Lee's Summit Lowdown

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

Happy Sunday, Lee’s Summit! 🍂

Friday night I was at the LSHS vs. LSW game, and in true Lee’s Summit fashion, I couldn’t walk ten feet without running into someone I knew. I even ended up sitting next to a Lowdown reader, Whitney! (Hi, Whitney! 👋)

Naturally, we covered the biggest controversy of the week: whether you can turn right on red heading south on 291 where it curves at 50 Highway. One post on a Lee’s Summit community page racked up more than 350 comments. Neighbors were divided. Opinions were strong. Then LSPD stepped in and settled it: it’s a right turn, so you can go on red after a full stop, when it’s safe. The department says this one has been debated “since its inception” and is working with MoDOT to get some signage up. Peace has been restored. Mostly.

The curve that launched 357 comments.

Saturday morning I hit the Farmers Market Harvest Festival and scored one of the free insulated totes, which I will now be using for everything. The kids were having a blast making Project Happiness pins, decorating pumpkins, and making cards. It was a sweet way to close out Good Neighbor Week.

This week has a little of everything: the school tax decision we’ve all been waiting on, a closing that stings, a rescheduled Witches Eve, and a Saturday so packed you’ll need a game plan. (Good news: I made you one.)

Let’s get into it! 👇

💸 Your School Tax Bill Is Going Up (Here’s How Much)

The LSR7 school board voted Tuesday to raise its tax levy for 2026-27. Here’s what it means for your wallet:

• About $120 a year for every $100,000 of home value

• Roughly $360 a year on a $300,000 home, or $480 on a $400,000 home

• It hits your December property tax bill

Plan accordingly.

🌮 Ancho & Agave Has Closed

If you had Tuesday taco plans, I’m sorry. Ancho & Agave abruptly closed its only Missouri location, at Summit Fair, less than a year after opening. If you’re holding a gift card, don’t toss it: here’s how to get a gift card refund, or you can use it at one of their remaining locations (the closest one is in Omaha, so, refund it is).

🛒 Costco Is Officially Open

It happened. After a summer of “is it open yet?” texts, the new Lee’s Summit Costco opened its doors Friday at 10 SE Oldham Parkway, one day after the Midtown KC warehouse closed to become a business center. If your prescriptions were at Midtown, they’ve been transferred here. Plan for traffic around 291 and 50 for a while, especially on weekends. If you went Friday, you already know. If you didn’t, your blood pressure thanks you.

🍕 Longbell Is Coming Downtown

Coming soon to a tap house near you.

Longbell Pizza Co., the Fascination Drive favorite, is bringing its pies downtown to International Tap House in Downtown Lee’s Summit. Pizza and a deep tap list under one roof sounds like a very good idea to me. No opening date yet, but we’ll keep you posted.

💛 Good People, Good Stuff

• Eagle Creek Church’s Serve Our City day sent hundreds of volunteers out across Lee’s Summit and the metro last Saturday, teaming up with 15 nonprofits including Lazarus Ministries and City Union Mission to prep meals, sort supplies, and help families going through a hard stretch.

• LSPD Officer Timbrook received a Red, White, and Blue Heart Award from the Missouri Department of Public Safety and Gov. Mike Kehoe last month, honoring first responders seriously injured in the line of duty. He was hurt in June 2025, and LSPD said they were especially grateful he could stand with his fellow honorees and accept it in person.

• Sunset Valley Elementary staff celebrated “Dolly Day” with an “A Coat of Many Colors” coat drive, collecting a pile of coats for Coldwater of Lee’s Summit. Dolly would approve.

• Lee’s Summit North principal Dr. Tim Collins was named 2026 Administrator of the Year by the Speech and Theater Association of Missouri. Bronco country, take a bow.

• Make that a double bow for the Broncos: MSHSAA presented Lee’s Summit North girls volleyball coach Aubri Janes with the 2025-26 NFHS Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year award this week, in front of a packed gym of students.

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🗺️ Your Saturday Game Plan

Saturday, Oct. 10 is stacked. Here’s how I’d tackle it.

• 8 a.m.: Run (or walk, no judgment) the Race for the Future 5K at LSW.

• 9:30 a.m.: Cool down with a lap around the Downtown Farmers Market.

