Lee's Summit Lowdown

Welcome to the Lowdown! I am so glad you’re here!

Happy Sunday, Lee’s Summit! ☀️ It’s been one of those weeks where my calendar looks like it got into a fight and lost, a City Council update, a VFW Auxiliary meeting, a middle school PTSA meeting, and enough live music on the books to keep me out every night this weekend.

But before any of that… This week marked 25 years since September 11th, and it’s still one of those dates that stops me cold every time it comes back around. I was overseas when it happened, halfway around the world, and I watched the second plane hit live on CNN. I still remember exactly where I was standing. If you’re old enough to remember that morning too, I’d guess you do too.

Now, from something heavy to something a little lighter: this issue has a new face on City Council, a volunteer who deserves way more credit than she’s getting, a downtown weekend absolutely stacked with live music, and a personal wing count I’m not proud of. Let’s get into it! 👇

❤️ Good People, Good Stuff

I attended the VFW Post 5789 Auxiliary meeting this week and got completely charmed by a display board of handmade birthday cards. One of the volunteers, Betty, writes and sends 72 birthday cards every single quarter, nearly 300 a year, all going out to veterans in local care homes who might not otherwise get any mail on their special day. No fanfare, no big announcement, just one woman quietly making sure people get remembered. This is exactly the kind of thing I want to give a real spotlight, hand-written cards are so special!

Ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the Kansas City Chiefs surprised Lee’s Summit firefighter Adam Greeno, this year’s Firefighter of the Year, with tickets to the season opener and the honor of throwing out the opening pass. Former Chiefs players Bill Maas and Keith Cash delivered the news in person at Station No. 3, and Maas said Greeno’s fellow firefighters were “more excited than he was,” which tracks for anyone who’s met a firehouse full of people. A nice full-circle moment for a week that had all of us thinking about 9/11 anyway.

You’ve probably seen the Your Life Is Worth Living gear around Lee’s Summit, a hoodie at the grocery store, a hat on the sideline at a kid’s game, without knowing there’s a whole movement behind it. Lee’s Summit’s Foster Huggins built the streetwear brand after his best friend died by suicide in April 2017, turning it into a suicide prevention movement that grew out of his podcast, The Underwater FlyZone, into a full speaking tour through schools, nursing homes, and universities across the region. He expects to reach 15,000 students with it this fall alone. In his own words: “I do this for the 17-year-old version of myself that was at my lowest.” So if you spot the gear around town, now you know what it stands for. And if you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is there any time, day or night.

🏫 Schools / LSR7

I sat in on the East Trails Middle School PTSA meeting this week, and they’re on the hunt for a few local businesses to step up as sponsors for the year. If that sounds like you, or a business you love, you can become a sponsor directly through their PTSA page. PTSA sponsorships are one of those quiet things that keep school programs funded without dipping further into anyone’s pocket, no bake sale required, so if you’ve got the means, it’s worth a look.

⏪ The LS Loop

Tuesday’s council meeting had one big headline: after all six applicants went before a public forum earlier this month, the council selected Dana Arth to fill the District 3 seat through a term ending April 2027. Arth isn’t new to city business: she’s chaired the Planning Commission since 2017, joined the Charter Review Commission last year, and has called Lee’s Summit home for over 30 years, the last five and a half of those in District 3. In her application, she named attainable housing, accountability and transparency at City Hall, and public safety as her top three priorities. Welcome to the council, Councilmember Arth. You can watch the full meeting on YouTube here.

Nothing else on Tuesday’s agenda rose to a mention this week, but shout if I missed something.

🎸 Live & Local

Thursday, Sept. 17

• Jam or Open Mic | 6:00 p.m. at The Fillmore Cafe.

• Jam or Open Mic | 7:00 p.m. at VFW Post 5789.

• Noe Palma “Live” | 7:30 p.m. at Iron Horse Bar & Grill. Kansas City country soul with a voice built on Elvis and family harmony.

• Pub Karaoke | 8:00 p.m. at Llywelyn’s Pub.

Friday, Sept. 18

• Shadrach Caudillo | 5:00 p.m. on the patio at Filling Station BBQ, downtown.

• Kevin Church Johnson | 7:00 p.m. at The 1909 Club.

• Greg Gibb’s Duo | 8:00 p.m. at Konrad’s Kitchen and Tap House.

• EKHO | 8:00 p.m. at Llywelyn’s Pub. Modern rock with violin and cello, not your average bar set.

