David Frantze will be honored at the fourth annual Green Tie Gala, where guests will enjoy a surf and turf dinner, silent and live auctions, and entertainment by Lonnie McFadden and the band Twice on Sunday. The event will raise funds for the Opes Charitable Foundation and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Featured in the […]

September 16th is the date for The Whole Person’s Night of Independence Awards Gala – The Super Ball. The event will be held at The North Club at Arrowhead Stadium. Jessica Barranco and Sherry Duncan are the co-chairmen. Abby Eden will serve as the emcee. Guests will enjoy a cocktail hour, live and silent auctions, […]

When Missy Andeel offers to volunteer her services for an organization, she extends not only her time but also her passion for supporting others. Missy is a talented leader whose sought-after skills have been instrumental in the on-going success of several organizations. She has long volunteered her time at three organizations whose missions she works […]

The Kansas City Country Club was the site for The Jewel Ball Debutante Tea, which was held on June 12th. Kathy Roney and Alexis Woodward were the co-chairmen. Joan Marsh and Sally West served as tea pourers.           Featured in the July 23, 2022 issue of The Independent. Photo Credit: Wirken […]

Family Health Care’s 11th annual Tacos & Beer on the Boulevard was held at Boulevard Brewing Company. The festive event featured delicious fare from Hefter Catering, an open air booth, great music from DJ Anthony Cangelose, and a silent auction. Lisa Walter and Kaitlin Walter were the co-chairmen, and BJ Kissel served as the emcee.  […]

It’s a near certainty that any wedding planned during the past few years has involved challenges that would have taxed the minds of the finest screenwriters during the glory days of Hollywood.  We like to imagine that true love conquers all. Prior to the pandemic, wedding planning was often chronicled in the media as a […]

Hadley Winslow Burnham and Michael Lewis Reintjes were married on October 16, 2021, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Catholic Church in Kansas City, Missouri. The bride is the daughter of Elizabeth Burnham of Duxbury, Massachusetts, and the late William Burnham, Jr. Hadley is the granddaughter of William Wheeler, Jr. of Duxbury, and the […]

Heather Nicole Parrish and John Patrick Jandl were united in matrimony at Akiin Beach Tulum in Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico, on April 23rd. The bride is the daughter of Heidi and William Parrish of Venice, Florida. Her groom is the son of Ann and George “Rusty” Jandl of Prairie Village, Kansas. The groom’s parents hosted […]

Elizabeth Phillips Starr and Captain Edward James Gallagher, United States Army, were married on December 30th at Country Club Christian Church in Kansas City, Missouri. The bride is the daughter of Alicia Noonan Starr of Kansas City and the late John Starr. Elizabeth is the granddaughter of Wilmagene and Lewis Noonan of Leawood, Kansas, and […]

“The giving of love is an education in itself.” – Eleanor Roosevelt In the English language, love is a word that has many different dimensions. It is uniquely personal, as no experience with it is exactly the same, and yet it is an experience that we all strive to understand better. Love is the foundation […]

                    Featured in the July 9, 2022 issue of The Independent.

Doctors Kelley and Douglas Thompson of Mission Hills, Kansas, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily Nicole Thompson, to Dr. Brandon Ray Bachar, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Bachar of Olathe, Kansas. The bride-to-be is the granddaughter of Donna Romans of Kansas City, Missouri, the late Mr. Glen Romans, and […]

Wedding gifts have varied over the years as much as brides’ hair styles and dresses have changed. Need we remind our dear readers that dowries used to be the only thing that made a wedding happen – or not happen – in many an instance? It was commonplace for a bride to come equipped with […]

Sometimes a single sartorial decision can bring about life-altering consequences. Brian Keith Gamble could not possibly have known, when he donned his 2015 Crestwood Red Mid Basketball Shoes for the flight home to South Carolina on Christmas morning 2015, that he’d be meeting a dazzling ballet dancer later that day.  And Kansas City Ballet Company […]

Aja Mackenzie James and James Matthew Radel were united in matrimony on May 7th at the Loews Kansas City Hotel. The bride is the daughter of Licia Clifton-James and Sylvester James, Jr. of Kansas City, Missouri. Aja is the granddaughter of Florene Clifton of Kansas City and Melva James of Las Vegas, Nevada. Her groom […]

Mr. and Mrs. William John Aliber of Mission Hills, Kansas, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Julian Carr Aliber, to Peter Griffin Dolle, the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Lodge Dolle III of Cincinnati, Ohio. The bride-to-be is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Patton Kline of Mission Hills and […]

The Kansas City Symphony League held its annual Spring Luncheon on May 11th at The River Club. Jenny Erdman and Silvy Brookby were the co-hosts for the event, and Symphony Ball Honorary Chairman Marny Sherman was the special guest.       Featured in the June 25, 2022 issue of The Independent. Photo Credit: Heirloom […]

The Jewel Ball Prelude Party officially kicked off the 2022 Jewel Ball season on June 2nd. The festive event was held at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Lauri Jones and Jenny Turner Tuttle served as the Prelude Party co-chairmen. This year’s Debutantes, Gentlemen of The Jewel Ball, and Escorts were introduced to representatives […]

The Belles of the American Royal are pleased to announce that Amy Ball Polen will serve as the BOTAR president for 2022. Amy is a BOTAR, class of 1991. In addition to leading several committees, Amy was vice president of public relations in 2006, vice president of The BOTAR Ball in 2012, and vice president […]

The Folly Theater’s annual Folly Golf Tournament was held on May 23rd at Oakwood Country Club. Alex Solorio served as the chairman. Golfers enjoyed a bagpipe serenade for the early start and finished with scotch and cigars in the afternoon.         Featured in the June 25, 2022 issue of The Independent. Photo […]

On May 12th, a luncheon was held at The Kansas City Country Club in celebration of the CRA 100th Anniversary. Members of Mercy Auxiliary, the predecessor of the Children’s Relief Association, began donating their time, talents, and funds to Children’s Mercy Hospital in 1922. Doe Loftus served as the CRA 100th Anniversary chairman, and Julie […]