• Noon: Mac and cheese for lunch at Rock the Cheese Block at Paragon Star. You ran a 5K. You earned it.

• 5 p.m.: $4 Hertzog burgers and Shadrach on the patio at Filling Station BBQ. Stick around long enough and you might go home with a case of patties.

• 7 p.m.: Pick your ending: tribute rock at MOCK Fest, the symphony’s season opener, or your couch. All valid choices.

Full details and links are in the Weekly Lineup below.

👀 Keeping an Eye On

• Jefferson Street: Crews started installing a new water main on Oct. 1, and the traffic shift should last about two weeks. Northbound traffic is squeezed into the center lane and there’s no dedicated turn lane near Glendana. If you can, head south toward Scherer Road instead.

• Todd George Parkway: MoDOT has extended its lane closures on northbound and southbound Todd George between the eastbound U.S. 50 ramp and SE 12th Street. The ADA sidewalk and pedestrian signal work was supposed to wrap Sept. 18 and now runs through about Friday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m., weather permitting. Expect delays through that stretch.

• Ranson Road (Greenwood): Ranson will be closed from Browning Road to just north of the Big Creek bridge Tuesday, Oct. 6 through Friday, Oct. 9 for Greenwood’s mill and overlay work. Heading south into Greenwood, the detour takes you east on Browning, south on Smart Road, then west on Highway 150. Headed north, just flip it.

Between Jefferson, Todd George, Ranson, and 291, consider this your sign to leave five minutes early this month.

⏪ The LS Loop

Meetings that happened while you were living your life last week.

The big one was Tuesday’s LSR7 levy vote, and you already got the scoop up top. The board isn’t done asking for input, though: it’s hosting Dinner with the Board Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Lee’s Summit High School to talk through what a student walkout policy could look like. Families, students, and staff can ask questions and share their thoughts, and there’s free pizza, which is honestly how you get me to any meeting. The next regular board meeting is Thursday, Oct. 15.

🎸 Live & Local

Where the music is this week.

Wednesday, Oct. 7

• Karaoke Night | Iron Horse Bar & Grill

Thursday, Oct. 8

• Thomas Pender | 5-8 p.m. at The Fillmore Café. Jazz and blues.

• Jam/Open Mic Night | 7-10 p.m. at Jack Ray Post 5789, VFW.

• Soul Fundamentals w/ Julian Goff | 7-10 p.m. at The 1909 Club. Soul, funk, and R&B.

• Miguel Antonio | 7:30 p.m. at Iron Horse Bar & Grill. Big vocals and pop-rock energy; think Kings of Leon.

Friday, Oct. 9

• MOCK Fest 2026, Night 1 | 6:30 p.m. at Legacy Park Amphitheater. Tribute night with Landslide (Fleetwood Mac) and Arrows Myth (Aerosmith), plus more.

• The Jackie Myers Trio | 7-10 p.m. at The 1909 Club. Jazz, soul, and funk.

• Zachary Eck | 8-11 p.m. at Konrad’s Kitchen and Tap House.

• Got It Covered | 8 p.m.-midnight at Captain’s in Lake Lotawana. No cover.

Saturday, Oct. 10

• Shadrach | 5-9 p.m. on the patio at Filling Station BBQ, during Hertzog Appreciation Day.

• MOCK Fest 2026, Night 2 | 5:30 p.m. at Legacy Park Amphitheater. KC/DC (AC/DC, bagpiper included), Edge of Forever (Lynyrd Skynyrd), and Drew Six.

• Brooke Waters | 6:30-9:30 p.m. at Tipsy Taco. Country.

• Whiskey Business | 7 p.m. at Jack Ray Post 5789, VFW. Old and new country, classic rock, and blues.

• Bob Rowden Music Trio | 7-10 p.m. at The Goat Brewing Co. Classic rock from the ’60s and ’70s.

• Havilah Bruders Jazz Ensemble | 7-10 p.m. at The 1909 Club. Classic standards.

• The Mocking Bird | 8-11 p.m. at Konrad’s Kitchen and Tap House. Live looping covers.

• Last Night’s Band | 8 p.m. at Iron Horse Bar & Grill. Five-piece rock band.

📅 The Weekly Lineup

Here’s more going on this week.

