Mark Gilman was honored as the Johnson Countian of the Year at Johnson County Community College Foundation’s 31st annual Some Enchanted Evening. Britton and Clint Robinson served as chairmen of the gala, which was held at the Overland Park Marriott on November 11th. Proceeds benefit students in need of financial assistance. Ashley and Ramin Cherafat  […]

Mary Lockton and Michael Murphy are the honorary co-chairmen, and Carolyn Price and Carol Rauckman are serving as the co-chairmen of Cristo Rey Kansas City’s Dancing with the Kansas City Stars on April 21st at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center. The eight community leaders who will lace up their dancing shoes with […]

Brooke and Jeffrey Kuntz strongly support First Call’s mission to reduce the impact of alcohol, drugs and addiction by providing quality resources to individuals, families and the community. Together, they spearheaded a successful 2017 Celebration Evening: A Night of Recovery & Hope with Mackenzie Phillips. As chairmen, their hard work and dedication resulted in 10 […]

Trevor Flannigan is a native of Blue Springs, Missouri, where he spent his formative years. After sampling a variety of Midwestern locations, he now resides in the City of Fountains. He and his wife, Courtney, share their home in the Waldo neighborhood with their adorable dog, Maeve. Trevor manages a website chat company in Lee’s […]

If you are an impassioned Francophile who just can’t cross the pond often enough, you can get your fill of savoureux cuisine at Westport Café and Bar. Intimate and cozy, it has accents of copper on the exposed brick walls, rustic pendant lamps, dark wood wainscoting, and a black and white checkerboard floor. It is […]

The American Royal hosted the Chairman’s Uptown Hoedown to honor the legacy of Jeanne and Neal Patterson. The November 18th event was held in Hale Arena. Megan and Mariner Kemper were the honorary chairmen, and Board Chairman Angie Stanland served as the event chairman. Event Chairman Angie Stanland, board chairman; Bryan Beaver, Mariner Kemper, honorary […]

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, […]