Lee's Summit Lowdown

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

Happy Sunday, Lee’s Summit! 🎃

It’s officially Halloween week, and Lee’s Summit does not do Halloween halfway. This week there’s a costume parade with dogs in it, a downtown street turned into a candy run, a grown-ups-only costume ball, and live music every night you’ll want it. By Saturday, half of us will be dressed as something we’ll regret in photos.

Porch update, since a few of you asked after last week’s confession: we now have exactly one decoration. My daughter painted a pumpkin, and it’s doing all the heavy lifting out there. I’m calling it minimalist. My neighbors are calling it something else.

Also this week: our town just got official bragging rights as one of the most neighborly in Missouri, and a brand-new farm-themed park got a half-million-dollar boost.

Let’s get into it! 👇

 🎃 Your Halloween Week Game Plan

If you only make it to a few things this week, make it these:

For the kids: Treat Street takes over Green Street on Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. The Chamber’s trunk or treat got a glow-up this year, with free candy from local businesses, a bubble party, crafts, a food truck and free hot chocolate. It’s rain or shine, and it ends promptly at 7, so don’t be fashionably late.

For the whole family (dog included): Saturday morning’s Boos, Barks & Badges Halloween Parade kicks off with a costume contest at Green Street at 9:30, then a walking parade from City Hall to Howard Station Park, followed by face painting, a giant bubble party and trick-or-treating at downtown businesses until noon. Furry friends are very much invited.

For the grown-ups: Lee’s Summit Rotary is throwing its first-ever Boo Ball Friday night at the Green Street Gathering Space, with food, drinks, a live band and a costume contest, all raising money for local youth scholarships.

For Halloween night: Put your costume to work. Konrad’s is throwing a classic rock dance party, and Iron Horse has a costume contest with a $100 gift card on the line.

The full list of trunk or treats, trivia nights and live music is below.

🌳 A $520,000 Head Start for Sylvia Bailey Park

Lee’s Summit Parks and Rec landed a $520,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant for the first phase of Sylvia Bailey Park at 1800 SE Ranson Road. Phase one brings a farm-themed playground, trails, a community garden and parking, with an event space and visitor center planned down the road. The whole first phase is estimated at about $3.2 million, with the city covering the rest. The 49.6-acre property was once part of the historic Bailey Farm, so the farm theme isn’t just cute. It’s earned.

🤝 Officially, Provably Neighborly

You already knew this, but now we have paperwork. Lee’s Summit won the Judges Choice award in Missouri’s Most Neighborly Cities rankings from University of Missouri Extension, and we actually finished second overall in the state. Jackson County also ranked second among the top 10 counties. Missourians logged a record 84,398 acts of neighboring this year, double last year’s count. If you mowed someone’s lawn or brought over soup this fall, you helped. Take a bow.

👓 Better Vision Screenings in Our Schools

Shoutout to the LSR7 Health Services team, who landed a $14,000 Legacy Grant for Student Health from Acrux KC. The money bought two more Spot Vision Screeners, so school nurses can do vision checks right in the health rooms across the district. Small grant, big deal for any kid squinting at the board.

🏆 Hometown Wins

The Lady Tigers are state bound! Lee’s Summit High softball beat Nixa 10-9 in the quarterfinals and is headed to the Final Four. They take on Liberty at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29. Go Tigers!

District champs! Big congratulations to the Lee’s Summit North Bronco volleyball team, who won the Class 5 District 7 title over Blue Springs South and are moving on to the state quarterfinals. Go Broncos!

A crown for Lee’s Summit. Lee’s Summit’s own Mandy McGarrah was just crowned Mrs. Elite Universe 2027, calling herself “just a country girl from a small town in the Show-Me State.” She’s using her platform to support The Pledge Campaign and stand with women and children affected by domestic violence. Congratulations, Mandy!

