Category: Events

Mayor’s Downtown Holiday Lighting Festival to be Friday

The Mayor’s Downtown Holiday Lighting Festival will be a little different this year, with vehicles driving past City Hall, and the first 1,000 children receiving a goodie bag in their vehicles.

Because of the risk of COVID-19, the event will be much different this year, and visitors to the event will not get out of their vehicles. The event will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20.

Passengers in the vehicles will be required to wear face masks, unless they are younger than 5 years old.

Groups will not be allowed to congregate around the Christmas tree, on sidewalks or in other spaces.

The Unified Government Health Department staff will be present to make sure everyone stays safe.

The line for the goodie bags will begin at 6th and Ann. Police officers will be on hand to ensure traffic safety.

Sponsors of this year’s event include KMDI, BHC Rhodes, Visit Kansas City, Kansas, MVP Law, BPU and Bank of Labor.

Free COVID-19 testing, flu shots and turkeys Saturday morning

Free COVID-19 testing, free flu shots and a free turkey or chicken with the flu shot or test are available from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 14, at Oak Ridge Baptist Church, 9301 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas.

According to a note on the Unified Government Health Department’s social media page, the tests and flu shots are free to all Wyandotte County residents and no appointment is needed.

The flu vaccines are available for those who are 4 to 64 years old.

COVID-19 tests are available to those with or without symptoms or exposure.

The turkeys or chickens will be available while supplies last.

The event is sponsored by the Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force.

For more information, see https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept.

Free haircuts, food and shoes for kids Dec. 20

The Jegna Klub will sponsor an event for free haircuts, food and shoes for up to 150 students in Wyandotte County schools on Dec. 20.

The event is for students in kindergarten through 12th grade in Wyandotte County schools, according to Moses Wyatt, CEO of the Jegna Klub.

The event will be from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, at the One Touch Building Maintenance Office, 221 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas.

Students will receive a haircut from a licensed barber, as well as donated clothes, shoes and coats, and food, according to Wyatt.

There will be music, food, hygiene kits along with the donated shoes and clothes. There also will be a Career Introduction and Training Education signup, plus giveaways.

“We want to be the change we wish to see in our community,” Wyatt stated. “It is our belief the more we spend time building positive relationships with the youth in our community and show them that we understand, we care and we are consistently here for them, the more motivated they are to achieve. Studies have demonstrated that when a child feels good about their appearance and grooming it boosts their self-esteem, which in turn has a uniquely positive impact on the development and educational success of a child.”

Everyone attending will be wearing masks, he stated, and social distancing will be observed. There will be sanitizing.

Participating barber shops will include Purple Label, The Crown Suite and Chuck Smith Barbershop.

Community partners for the event include One Touch Building Maintenance, WAW Trucking Solutions, Open Arms, Premium Waters, P.R.I.D.E., SPOA, Taste of Flavor Popcorn and Bridge of Hope.

The club also sponsored a free community haircut earlier this year.

For more information, to RSVP or to sign up for the event, visit https://www.smore.com/chtsa or email moses.wyatt@thejegnaklub.org.