Happy 137th birthday to Harry S. Truman! The celebration at the 22nd annual Wild About Harry gala raised funds to support educational outreach and programming at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, and assist with the Institute’s efforts to install a statue of President Truman in the United States Capitol’s National Statuary Hall. […]

The Belles of the American Royal are pleased to announce that Julie Miller McCann will continue in her role as BOTAR president for 2021. Julie is a BOTAR, class of 1988. Her long history with BOTAR includes serving on the Executive Committee as recording secretary in 2002, The BOTAR Ball vice president in 2004, and […]

It’s summer reading season! With vacations seemingly right around the corner again, the eponymous “beach read” is flying to the top of my to-be-read list. Although I feel that anything can be read at anytime of the year, something about the heat of summer calls for either a fun and frothy book, or a page-turning […]

Mary Conover Mellon lived much of her life away from Kansas City. Her memorial still stands, decades after her death. It is a building on what is now the lower school campus of The Pembroke Hill School, which was the Sunset Hill School in her lifetime. In all likelihood, though, many of the students who have […]

May 7th was the date for Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault’s (MOCSA) Community Luncheon, which was a virtual event this year. Guests gathered at watch parties in Our Town and enjoyed remarks from Keynote Speaker Trish Mitchell, a published author, entrepreneur, and a MOCSA board member and Speakers Bureau volunteer. Polly Kramer and Nola […]

The Kansas City Young Matrons clubhouse was the site for the Installation Day Tea, which was held on May 3rd. Julie Maggart is the incoming president, Anne Keil is the outgoing president, and Joni Siplon is the president-elect. Jill Hartman, Kristy Frazier, Kathy Teahan, Patti Paisner, and Jo Anne Dondlinger   Julie Maggart, incoming president, […]

Peggy Beal is the 2021-2022 Kansas City Ballet Guild president, succeeding Juliette Singer Spinks, the 2020-2021 president. Loews Hotel Kansas City will be the site for The Nutcracker Ball, which will be held on November 20th. Through the annual Ball and Boutique, the Guild supports the Kansas City Ballet and the Kansas City Ballet School. […]

Recent months have found Hallie Thompson devoting herself to volunteer work with Heart to Heart International, both here and in other countries. Most recently, she has been with the HHI disaster response team in Papua New Guinea, treating clients and training hospital and clinic staff on COVID-19 procedures. An earlier trip with the HHI disaster […]

Kansas City is a story of parallels. Straddling the state line of Kansas and Missouri, our fair city has provided interest and intrigue for centuries now. From the practical, “Which police car comes to the disturbance on State Line Road?” to the critical, “The free state of Kansas versus the slave state of Missouri,” to […]

Dr. and Mrs. Robert Thomas Gibbons of Prairie Village, Kansas, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Dr. Laura Elizabeth Gibbons, to Dr. Adam Michael Gray, the son of Mr. and Mrs. William J. Gray of Dallas, Texas. The bride-to-be is the granddaughter of the late Gladys Lorraine Soldin Downs, the late Mr. […]

May 13th was the date for Kansas City Ballet Guild’s annual Spring Luncheon. Carol Marr and Jo Anne Dondlinger planned the festive event, which was held at the Carriage Club. Guild President Juliette Singer Spinks welcomed the guests, and Jeffrey J. Bentley and Devon Carney, both with Kansas City Ballet, gave an update on the […]

Harold Smith, locally born and bred, can be declared as an art icon in our community. Most who are aware of our local art landscape know his name, have seen some of his work, and possibly know that he works in colors, poetic gestures, and jazz motions. What is harder to understand until conversing with […]

Charlotte Street Foundation’s 2021 Gala: Magic Mirror Ball will be held on October 23rd. Susan Gordon and Scott Francis are the honorary chairmen, with Toma Wolff and Jon Taylor serving as the co-chairmen. The organization’s new headquarters in Midtown will be the site for the event, which will feature immersive design installations, performances, and interactive […]

April 15th was the date for Brew for Books, a benefit for The Family Conservancy. The event was held in both virtual and in-person formats. Guests enjoyed a curated beer selection from Martin City Brewing Company and a virtual beer tasting with the company’s co-founder and owner. Musician Ryan Triggs performed, along with his father, […]

When HappyBottoms received a donated shipment of diapers recently, the volunteers from Henderson Engineers came to the rescue. Unloading cases from broken pallets, and reorganizing them by size and quantity was the help HappyBottoms needed. Many thanks to these willing and able volunteers for saving the day! Brian Gilges, Johanna Ruder, Brian Majors, and Amy […]

Kansas City Ballet’s annual BARRE KC Soiree, which was a virtual event this year, was held on April 17th. Guests enjoyed a party package of wine and delicious desserts and coffee, while one winner received a golden ticket, good for a one-night stay at The Inn at Meadowbrook. Proceeds support 16 Reach Out And Dance […]

Linda and Dr. Robert Jackson are serving as chairmen of the 2021 Ability Luncheon. The Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center will be the site for the event, which will be held on September 30th. In 1947, Ability KC began helping those with disabilities achieve independence at home, school, work, and in the community. […]

The Black Pantry Kansas City has the best tag line – “Kansas City’s Dopest General Store.” Owner Brian Roberts saw the need in 2019 and 2020 for a one-stop-shop for consumers to find products sold by Black-owned and run businesses. “Wouldn’t it be convenient to have one place to shop instead of looking all over […]

Dynamic, compassionate, and mission-focused, Danielle Trabon is committed to supporting the causes she most believes in such as financial literacy and early childhood education. Danielle was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and after moving to Kansas City to start a life with her husband, she quickly immersed herself in the non-profit community. A […]

A Vietnam veteran himself, he served with the United States Army 1st Air Cavalry Division, Roger Buford was deeply involved in the efforts of the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of service members who have been disabled or lost their lives. Roger, who died in March, had […]

A darling baby boy named Michael James Sorrentino was born on April 19th to Peyton Dallam Sorrentino and Eric Sorrentino of Prairie Village, Kansas. Michael has blue eyes and brown hair. He weighed six pounds and was 19 and one half inches long. His older sister is Lila Leigh Sorrentino, who is two years old. […]