Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City and The Independent  annually select Kansas City’s Most Wanted. On December 2nd, 31 honorees were celebrated at the Most Wanted Auction at The Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland. Nearly 1,000 guests were in attendance. The event featured amazing, once-in-a-lifetime auction packages and raised $587,744 – a […]

More than 200 guests enjoyed Kicks 4 Kids KC, a benefit for Turner House Children’s Clinic, on November 30th at CBIZ. Liz Oxandale and Gigi Kammerer served as the co-chairmen. Honorary Chairman CiCi Rojas presented the Dr. Frank Vaughters Service Award to Paulette Manville and Jennifer Hunter. It was announced that Turner House, Silver City […]

December 9th was the date for the Kansas City Ballet’s 23rd annual Sugar Plum Fairy Children’s Ball at the Muehlebach Tower of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. Guests enjoyed a performance by Kansas City Youth Ballet, holiday carols sung by Ginger Frost High School Honors Artists from the Lyric Opera, face painting, jugglers, and shopping […]

WIN for KC’s 24th annual Women’s Sports Awards Celebration Luncheon will be held on February 7th in the Grand Ballroom of the Kansas City Convention Center. Olympic Bronze Medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad is the keynote speaker. Ibtihaj is a member of the United States Fencing Team. In August of 2016, Ibtihaj became the first American woman […]

November 4th was the date for Kids TLC Benefit17. Sybil and Greg Orman served as chairmen for the event, which was held at the North Club at Arrowhead Stadium. There was a Patrons’ Party to kick off the fun, complete with cotton candy-topped champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Guests, including many in sequins and glitter, next […]

Peggy and Terry Dunn were the honorary chairmen, and Dalene Bradford and Nancy Thiessen served as co-chairmen of UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance’s Crescendo 2017.  More than 1,100 guests enjoyed the November 10th event at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Proceeds support student scholarships. Doug DuBois, Marjean Brooks, Dalene Bradford, co-chairman; and […]

November 10th was the date for Catholic Charities Foundation of Northeast Kansas’ St. Martin of Tours Mass and Reception. The event recognized supporters of Catholic Charities’ annual Snow Ball, to be held on January 20th at the Overland Park Convention Center. More than 130 guests enjoyed a Mass celebration at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic […]

There’s a new little miss at the home of Alison Hebenstreit Armistead and Hunter Westwood Armistead – and her parents couldn’t be more thrilled! Clare Corson Armistead will celebrate future cakedates on September 12th. She is named for her paternal great-grandmother, Clare Corson Armistead of Nashville, Tennessee. This darling baby has blue eyes and sandy […]

Julie Iodice and Mr. Jerry Iodice, both of Southbury, Connecticut, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Danielle Filomena Iodice, to Daniel Edward Miller, the son of Mr. Marshall V. Miller of Our Town and the late Mrs. Janet Meyer Miller. The bride-to-be is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Ralph […]

Ruth and Henry Koppang were among the most glamorous of the jet-setters whose activities were of interest to the readers of The Independent more than 50 years ago. At that time, international air travel was, in a word, romantic – and the Koppangs made the most of their adventures.  Henry was born in 1899 in […]

Some might say there are advantages to being the only actor in a play. You wield complete control over the pacing, you don’t have to worry about other players forgetting their lines, and in the case of most one-person shows, the action is finished in 90 minutes and you might even get to a restaurant before the […]

The Roaring Twenties came to life at ReDiscover’s Take A Bite out of Stigma event on November 3rd at The Gallery Event Space. More than 370 guests celebrated the speakeasy theme, complete with food tastings from area restaurants, silent and live auctions and entertainment by The Dave Stephens Band. Shirley Fearon, founder; was honored. Proceeds […]

The Kemper Gala 2017, “Carnival Havana,” celebrated the exciting food, music and culture of the Caribbean on October 21st. Partygoers enjoyed cocktails, delicious fare from Café Sebastienne and entertainment. Trudy and John Jacobson were the honorary chairmen, Keely Edgington, Kim Klein and Dolly Wood served as the co-chairmen and Karen and Jack Holland are the […]

United Way of Greater Kansas City’s Tocqueville Society has been busy recently with two exciting events. The Tocqueville Society’s Fall Reception was held at Fishtech, and Liz and Paul Uhlmann’s beautiful home was the setting for a gathering of some new CEOs in town to honor new entrepreneurs. Members of The Tocqueville Society create action […]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.  As I typed that, I couldn’t help but sing the words in my head. It seems that as soon as Thanksgiving passes, the holiday season is also roaring past. Lights and decorations go up as everyone seems to rush to get their shopping completed. For me though, […]

A slice of swingin’ London has fluttered and landed on the Country Club Plaza in the guise of The Monarch Cocktail Bar & Lounge. The place itself is luscious eye candy, designed by architect and designer David Manica, with a large glowing white bar in the middle, surrounded by high white stools and benches, with […]

A darling baby girl named Cameron Leigh Collins was born on July 7th to Monica and David Collins of Denver, Colorado. Cameron has blue-green eyes and brown hair and weighed eight pounds. She joins her big brother, Thomas Rivers Collins, age two. Cameron’s proud grandparents are Drs. Susan and Charles Porter of Our Town and […]

Anna Linnea Freedenfeld and Troy Thomas Porter were united in matrimony on July 8th at the Triple S Ranch in Calistoga, California. The bride is the daughter of Linnea Borg and Mr. Kevin McLaughlin of Essex, Massachusetts. Anna is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Karl Borg. Her groom is the son of […]

Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) held its 14th annual Johnson County Fall Forum at the Overland Park Sheraton on October 20th. Laura and Spence Fitzgibbons were the honorary chairmen, and Kristin Wing and Kathy Woodward served as co-chairmen. The Luncheon featured MOCSA’s Johnson County School District panel discussion on the Green Dot program […]

On October 14th, the Thompson Classic Car Collection went on the auction block at the Overland Park Convention Center. The collection is the result of Frank Thompson’s life-long passion for collecting classic and rare automobiles. The evening prior, Evangeline and Frank Thompson and many of their friends gathered for a cocktail reception among the cars […]

UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance’s Crescendo Patrons’ Party was held on October 26th at the beautiful home of Barbara and Dr. Doug Cusick. More than 100 guests enjoyed a special inside look at Barbara and Doug’s collection of antique, automatic musical instruments. The beautiful collection even includes a self-playing grand piano that once belonged […]