Today marks the inauguration of “RABBIT”  extensions. These are where we get distracted and scamper off to side notes that you MAY find entertaining.  To read them, you’ll need to go to our website, where the full article occurs, www.thecutestcoupleever.com.  We’ve been told blogs should be short; this is something one of us has a problem with so this is her solution.  Now, forward:

 

Summer in the Midwest is not always pleasant (especially when it starts in May) but one almost guaranteed diversion is some kind of outdoor concert. Maybe not the songs of a thousand years and we’re not talking the big ones at the T-Mobile Center or Azura  Amphitheater (yes, that’s its name now; we remember it as Sandstone which first opened in 1984) in Bonner Springs (RABBIT) or even Starlight.  

 

It’s the small ones that interest us more – ones you can stay seated out, preferably with a (maybe secret) glass of wine in hand.  We’re talking about Strings on the Green on the Raphael Hotel’s front lawn every Wednesday. You sit on their patio, eat, drink, and listen. (Don’t bring your own drink here.) Or listen in their bar, every evening. 

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Or another, for instance, this coming Saturday, the 20th, hit the KC Folk Fest in the newly spiffed up Washington Square Park.  It’s free.  There’s folk tunes, poetry, artists, and lots to look at and do.  Even stuff for kids.  Starts at noon.  

 

Another example: the Kansas City Museum’s series on their east lawn.  It’s every second Friday, beginning June 9th at 7 p.m.  Cost is a whopping $5 and you can bring your own lawn chairs, blankets, and food or drink – or there’s a couple of food/drink trucks.  We’re skipping the first one (hip hop) but July 14 is bluegrass, August 11 is the Clayton Delong Trio, and Sept 8 is tango music and Quinteto Cucharada. Go to the upcoming programs page at www.kansascitymuseum.org.

 

We’ve been to a couple entertaining events at the Westport Presbyterian Church as part of the Westport Center for the Arts programming. This is inside but on May 19, the noontime concert is the Lyric Arts Trio. The program is “Music for Spring” and will feature music about love and about gardening through the use of clarinet, soprano voice, and piano. This concert is indoors at 201 Westport Road and is free.  You can bring your lunch if you wish. Their website is https://wcakc.org/organizer/westport-center-arts/.

 

It's outside, not sure if it will be relaxing but Boulevardia @BLVDIA is back at Crown Center June 16-17.  This is pricier:  $40 - $55 but you can check out local musicians like The Freedom Affair, Hembree, Atlantic Express and a bunch of people (60 different acts?) your teenage kids might like.

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Finally, if you want to drive and combine art and music, we really recommend the trek to Crystal Bridges Museum, the best (only?) reason for patronizing Wal-Mart. Plan your trip to the amazing American art museum to coincide with their live music concerts in their north forest. Saturday evenings beginning June 3  to July 28 – the line-up is impressive from the Ozark Mountain Daredevils to jazz, with tickets starting at $20.  Go to Summer Forest Concerts to learn all about it. [RABBIT}

 

RABBIT #1: See Willie Nelson May 20, Weezer June 12, Dwight Yoakam June 22, something called Breakaway Music Festival July 14-15 which sounds vaguely intriguing or not (“Head bang to EDM music with artists like Zedd and GRiZ”), Sam Hunt August 4, among others.  Go to  tickets-center.com for more info. The amphitheater holds 18,000 people, including approximately 3,100 reserved seats and multiple open-air suites. It’s gone through seven name changes and the latest is Azura, a credit union in Kansas that’s been around for 140 years.  It’s named Azura as a reference to azure sky and “terra” meaning land. “Azura is the place on earth where dreams found in a clear blue sky can become a reality.”

 

RABBIT #2: Even if you’ve been to Crystal Bridges, you should go again.  The exhibits change.  This summer, Diego Rivera’s America is in the Temporary Exhibition Gallery through July 31.  Another exhibit is on architecture. There’s more of course. Walking around the museum looking at the installations is terrific.  Bentonville is now quite the place.  Try the Tower Bar at the Momentary offers craft cocktails at 507 SE E Street in the communal arts building.  There is a plethora of (well, several) excellent places to dine now in this Arkansas community of nearly 60,00 residents.  Try The Preacher’s Son, or the Hive in the 21c Museum Hotel (really nice digs) or Tusk & Trotter American Brasserie – you’ll find somewhere you like.  Arkansas, it’s not just for razorbacks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and speaking of razorbacks, this is straight from the Arkansas University alum page: “We have not always been known as the Razorbacks. From 1894, when UA football began, until 1910, we were the Cardinal, a mascot that was chosen, primarily, because our school color was Cardinal Red. In 1909, Arkansas Football Coach Hugo Bezdek gave a speech to the students that would start the move to change mascots. While addressing a large group of students at the Fayetteville train station, after returning from a 16-0 victory over Louisiana State on October 30, 1909, Coach Bezdek informed the crowd that his team had performed not like football players but "like a wild band of Razorback hogs." The Razorback, which is characterized by a ridged back and tenacious wild fighting ability, had long been associated with Arkansas. The students loved the comparison, and the nickname became increasingly popular. In 1910, the student body voted to change the official University mascot from the Cardinal to the Razorback.

 

The live mascot tradition dates back to the 1960s and a number of hogs have represented Arkansas through the years. Tusk IV, a 500-pound Russian boar that closely resembles a wild razorback hog, is the current official live mascot. He resides on a local farm and leaves his home to attend all Arkansas homegames.”