Category: Rosedale

KCK Farmers Market scheduled to open Sunday

Note: Check with the KCK Farmers Market Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/kckfarmersmarket to see if it will be open in the event of a storm.

The KCK Farmers Market opens Sunday, May 16, in the Rosedale area of Kansas City, Kansas.

The market’s hours will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays at 4020 Rainbow Blvd.

This year, the KCK Farmers Market will be open at two locations, according to Stephanie Moore, board chair of the group.

The downtown Farmers Market location will open Wednesday, May 19, in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, in the parking lot of the Merc Co-op at 5th and Minnesota Avenue. Then, the downtown Farmers Market location at 5th and Minnesota also will be open on Saturday, May 22.

Hours on Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Merc Co-op parking lot will be 8 a.m. to noon. The Merc location is new this year, Moore said.

She said the farmers market is having a soft opening for two weeks until crops get a little more mature, and the market may grow as the year proceeds.

“Pretty much all the farmers are from within the metro,” Moore said.

There are some from Wyandotte County, and also surrounding areas such as Miami County, she added. There are also some New Roots for Refugee farmers from Catholic Charities.

All the fruits and vegetables come from within a four-state area, with many closer to the metropolitan area, she said.

Last year they saw vendors selling fruits and vegetables that were in season, mushrooms, jams, jellies and other items. She’s heard a vendor this year will offer hand-made brooms, and also has a hot-dog stand.

Moore said the farmers market is much different from a chain grocery store. The chain grocery typically will get its food from across the nation, with some fruits and vegetables from California or other places.

The farmers market, as well as the Merc Co-Op, focuses on local farmers.

“It’s much fresher, it’s harvested when it’s supposed to be, and not ripening on the truck,” Moore said.

When asked about prices, Moore said she wants to say they’re comparable, but local often costs a little more than chain grocery store prices. That’s because the chain stores buy in bulk, she said, and often the farmer isn’t handpicking the fruits and vegetables. Overhead is a little different, as there is typically a small increase in price to pay for the local produce and to support local farmers, she said.

Moore said the KCK Farmers Market has operated almost 20 years. Originally the KCK Green Market, an organic initiative through EPA support, it changed to a farmers market as they discovered it was hard to meet all the requirements through the entire food chain.

The Rosedale market started in 2009, she said. The KCK and Rosedale farmers markets merged in 2020.

The downtown farmers market formerly was at 6th and Tauromee and has moved three blocks this year to the parking lot of the Merc Co-op. The Merc opened at 5th and Minnesota last July.

The farmers markets accept debit and credit cards, Snap and cash. EBT-SNAP users’ funds will last twice as long with “Double Up Bucks.” Senior vouchers also will be accepted.

Moore says she enjoys going to farmers markets.

“I love seeing the farmer, and I love to ask him about the product and why they grow it, and how to cook it, how to prepare it and what’s a good recipe for it,” she said.

With the participants from New Roots for Refugees, Moore said she has seen some vegetables at the farmers markets that she had not seen before. “Our New Roots for Refugees farmers like to grow what they know,” she added.

The KCK Farmers Market hours:

Rosedale, open Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until sellout, 4020 Rainbow Blvd.

Downtown KCK , open Wednesdays starting May 19 from 8 a.m. to noon or until sellout, at the Merc Co-Op parking lot, 501 Minnesota Ave.

Downtown KCK, also open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon or until sellout, at the Merc Co-op parking lot, 501 Minnesota Ave.

Sunday’s farmers market in Rosedale will be rain or shine and will stay open unless there is lightning, Moore said. People may check the KCK Farmers Market Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/kckfarmersmarket to see if there are any changes because of the weather.

Rosedale blood drive planned Thursday

Rosedale resident and RDA board member, Valorie Wells, donated blood in January 2021, the first time RDA and the Vox Theatre teamed up to hold a Community Blood Center blood drive. They are hoping to get at least 25 donors signed up for the May 13 event. (Photo from Rosedale Development Association)

Community Blood Center has issued a call for blood donors, and the community of Rosedale is responding.

The need for blood has rebounded to pre-COVID-19 levels, but the supply remains low, especially in this area, according to a spokesman.

Rosedale Development Association and the Vox Theatre Event Space are stepping up to hold a blood drive on Thursday, May 13, at the Vox Theatre and are inviting community members to participate as one of RDA’s ongoing “Neighborhood Social” events.

RDA conducted a community-wide survey in August 2020 to capture the changing needs of Rosedalians during the pandemic and beyond.

“A main theme in the results of the survey was the desire for more community connection. From this, the Rosedale Neighborhood Socials were born,” said Alissa Workman, RDA’s development director and the organizer of the socials.

Workman said that when the CBC asked to partner to hold a blood drive, it was a natural fit to include it in the neighborhood socials, as it promotes taking care of the community while getting to see neighbors and friends in person.

Community members are encouraged to make an appointment to donate at the upcoming Rosedale Development Association Blood Drive from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. May 13.

Appointments are strongly recommended; walk-ins will only be accepted as capacity safely allows, according to a spokesman. To schedule an appointment, visit savealifenow.org/group and enter Group Code: EH2P or call 816-315-1390.

Donors are required to wear a face mask to their donation and are asked not to attend the blood drive if they are experiencing a fever or other symptoms of COVID-19 (chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing) or have been diagnosed with or suspected of having COVID-19, until 14 days after their illness has resolved. CBC does not test for COVID-19. Additional information is available at savealifenow.org/coronavirus.

Five taken to hospital after crash on Southwest Boulevard

Five people were taken to the hospital at 4:56 p.m. Wednesday, March 24, at Southwest Boulevard and Iowa Street, according to a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s crash log.

A police pursuit was involved, according to the trooper’s report. The location of the accident is near I-35 in the Rosedale area.

A 2014 Ford Explorer with four teenagers was traveling east on Southwest Boulevard at a high rate of speed when it made an avoidance maneuver and started to travel into oncoming traffic, the trooper’s report stated.

The Explorer sideswiped a 2016 BMW X3 Series vehicle that was traveling west on Southwest Boulevard, according to the report. The Explorer then hit a power pole and all occupants fled, the report stated.

The driver of the BMW was a 35-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, resident who is an assistant professor doing cancer research at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He had a possible minor injury and was taken to the hospital, according to the report. He was wearing a safety restraint.

The driver of the Explorer was a 17-year-old male from Kansas City, Kansas, according to the report. He had a possible minor injury and was taken to the hospital, the trooper’s report stated. He was not wearing a safety restraint.

A passenger in the Explorer, an 18-year-old male resident of Kansas City, Missouri, also had a possible minor injury and was taken to the hospital, the report stated. He was not wearing a safety restraint.

A third person in the Explorer, a 16-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, male, had a possible minor injury and was taken to the hospital, according to the trooper’s report. He was not wearing a safety restraint.

A fourth occupant of the Explorer, a 14-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, male, had a possible minor injury and was taken to the hospital, according to the report. He was not wearing a safety restraint, the report stated.