Month: September 2020

KCK native receives Park University’s ‘Promising Young Professional’ Award

JT Daniels

JT Daniels, a native of Kansas City, Kansas, has received the Park University Promising Young Professional Award.

The award was given by the Park University Alumni Association on Sept. 17 in a virtual award ceremony. Daniels currently is a resident of Kansas City, Missouri, where he has a studio.

Daniels graduated from Park University in 2011 and shows exceptional leadership promise in his field, according to the alumni association.

After graduating from Park, Daniels rented a studio space in the Kansas City area to focus on commissioned work.

He was preparing to move out of the studio when he got a phone call that changed the course of his career, a Park spokesman stated in a news release. A scout was looking to photograph Midwest artists in their studios for a marketing campaign.

Afterward, a New York advertising firm noticed his colorful, fluid style and invited him to be one of 10 artists to submit designs for iced tea labels, according to the spokesman.

Daniels’ vibrant, streamlined designs are now featured on bottles of Brisk iced tea.

His uplifting murals can also be seen all over the Kansas City metro area, from the walls of local businesses to Kansas City Streetcar stops to the historic 18th and Vine District, according to the Park news release.

His colorful, expressive murals have also been commissioned by numerous clients in the Kansas City region.

Daniels’ portfolio continues to grow nationally in original works, collaborative projects and murals that address socially relevant topics, according to a Park University spokesman.

Daniels’ website is at http://www.jtdanielsart.com/.

Park University, a nonprofit private institution, was founded in 1875 in Parkville, Missouri, and now has 41 campuses in 22 states and also offers online education.

Grinter Place Friends plan Sip ‘n Shop fundraiser Sept. 24

The Grinter Place Friends are planning a Sip ‘n Shop fundraiser from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, at 1400 S. 78th St., Kansas City, Kansas.

There is no admission charge to the event, which is open to the public, according to a spokesman.

There is a charge for wine tasting – $5 – and for items that are purchased at the event. Rowe Ridge Winery will be in charge of the wine tasting.

According to Pat Spencer of the Grinter Place Friends, there are expected to be about 20 community vendors of handmade jewelry, jams and jellies, honey, Tastefully Simple products and several one-of-a-kind items. Vendors will be located outdoors near the Grinter Barn.

There also will be a silent auction, she said.

The Grinter Quilters currently are working on an opportunity quilt for the end of the year that is pretty well along, she said.

Sip ‘n Shop will be an in-person event, with everything held outdoors. As Wyandotte County is in Phase 3 of the reopening plan, masks and social distancing will be required, she said. Their insurance requires everyone to follow the guidelines, she added. There will be hand sanitizers placed around the area, she said.

She said this fundraiser is taking the place of the Grinter Applefest, since they couldn’t have it this year.

If it rains, the Sip ‘n Shop will be rescheduled to Oct. 1, she added.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/GrinterPlaceFriendsInc or call 913-334-2500.

Motorcyclist dies in accident on I-35

A motorcyclist died in an accident at 1:20 p.m. Sept. 17 on southbound I-35 near the 18th Street Expressway in Wyandotte County.

According to a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s report, David R. Burkhardt, 43, of Lenexa, Kansas, was killed in the accident. He was riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle and was wearing a helmet, according to the report.

The 2006 Harley-Davidson was in the middle lane of southbound I-35 with a Toyota Rav4, according to the trooper’s report.

Vehicles slowed for traffic, when the motorcycle struck the Rav4 on the left rear bumper, the report stated.

The driver laid the motorcycle on its side and fell off, the report stated.

The driver then rolled into the left lane and was struck by the rear passenger Hyundai trailer tires of a Freightliner semi, the trooper’s report stated.

The driver of the 2016 Toyota Rav4, a 48-year-old man from Overland Park, Kansas, was not injured, according to the report.

The driver of the 2014 Freightliner, a 46-year-old man from Shawnee, Kansas, also was not injured, the report stated.