Month: December 2017

Natural holiday trees can be recycled

When the holidays are over and it’s time to take down your natural holiday trees, wreath, and garland, give them a second life by recycling them.

Visit RecycleSpot.org or call 816-474-8326 for a list of locations throughout the metro area that will recycle your trees and greenery. Most services are free.

Like other yard waste materials, holiday trees and greenery are banned from landfills in Missouri and are discouraged from being deposited into Kansas landfills.

Area communities offer residents a number of ways to recycle these items — not only keeping them out of landfills, but also creating a useful product that can be used for a variety of purposes, including trail surfaces, erosion control, landscaping and fish habitat in local lakes.

“All residents in the Kansas City metro area have multiple options for recycling their natural holiday trees and greenery,” said Matt Riggs, outreach coordinator for the MARC Solid Waste Management District. “Residents should contact their trash hauler first to see if they provide curbside pickup, since that is most convenient. If not, there are lots of other options across the metro.”

Locations in Wyandotte County for recycling holiday trees include:

• Bonner Springs — North Park, 1200 S. 134th St., Bonner Springs, Kansas, 913-422-7010
• Kansas City, Kansas — Alvey Park, 4834 Metropolitan Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, 913-573-8327
• Kansas City, Kansas — City Park, 2601 Park Drive, Kansas City, Kansas, 913-573-8327
• Kansas City, Kansas — Missouri Organic, 1260 Alma St., Kansas City, Kansas, 816-483-0908
• Kansas City, Kansas — Stony Point Park, 531 N. 86th St, Kansas City, Kansas, 913-573-8327
• Wyandotte County Park at Bonner Springs — 600 N. 126th St., Bonner Springs, Kansas, 913-573-8327

To see a list of recycling places for other area communities, visit http://marc.org/News-Releases/12_2017/Give-your-natural-holiday-tree-a-second-life-tre.html.

– Information from Mid-America Regional Council

Soccer community commemorates World War I Christmas truce

Soccer enthusiasts from around the region paid homage to the World War I Christmas Truce on Monday by participating in the fifth annual Truce Tournament hosted by Sporting Club, the National World War I Museum and Memorial and The Soccer Lot.

Approximately 200 participants from 33 teams in the area competed in a 3v3 soccer tournament, while hundreds of additional soccer fans attended the English Premier League Boxing Day Watch Party on large screens inside the National World War I Museum and Memorial.

The Millennium Pilots claimed the Truce Tournament title in the Competitive Division. In the Recreational Division, Stepdads claimed the title. #CatsBy90 won the Beer Division.

The Truce Tournament is a tribute to the Christmas Truce of 1914 in which the battles of World War I on the Western and Eastern Fronts temporarily subsided. Members of both sides laid down their arms in a time of war to celebrate a day of peace by venturing out to “No Man’s Land” to exchange gifts, sing carols and play soccer.

“The Christmas Truce was a remarkable event during the world’s first truly global conflict,” said National World War I Museum and Memorial president and CEO Dr. Matthew Naylor. “There are substantial lessons to be learned from those soldiers who displayed an unbelievable amount of humanity in the midst of horrific warfare and the Truce Tournament allows us to recognize and understand how the Great War continues to effect the global community to this day.”

In addition to Sporting Club, the National World War I Museum and Memorial and The Soccer Lot, event sponsors included Ivy Investments, the Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund of Kansas City, Missouri, State Street, Central States Beverages, The Roasterie and Sports Radio 810 AM.

KCK student to graduate in Pennsylvania

Keesha Johnson of Kansas City, Kansas, was recognized during the Dec. 13 midyear graduates recognition ceremony for having completed the requirements necessary for graduation at Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pa.

Johnson will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies.

Founded in 1832, Gettysburg College is a highly selective four-year residential college of liberal arts and sciences with a strong academic tradition. The 200-acre campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.