![The Dish With Ann – The Monarch Cocktail Bar & Lounge](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Monarch1_017_080717-1-300x195.jpg)
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 […]
Read More![Crib Note – Cameron Leigh Collins](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/171014_DenverWkend_508.jpg)
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 […]
Read More![Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Porter!](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/AnnaTroy-1109.jpg)
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 […]
Read More![MOCSA – Johnson County Fall Forum](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DSC_1550-roy-inman-.jpg)
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 […]
Read More![Thompson Classic Car Collection](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/8.jpg)
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 […]
Read More![UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance – Crescendo Patrons’ Party](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/DR1_7071.jpeg)
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 […]
Read More![Synergy Services – Stand Up for Synergy](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/14.-web-DSC_3477-300x193.jpg)
November 4th was the date for the 11th annual Stand Up for Synergy at the Argosy Casino Hotel & Spa. Kathleen Madigan was the featured performer. More than 325 guests enjoyed cocktails, a delicious dinner and a live auction. Michelle and Ryan Brown and Daryl Lynch and Ruben Chacon were the co-chairmen, and Nicole DiAntonio […]
Read More![Health Partnership Clinic – 25th Anniversary](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/HPC1.jpg)
November 2nd was the date for a luncheon celebrating the 25th anniversary of Health Partnership Clinic (HPC), which provides healthcare to low-income and underserved individuals in the community. Nearly 150 guests attended the event, which was held at The Ritz-Charles and raised more than $50,000. HPC currently has four clinic sites in three counties and […]
Read More![Great Plains – Brunch & Bubbly for Paws](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-06-at-9.25.09-AM.png)
Great Plains SPCA’s Brunch & Bubbly for Paws was held at Pennway Place at Studio Dan Meiners. The October 15th event raised more than $20,000 for homeless pets. Jami Pryor and Pam Scott, board members Dan and Kelly Kultala Chuck Laue, board member; and Fred Pryor Emilio and Diana Larson Also featured […]
Read More![The Diamond Ball – Private Dinner](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/LarryFLevenson-KCBalletBallBen2017Oct-E-P-112.jpg)
Was it Romeo and Juliet’s Verona? No, it was the Muriel Kauffman Theatre stage at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, with decor by Larry Wheeler and Craig Sole. Patrons of the 50th Annual Ballet Gala enjoyed a delicious, four-course meal in this delightful setting during The Diamond Ball’s Private Dinner on October 17th. Gigi […]
Read More![Congratulations, Grace & Charles!](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-04-at-12.41.28-PM-300x195.png)
Happily Ever After KC, a wedding to benefit KC Pet Project, took place on October 14th at The Loretto. The bride was Grace Lane Curran, and her groom was Charles Atlas Ward. Guests enjoyed music by Diamond Empire Band, delectables from Cupini’s and floral arrangements from The Little Flower Shop. On September 11th, a bridal […]
Read More![Congratulations, Lauren & Ross!](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Screen-Shot-2017-12-04-at-12.39.28-PM.png)
Mr. and Mrs. John Christopher McCarthy of Leawood are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Lauren Ann McCarthy, to Ross Vincent Scimeca, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Louis Scimeca of Our Town. The bride-to-be is a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in […]
Read More![Johnson County Library Foundation – The Library Lets Loose](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/1.webDenise-Mills-Christian-Madrigal-Aubrey-Seavey-Rick-Mills.jpg)
October 14th was the date for The Library Lets Loose, a benefit for the Johnson County Library Foundation, at The Central Resource Library in Overland Park. Ann and Bob Regnier served as the honorary hosts. More than 400 guests enjoyed cocktails and delicious fare from local restaurants, caricatures by Deborah Moreno, trivia games, and much […]
Read More![NO STRANGERS TO THE GRAMMYS: KC goes large on 2018 nominations](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/PRISM_Photo-by-Jacqueline-Hanna-copy.jpg)
Kansas City musicians scored extraordinarily well in the 2018 Grammy Award nominations announced on November 28th: seven nominations in all. Congratulations go to the Kansas City Symphony, KC’s mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, UMKC Conservatory Assistant Professor Zachary Shemon, and rap producer/songwriter (and KCK native) J. White. Topping the list is the Symphony’s disc of works by Adam […]
Read More![A NEW CAROL: KC Rep creates more faithful adaptation of Dickens classic, as KC Ballet’s refreshed holiday favorite receives accolades](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-28-at-11.25.49-AM.png)
Change is almost always frightening, but when it comes to timeworn holiday traditions it can be as terrifying as realizing you left the Christmas turkey in the oven on “high” all night. For arts organizations whose popular yultetide fare provides a substantial chunk of annual revenue, tinkering with it can fill administrators and board members […]
Read More![BEST OF HOLIDAY 2017: The wonderland is near](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-28-at-11.22.12-AM.png)
As holidays approach, let’s all agree to relax and just have blessed fun this year. We’ve earned it! We offer suggestions for some of the more intriguing, inspiring events of this year’s performing-arts lineup. NOVEMBER Through the 19th: Lyric Opera of Kansas City; Everest; What better opera to get you in the mood for subzero […]
Read More![IN REVIEW: Lyric stages tuneful, visually striking new opera (and the weather outside is indeed frightful)](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-28-at-11.20.43-AM.png)
Everest possesses something found in surprisingly few contemporary operas: soaring, tastefully singable tunes that stick in your head but avoid the tacky pizzazz of Broadway that plagues so many new operas. Some will admire the piece (by composer Joby Talbot and librettist Gene Scheer) simply for its dazzling physical production and its starkly naturalistic score, […]
Read More![TRIO OF TITANS: KC-based megastar teams up with mentors for special moment](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-28-at-11.18.09-AM.png)
Hearing one musical giant at a concert is a great thing. Two, even better. But three, on the same program? Few events on this season’s calendar stand out quite as much as the appearance of Maestro Valery Gergiev on the Harriman-Jewell Series, with an ensemble from the Mariinsky Orchestra that he has built into a […]
Read More![FOLLY JAZZ AT 35: Top-drawer guitarist opens milestone season as local series offers international lineup](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-28-at-11.07.56-AM.png)
Lee Ritenour might not know exactly what he and his ensemble will be playing when they perform here on October 28th, at the glittering Opening Night of the Folly Jazz Series’ 35th Anniversary Season. But that doesn’t mean they’ll be arriving unprepared. In fact, the legendary 65-year-old guitarist, who has played with everyone from Sinatra […]
Read More![IN REVIEW: CSO returns to Helzberg Hall for stirring encore performance](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-28-at-11.06.44-AM.png)
The Chicago Symphony plays like a well-oiled, meticulously hand-crafted engine, and an opportunity to hear it in a fine acoustic space is always a treat. In 2015, when the Harriman-Jewell Series brought the CSO for its first appearance here in nearly a half-century, Music Director Riccardo Muti was so delighted with the experience of performing […]
Read More![IN REVIEW: EQUAL PARTS DANCE AND DRAMA: KC Ballet presents new version of durable classic](https://kcindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-28-at-11.04.38-AM.png)
Devon Carney has already demonstrated his skill as choreographer in the four full-length ballets he’s created since becoming the Kansas City Ballet’s Artistic Director in 2013. What stood out in his Romeo and Juliet, which received its world premiere October 13th at the Kauffman Center, was the former Boston Ballet Principal Dancer’s unwavering skill as […]
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