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Kansas City Connection: A celebration of beer

By Lucas Wetzel - | Jun 14, 2015

Boulevard Brewing Company may have been purchased in 2013 by the Flemish brewery Duvel, but it is still very much a Kansas City institution. For evidence, look no further than next weekend’s Boulevardia festival, a celebration of local music, food, crafts, community organizations, and (of course) beer.

Held in the West Bottoms neighborhood on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Boulevardia is a family event, with several carnival rides available and kids 12 and under admitted free. But the chief attraction for most guests will be the beer from Boulevard, Duvel and several other craft brewers, as well as live music on three different stages.

National acts include Mayer Hawthorne, Big Head Todd & The Monsters and The Mowgli’s, with local talent including The Barclay Martin Ensemble, Hearts of Darkness, The Grisly Hand and The Architects.

Most weekend and VIP packages are sold out, but individual day admission is available for $15 at Boulevardia.com. The festival runs from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Fiesta Kansas City

Next weekend, Crown Center will host the annual Fiesta Kansas City festival, presented by The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City.

Live music, food and drink vendors and children’s activities will take place all weekend, from 5 p.m. until 11 p.m. on Friday, and from noon until 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $10 per day or $20 for a three-day pass, and children 12 and under are admitted free (admission is free for all guests before 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday). View more details at fiestakansascity.com.

Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival

The other day, a column I was proofreading contained the typo “quilt trip” (as opposed to “guilt trip”). I’m not sure what a quilt trip would look like, but I suspect it might resemble the 2015 Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival, held this weekend at the Overland Park Convention Center.

Dozens of quilting and craft-related vendors will have displays at the event, and a quilting competition featuring 100 entries will also take place. The KCRQF will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Daily admission is $12 at the door. More info at kcrqf.com.

Festival on the Vine

If you’re a fan of dance and have been wanting to check out the Historic 18th & Vine Jazz District, consider checking out this year’s Festival on the Vine, which runs from June 18-20.

What started in 2008 as a one-day block party hosted by the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey has since expanded into a weekend event.

Featured performers include local companies City in Motion, the Owen/Cox Dance Group and Störling Dance Theater, with guests CRISOL Danza Fusion visiting all the way from Mexico.

Performances will be held at the Gem Theater as well as a nearby outdoor area. Visit kcfaa.org for tickets and more information.

Theater

Several outdoor theater productions open this week, including the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival at Southmoreland Park (next to the Nelson-Atkins Museum), which will present “King Lear” from June 16 through July 5.

Gates open at 6 p.m. each evening from Tuesday through Sunday, and the show begins each night at 8 p.m. Productions for the hearing impaired will be held June 23 and June 28. Blankets and lawn chairs are allowed, as is outside food and drink. No official tickets are sold, but donations are encouraged. Find out more at kcshakes.org.

Shawnee Mission Park’s Theatre in the Park will present the musical “West Side Story” the next two weekends. Gates open Friday through Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. and the performances begin at 8:30 p.m. Adult general admissions seats are $8 and $6 for children ages 4-10.

For more information and a full schedule of summer performances, visit theatreinthepark.org.

And at Starlight Theatre, a new rendition of the musical “Annie” will be performed this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets start at $15 at kcstarlight.com.

Happy Flag Day!

— Lucas Wetzel is a writer and editor from Kansas City, Mo. Know of an upcoming event in Kansas City you’d like to see featured in Kansas City Connection? Email us about it at kcconnection@ljworld.com.