St. Paul’s church to celebrate St. Francis Day with festival today

Sunday, Oct. 5, will be a special day in Kansas City, Kan., for both animals and
humans. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will hold a St. Francis Day Festival featuring blessings for pets with animal themed fun and games for their families.

The event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 5 on the church grounds at North 18th Street and Washington Boulevard in KCK. Admission is free and tickets will be sold for games and food.

Besides the blessing of the pets, there will be a St. Francis puppet show, face painting,temporary tattoos and a fundraiser. Food will include homemade tamales, hamburger and hot dog plates and snow cones.

Kids and adults can win prizes at games like Angry Birds, duck race, bean bag and ring
toss, spoon-and-egg and sack races and animal piñatas. A disc jockey will provide music and karoke for the event.

In addition, the Kansas City, Kan., Fire Department will have a fire truck on display and the Greater Kansas City Humane Society will provide information about pet adoption and services.

The church will also hold a liturgical service outside at 11 a.m. All are welcome to attend, including pets.

The event is a fundraiser to benefit St. Paul’s programs, activities and community outreach.

Tickets may be purchased on the day of the event at St. Paul’s Church.

For more information, call 913-321-3535, or go to St. Paul’s Web site at www.stpaulskck.org, or Facebook page St Pauls Episcopal Church KCK.

Faith news

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A Community Blood Center blood drive will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Christ the King Catholic Church basement, 3024 N. 53rd. For information or to schedule an appointment, visit www.esavealifenow.org or call 816-753-4040.

“Scripture Study, Bible Sharing and Reflection, Lectio and Journaling,” a regular weekly series facilitated by pastoral minister, Heather Neds, is offered at Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan., from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays. This weekly Bible study group is based on the upcoming scripture readings from the Common Lectionary. There will be time for reflection, sharing and journaling. Call 913-906-8990 to register.

St. Martin Lutheran Church will sponsor its eighth annual German Fest from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at the church, 13849 Hollingsworth Road (the corner of Highway 7 and Hollingsworth Road), Kansas City, Kan. The program features live music from the Grisnik Orchestra and the German Dance Group, “Blautaler Schuhplattler Dancers.” There will be face painting, inflatables, and children’s activities. The event includes a beer garden, silent auction for charities, tethered hot air balloon rides and hayrides, weather permitting. A dinner of roasted pork, brats, homemade sauerkraut, warm German potato salad, dessert and more is planned. There are hot dog meals available for children. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12.

St. Mary – St. Anthony Church will hold a Fall Afternoon of bingo starting at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, in Bishop Forst Hall, 615 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kan. A $5 ticket admission will receive a bingo card, free desserts, popcorn and coffee. Beer and soda will be available for purchase. For more information or volunteer to help contact Carol Shomin at 913-897-4833 or the Rectory Office at 371-1408. Tickets may be purchased at the door the day of the event.

The Kansas City Kansas Community College Vocal Music Department is inviting the community out to support the college’s choirs during the upcoming GEMS concert. The concert is at 3 p.m. Oct. 12 at St. Patrick’s Church, 1086 N. 94th St. in Kansas City, Kan. It is free and open to the public. The concert will feature the Community Choir and the Chamber Chair as they perform works by Handel, Rutter, Mealor, Whitacre, Hogan and more. GEMS is a showcase of choral music (both well-known and unknown) from different countries and cultures. These countries include England, Russia, Germany and the United States. John Stafford, choral director and professor at KCKCC, said the music performed at the concert are or will eventually become staples of the choral repertoire. For more information on the choral program at KCKCC, contact John Stafford at [email protected] or call 913-288-7137.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1300 N. 18th St., and the Historic Westheight Neighborhood Association are planning to celebrate from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 5 with a St. Francis Festival. The festival will include the blessing of the animals, food and games. The event will be a fund-raising activity for outreach programs.

Stony Point Christian Church, 149 S. 78th St., is planning a potluck dinner at 5 p.m. Oct. 5 in the Cole Activities Center. A movie, “Acts of God,” will be shown at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 5.

Saturday events

Racing continues at Kansas Speedway
Race weekend continues on Saturday, Oct. 4, with the Kansas Lottery 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kansas Speedway, I-70 and I-435 in Kansas City, Kan. The race at 2:30 p.m. will be on ESPN cable television. There also will be qualifying for the Nationwide Series earlier in the day, as well as practices for the Sprint Cup Series. Local favorite race driver Jennifer Jo Cobb, a native of Kansas City, Kan., plans to compete in the Nationwide event. For more information, visit www.kansasspeedway.com.

Choir Festival planned Saturday
The Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools will hold its annual Choral Festival on Saturday, Oct. 4. The event will begin at noon in the Washington High School Auditorium, 7340 Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, Kan. The event will feature choirs from many of the district’s middle and high schools. Also performing will be the Voices of Change (young men’s choir from KCK), the Kansas City Kansas Community College choir and the All-City Children’s Chorus. Staff, students and community members are invited to come and hear these groups perform. Admission is $1.

Church plans German Fest on Saturday

St. Martin Lutheran Church will sponsor its eighth annual German Fest from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at the church, 13849 Hollingsworth Road (the corner of Highway 7 and Hollingsworth Road), Kansas City, Kan. The program features live music from the Grisnik Orchestra and the German Dance Group, “Blautaler Schuhplattler Dancers.” There will be face painting, inflatables, and children’s activities. The event includes a beer garden, silent auction for charities, tethered hot air balloon rides and hayrides, weather permitting. A dinner of roasted pork, brats, homemade sauerkraut, warm German potato salad, dessert and more is planned. There are hot dog meals available for children. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12.

Renaissance Festival continues on weekends

The Kansas City Renaissance Festival continues on Saturday and Sunday at the festival grounds at 628 N. 126th St. (126th and State), Bonner Springs. The festival is the re-creation of a 16th century English village. Music, food, crafts, shows and other entertainment are featured at the festival, which runs on weekends through Oct. 14. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit the website at www.kcrenfest.com.

Cross-Lines to hold annual Gala for Hope dinner and auction
Cross-Lines Community Outreach, 736 Shawnee, Kansas City, Kan., will hold its 11th annual dinner gala and auction Oct. 4 at the Ritz Charles, Overland Park, Kan. The fundraising event begins with a reception and silent auction at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and program at 7:15 p.m., a live auction at 8:15 p.m. and dancing to live music at 9 p.m. Registration is $150 per person. For more information, visit www.cross-lines.org/.