November 5th was the date for the 18th annual Night Out With MOCSA – GLITTERATI Cocktail Party and Auction, which was held at The Midland Theatre. More than 350 guests enjoyed cocktails, delectable bites, shopping, and dancing. Denise Delcore and Matt Michaelis were the honorary chairs, and Tiffany Melton Meeks served as the event chair. […]

Karla and Dr. Ivan Batlle are serving as the honorary chairs for the Lyric Opera Circle’s 35th Lyric Opera Ball. The Batlles have made their home in Our Town since leaving New Orleans, Louisiana, following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Karla is a member of the Lyric Opera Circle, and Ivan is a member of the […]

Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy’s Civic Service Award Celebration will be held on January 22nd at The Westin Kansas City at Crown Center. Alan Edelman will be this year’s honoree. The honorary co-chairs are Merilyn Berenbom, Marcia Karbank, and Roshann Parris. Susie Azorsky and Mike Abrams are the event co-chairs, and Carl Puritz, school founder, and […]

Supporters of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas’ Snow Ball gathered on November 4th for the St. Martin of Tours Mass and Reception. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann officiated at the Church of the Ascension, and then Teresa and Dan Clune opened their lovely home to guests. The 49th Annual Snow Ball will be held on January […]

Loews Kansas City Hotel was the site for Love Finds A Way, Kansas City Pet Project’s gala fundraiser celebrating the organization’s first 10 years. The champion co-chairs were Lisa Epps and Tim Clark, Roshann Parris and Jeff Dobbs, Cathy and Steve Doyal, Jenny and Warren Erdman, Bonne and Cliff Illig, Angelea Busby and Jake Jacobson, […]

Drs. Celeste Robb-Nicholson and Britain Nicholson of Newton, Massachusetts, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Rachel Walton Nicholson, to David Benjamin Royce Kemper, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan McBride Kemper of Kansas City, Missouri. The bride-to-be is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Donald Robb, and the […]

The 11th annual Committee of 100 Luncheon was held on September 20th at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, with Bronson van Wyck as the featured speaker. Dr. Phyliss Bernstein and Susan Bernstein were the honorary co-chairs for the event, and Melanie Fenske and Heather Pluard served as the co-chairs. The festivities included coffee (and more!) […]

Eliza Harrison McBride Black is the first child for Charlotte Kemper Black and Christopher Black. The enchanting little girl was born on June 15th. Eliza, a blue-eyed brunette, weighed eight pounds, two ounces, and was 20 and one-half inches long. Her doting grandparents are Nancy Lee and Jonathan Kemper and Susan and Stephen Black. Featured […]

Amal S. Gochenour and Dr. James K. Fields were united in matrimony on August 20th at Meridian International Center in Washington, D.C. The bride, born in Kuwait, is the daughter of Helen Gochenour of Sterling, Virginia, and Tatiana Federovskaya and David Gochenour III of Moscow, Russia. Amal is the granddaughter of the late Natiba and […]

Truman Library Institute held a Reception and Ribbon-Cutting at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum on October 12th. The occasion was the opening of the exhibition, Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors, which will be on display through December 31st. Former President George W. Bush created the 66 […]

Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport is located on Lou Holland Drive. Dr. Wheeler, physician, lawyer, and former mayor, is well-known to residents of Our Town – but who was Lou Holland? He is the man who was largely responsible for the creation of the Municipal Airport in the 1920s.  Nothing about Louis Edward Holland’s childhood […]

October 8th was the date for Sheffield Place’s Off the Wall at The LEX at Municipal Auditorium. Peter Sunderman and Curt Thomas served as the honorary chairmen. More than 450 supporters enjoyed dinner, drinks, and local art to benefit programs for the homeless children and mothers at Sheffield Place.       Featured in the […]

The people who give you their food give you their heart.” – Cesar Chavez As the holidays approach and families gather once more, I am reminded again and again that to cook is to nourish, not just the body, but also the spirit. The sharing of food gives pleasure and renewal. Each time we gather […]

October 22nd was the date for Pathway To Hope’s eighth annual Night of Hope Gala. The event helped to support the organization’s goal of ensuring that no one has to face mental illness alone.   Featured in the November 26, 2022 issue of The Independent. 

The Junior League of Wyandotte and Johnson Counties held its Dad’s Ice Breaker for the fathers of participants in the Community Ball and Cotillion. Everyone gathered on October 23rd at Dub’s Dread Golf Club to watch football, have some fun – and be fitted for those all-important tuxedos for the big night. (Final score? Chiefs […]

I have always been “anti-gadget” when it comes to stocking my kitchen tools. I went years without owning a crockpot. Having never been a fan of most recipes prepared in this midwestern kitchen must-have, I finally caved when my second child went through a phase of screaming and crying as an infant in the early […]

October 27th was the date for Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri’s Tough Cookies. Joni Wickham and Sly James served as the co-chairs. The event brought individuals together in a community conversation with an hour-long presentation about developing strong, resilient, and confident girls in today’s world. Guests enjoyed listening to a teen panel […]

Amy Lee Middleton and James Paul Uhlmann will be united in matrimony at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on January 21st. The bride-to-be is the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Michael Verne Middleton. Amy is the granddaughter of the late Edith Delores Lyle, Mrs. Jack Lee Lyle of Maryville, Missouri, and the late […]

Band of Angels is very grateful to have a volunteer like Kathleen McCullough. Kathleen is a retired orchestra director who serves on the organization’s board of directors. She also leads the music camp scholarship program, is developing the college scholarship process, and volunteers at every Band of Angels’ event. Kathleen’s unflappable dedication ensures that students […]

October 4th was the date for The Gathering, a benefit for New Roots for Refugees. Bridget Lee was the host of the 10th annual event. Guests enjoyed remarks from Lauren Solidum, Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas; and Kristin Selby, New Roots for Refugees; along with delicious fare from Páros Estiatorio, and an opportunity to shop […]

Homegrown and brilliant, Designer and Artist Brady Legler might be the most significant creative export from Kansas City in the last few decades. While he calls New York home now, he is a frequent visitor to Our Town, where his parents still live and hold down the fort of what has become the family business. […]