Sunday, Oct. 4

• KC Football Watch Party | 3-6 p.m. at Green Street. Free. Big screen, local food and drinks, inflatables for the kids. Wear red.

• 50th Annual Fall Festival of Arts, Crafts & Music | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Missouri Town Living History Museum. Final day. $15 per car.

Monday, Oct. 5

• Dinner with the Board | 6:30 p.m. at Lee’s Summit High School. Student walkout policy discussion, plus pizza.

• Pub Quiz Trivia | 7-9 p.m. at The Goat Brewing Co. Free with any food or drink purchase, teams up to six.

Tuesday, Oct. 6

• Adult Art Class | Gamber Community Center. Beginner-friendly, instructor-led painting. Registration required.

Wednesday, Oct. 7

• Downtown Lee’s Summit Farmers Market | 8 a.m.-noon at Green Street. Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 31.

Thursday, Oct. 8

• Witches Eve 2026 | 5-8 p.m. in Downtown Lee’s Summit. NEW DATE after last week’s storms. More than 30 shops open late with specials and spooky snacks. Kick it off with BODYBAR Pilates’ free Witches Only Mat Pilates class at 4:30 p.m. in Howard Station Park.

• Remembering Lee’s Summit | 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Bridge Space. Longtime residents share stories from the city’s past. Free, popcorn provided, BYOB.

Friday, Oct. 9

• BINGO! Bash | 6 p.m. at 416 SE Grand Ave. All are welcome.

Saturday, Oct. 10

• 30th Annual Race for the Future 5K | 8 a.m. at the Lee’s Summit West Activity Complex. Benefits the Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation, plus a Kids Dash.

• Downtown Lee’s Summit Farmers Market | 8 a.m.-noon at Green Street.

• Rock the Cheese Block | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Paragon Star. Mac-and-cheese cookoff in five categories, plus a vendor market and a DJ. Free to shop; tasting forks are $15 for adults, $7 for kids 12 and under.

• Hertzog Appreciation Day | 5-9 p.m. at Filling Station BBQ. $4 quarter-pound Hertzog burgers, $6 doubles, bucket specials, and Shadrach live on the patio. They’re giving away a case of Hertzog patties every hour, so you may leave with a freezer full of burgers.

• Gallery Night with Summit Art | 5-7 p.m. at Green Street. Artist reception and original art for sale. The Art Market continues Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Lee’s Summit Symphony: Ignite! Dance on Fire | 7 p.m. at The Pavilion at John Knox Village. Season opener with the Fountain City Brass Band. $25 adults, $5 students.

🤔 Lee’s Summit Trivia

Did you know downtown Lee’s Summit nearly burned to the ground in 1885? The Great Fire of 1885 tore through the business district and wiped out 25 buildings, about $87,000 in losses at the time, which was a staggering hit for a town that small.

Back then, most of downtown was built of wood. When it came back, it came back in brick, which is a big part of why our historic downtown looks the way it does today. Even the town’s 1909 firehouse and City Hall got the brick treatment, and it’s still standing at 13 SW 3rd St. The storefront entrance there is where early fire trucks once rolled in and out.

So when you’re strolling downtown for Witches Eve on Thursday, look up at all that brick. It’s there for a reason. You’re welcome. 😜

One Last Thing

Last week I said I’d let the opening crowds and the 291 construction duke it out before I tried Costco. Update: I’m a woman of my word. I love a rotisserie chicken and cheap dog food as much as the next person, but I stayed far, far away this weekend.

Here’s the thing, though. Costco is a big deal for Lee’s Summit, and it’s going to change how a lot of us shop. But we also have so many amazing local shops and restaurants, and they need us just as much. So when you do make that Costco run, swing by one of our local spots on the way home too. The folks who own them will notice, and they’ll thank you for it.

And if you did brave opening weekend, hit reply with your field report: how bad was the line, what did you grab, and is it worth the drive yet? If you know someone still debating the trip, forward them this so they get the scoop first.

Thanks for being part of the Lowdown crew!

– Jen

 Editor, Lee’s Summit Lowdown

P.S. If you win a case of Hertzog patties at Filling Station on Saturday, I’d like to formally request an invitation to your next cookout. I’ll bring the chips. 🍔

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.