Outlaw Cigar Company Benefit

Don't ride myself (no cycle) but have friends that ride. This shows the end point of the Adjutant General's Ride to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. Three separate groups of riders converged on the Outlaw Cigar Company (I do like a cigar now and then). Deals on cigars, free food and drink, a band and LOTS of bikes. Also, Rocky Patel of Rocky Patel's Premium Cigars was there (he's shown being interviewed on streaming internet video). All in all a fun morning on a great spring day.

Skyline Spring

Taken from the westside looking east standing on the Jefferson Street Bridge.

Spring Beauty

These little flowers grow naturally in the woods along Cliff Drive in early Spring... like now. And that's actually their name... "Spring Beauty."

Sunset, Scarritt Point

A Grand Demise

High water marks aren't the only things we erase in KC.... more often it's whole buildings. The Grand Opera House (ironically on Walnut) is now being rubblelized. Built in 1881 it entertained audiences for 40 years.... it was closed in 1921, gutted, and reopened in 1926 as a parking garage.

That reconstruction rendered it basically unusable in any other way and made it ineligible for any National Register nominating. I would ask though why the facade could not have been saved.... it wouldn't have cost that much and you could still have your surface parking lot... which is what it is destined to be. Many thanks to Kent Dicus who sent me the picture of this wonderful building in its heyday.

Can't Quite Reach

One of the taller self-supporting broadcast towers in the world, KCTV's red giant looms over 31st and Grand. Many folks think it's the KCPT tower since their studios are right next door but the building used to house channel five before it bolted for the burbs. Often times in winter huge chunks of ice rain down from above and necessitate closing the surrounding streets until the danger is passed.

Speaking of Floods

The plaques are on a wall of the observation tower by the river at the foot of Main Street in the River Market and show the levels of three of our floods. In 1993, thank goodness, the levees held and there was no flooding in the bottoms. Notice how similar the dates are.