punch its postseason ticket with a draw if San Jose and FC Dallas both lose.

The current campaign has seen Sporting Kansas City lift another trophy – the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title is the club’s fourth major championship since 2012 – but a primary objective for the team since the start of the season was to hold a playoff game at Children’s Mercy Park.

That goal still lies within reach, although it might require Sporting KC to snap a four-game winless run at Rio Tinto Stadium dating back to 2015.

Vermes’ side is coming off a scoreless home draw Sunday against Houston, a result that allowed the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC to move ahead of Sporting KC in the Western Conference table with wins that same night.

Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric turned in a brilliant performance to deny the hosts what would have been a valuable victory, making nine saves as Houston survived Sporting KC’s 27-shot deluge over the course of 90 minutes.

Real Salt Lake entered last weekend as one of the league’s hottest teams, rebounding from a 5-12-2 start with seven wins and four draws from their next 13 fixtures, but suffered a devastating 1-0 setback at the Colorado Rapids on Sunday.

Despite enjoying 72 percent possession and outshooting their Rocky Mountain rivals 30-2, a third-minute goal from Josh Gatt and seven saves from Tim Howard gave Colorado the unlikely triumph.

Sunday’s disappointment won’t change the fact that Real Salt Lake has enjoyed a great second half of the 2017 campaign. The Claret and Cobalt have been particularly rampant on home turf, winning four straight games at Rio Tinto Stadium while outscoring opponents 12-2.

Midfield talisman Albert Rusnak ranks second in MLS with 97 chances created, and his seven goals and 13 assists are both team-bests.

Diminutive winger Joao Plata is the only MLS player to rank in the top six in both chances created (79) and shots (95), while young forwards Jefferson Savarino and Luis Silva have combined for 12 goals since the start of July.

As potent as RSL’s attack has been at home, Sporting KC boasts a backline that stacks up among the best in MLS history. The club has conceded just 27 goals through 33 matches, and a shutout on Sunday would tie an MLS record for fewest goals conceded in a 34-game regular season.

Center backs Matt Besler and Ike Opara are bona fide MLS Defender of the Year candidates, while right back Graham Zusi’s 56 chances created are three shy of the league’s single-season record among defenders. Left back Seth Sinovic, meanwhile, has started all but two MLS matches in 2017.

Another key contributor to Sporting KC’s stingy defensive record is goalkeeper Tim Melia, who will miss his third straight game with a hamstring injury.

Andrew Dykstra has served as Melia’s replacement in the previous two fixtures, notably earning a shutout Sunday against the Dynamo.

The all-time regular season series between Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake is dead even through 25 games, with both teams owning nine wins and seven draws.

The sides most recently met on July 22 in Utah, settling for a 1-1 draw as Silva and Benny Feilhaber traded goals.

Sporting KC won the first meeting of 2017 by a 3-0 scoreline on April 29 at Children’s Mercy Park, using goals from Feilhaber and Gerso to snap a seven-game regular season winless skid against RSL.

Playoff scenarios
How Sporting KC can finish second in the West (knockout round bye)
• Win at Real Salt Lake, and
• Portland loses or ties vs. Vancouver, and
• Seattle loses or ties vs. Colorado
How Sporting KC can finish third in the West (host SJ, FCD or RSL in knockout round)
• Win at Real Salt Lake, and
• Only one of Portland or Seattle drops points to Vancouver or Colorado
How Sporting KC can finish fourth in the West (host Houston in knockout round)
• Win at Real Salt Lake, and Portland and Seattle both win vs. Vancouver and Colorado, respectively, or
• Tie at Real Salt Lake, and Houston Dynamo loses or ties vs. Chicago Fire, or
• Lose at Real Salt Lake, and Houston Dynamo loses or ties vs. Chicago Fire
How Sporting KC can finish fifth in the West (visit Houston or Seattle in knockout round)
• Tie at Real Salt Lake, and Houston wins vs. Chicago, or
• Lose at Real Salt Lake, and Houston wins vs. Chicago
How Real Salt Lake can claim the sixth-seed in the West
• Win vs. Sporting KC, and San Jose loses or ties vs. Minnesota, and FC Dallas loses or ties vs. LA, or
• Tie vs. Sporting KC, and San Jose loses vs. Minnesota, and FC Dallas loses vs. LA

– Story from Sporting KC