• Boogie Syndicate | Stuey McBrew’s

Saturday, Sept. 19

• 2026 Lee’s Summit Music & Arts Festival | 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Legacy Park Amphitheater. Free, a full day of live country and Opry-caliber acts plus an arts and crafts marketplace.

• Drew Freeland | 6:30 p.m. at Roots. Seasonal Cuisine.

• Secondhand Smoke Band | 7:00 p.m. at The Goat Brewing Co, 817 NE Rice Rd. Free show, classic rock with a modern edge.

• Josh Andrae | 7:00 p.m. at VFW Post 5789.

• Mike Bourne & KC Boogie | 7:00 p.m. at The 1909 Club.

• Tyler Lyon Music | 8:00 p.m. at Iron Horse Bar & Grill.

• Flannigans Right Hook | 8:00 p.m. at Llywelyn’s Pub.

• Press Play | 8:30 p.m. at Konrad’s Kitchen and Tap House, a throwback set of the songs you grew up on.

• The Nobodies | Stuey McBrew’s.

📅 The Weekly Lineup

Monday, Sept. 14

• Pure Barre Pop-Up | 6:00 p.m. on the Green Street lawn. Bring your own mat, no experience needed.

Tuesday, Sept. 15

• Live Trivia | 7:00 p.m. at Konrad’s Kitchen and Tap House.

• Music Bingo | 7:00 p.m. at Brick’s.

• Music Bingo | 7:30 p.m. at B&B Theatres Lee’s Summit New Longview 7. Free to play, open to all ages.

Wednesday, Sept. 16

• Downtown Farmers Market | 8:00 a.m. at Green Street.

• Community Breathwork | 12:30 p.m. at Green Street.

• Pub Trivia | 7:00 p.m. at Llywelyn’s Pub.

• Karaoke | 8:30 p.m. at Brick’s.

Thursday, Sept. 17

• Critter Chat | 6:00 p.m. at Green Street. KC Exotics-R-Us returns with a free educational program and craft.

• Trivia | 8:00 p.m. at Brick’s.

Friday, Sept. 18

• POW/MIA Memorial Service | 6:00 p.m. at William B. Howard Station Park. VFW Post 5789 holds a remembrance ceremony for all POW/MIAs.

• Adult Night Out: KCFW Fashion Show | 7:00 p.m. at Green Street.

Saturday, Sept. 19

• Downtown Farmers Market | 8:00 a.m. at Green Street. (Live music from the Music & Arts Festival kicks off later that day, see Live & Local.)

🤔 Lee’s Summit Trivia

Did you know Lee’s Summit’s City Council has eight members, not one per district? The city is split into four districts, and each one gets two council seats with staggered four-year terms, on top of a separately elected mayor. So when Dana Arth was picked to fill the District 3 vacancy this week, she’s not replacing District 3’s only voice, she’s now sharing the seat with fellow councilmember Melanie Adkins. Nine elected officials steering one city, hardly a small operation.

One Last Thing

I went into Wings 4 Water Thursday night planning to eat a few wings for a good cause, and left significantly more full than planned. The lineup went well past classic buffalo: someone brought margarita-flavored wings, someone else brought chocolate-flavored wings, and yes, I tried both, because apparently I have no self-control at a fundraiser. Verdict: the margarita ones worked way better than they had any right to. The chocolate ones were an experience, memorable, not a repeat order. But honestly, the wings were only half the night. The other half was running into what felt like a dozen people from my contacts list I hadn’t seen in months, all wandering the same parking lot with a paper plate in hand. Good cause, good wings (mostly), better people-watching. If you went too and have a flavor opinion, hit reply and tell me. I read every single one.

Thanks for being part of the Lowdown crew!

– Jen

 Editor, Lee’s Summit Lowdown

P.S. I have two dogs, and apparently both of them can smell chicken wings through a closed car door. They were waiting at the door Thursday night giving me a look that said they knew exactly where I’d been and exactly what I hadn’t brought home. I did not share. I did feel a little bad about it.

How did we do in this edition?

• 🏆 Blue Ribbon Worthy: Best issue yet.

• ☀️ Front Porch Worthy: A nice way to start my week.

• 🤷 Take It or Leave It: It was fine.

• 🚦 Stuck in Traffic: Kind of a slog today.

• 🙈 Missed the Mark: Not your best work.