👀 Keeping an Eye On

A federal records campus is proposed. The city received an application for a 315,000-square-foot USCIS National Records Center on about 60 acres between I-470 and Todd George Parkway. It would replace the federal government’s existing underground records facility here in town and store more than 26 million immigration files. The city was quick to clarify that it’s not a detention center: USCIS handles lawful immigration services, and the plan has no detainee housing and no connection to ICE. It still has several rounds of review and public hearings ahead.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and the citywide trash hauler question is on your ballot. Early voting is already open: Jackson County voters can vote absentee in person at the Woods Chapel election office (500 NE Woods Chapel Rd.) on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., plus Saturday, Oct. 31 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Bring a photo ID. Also note: there’s no school in LSR7 on Election Day.

🎸 Live & Local

Where the music is, Sunday, Oct. 25 through Saturday, Oct. 31.

Sunday, Oct. 25

• Chloe Rose | 12 to 3 p.m. | Tipsy Taco, 27900 E Colbern Rd. (folksy, soulful acoustic)

Tuesday, Oct. 27

• Lee’s Summit Jazz Orchestra | 6 to 9 p.m. | The 1909 Club, 25 SE 3rd St. (a local big band)

Thursday, Oct. 29

• The N!te Owls | 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. | Iron Horse Bar & Grill, 1012 SE Blue Pkwy. (KC indie-folk duo with Fleetwood Mac-style harmonies)

• Lantern & Quill | 7 to 9 p.m. | The Fillmore Cafe, 700 Unity Way (folk duo)

• Bluzboyz Thursday Night Jam | 7 to 10 p.m. | VFW Post 5789 (“The V”), 329 SE Douglas St. (jazz and rock jam with room to dance; open to the public)

Friday, Oct. 30

• Chloe Rose | 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. | Tipsy Taco, 27900 E Colbern Rd.

• Claire Adams Band | 7 to 10 p.m. | The 1909 Club, 25 SE 3rd St.

• Micah Burdick | 8 to 11 p.m. | Konrad’s Kitchen & Tap House, 302 SW Main St.

• Mikey Needleman Band | 8 p.m. | Llywelyn’s Pub, 301 SE Douglas St.

Saturday, Oct. 31 (Halloween!)

• Jason Vivone & the Billy Bats | 7 to 10 p.m. | The 1909 Club, 25 SE 3rd St.

• Troy Chrisman | 7 to 10 p.m. | The Goat Brewing Co., 817 NE Rice Rd. (acoustic rock to soul, with songs and stories; free)

• Dating Sarah | 8 p.m. to midnight | Konrad’s Kitchen & Tap House, 302 SW Main St. (Halloween dance party, classic rock from the ’60s through the 2000s)

• Dogzilla at Horse-A-Ween | 8 to 11 p.m. | Iron Horse Bar & Grill, 1012 SE Blue Pkwy. (rock covers plus a costume contest with a $100 gift card for first place)

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📅 The Weekly Lineup

Sunday, Oct. 25

• Vintage Takeover | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Green Street Market, 209 SE Green St. (vintage vendors and food trucks, free)

• Rock the Lot | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Captain’s Sports Lounge, Colbern Rd., Lake Lotawana (40+ local vendors, a DJ and games; free, all ages, dogs welcome)

Monday, Oct. 26

• Pub Quiz Trivia | 7 to 9 p.m. | The Goat Brewing Co., 817 NE Rice Rd. (Big Ron’s weekly trivia, teams up to six; free with a food or drink purchase)

Tuesday, Oct. 27

• Art Talk | 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. | Bridge Space, Downtown (a free, relaxed monthly meetup for artists of every level; no registration needed)

• Doormats & BOGO Margs | 6 to 8 p.m. | Tipsy Taco, 27900 E Colbern Rd. (paint your own sassy 30-inch doormat with buy-one-get-one margaritas; $40, spots are limited)

• Halloween Trivia | 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. | Station 7 ($15 per person or $60 for a team of six; costume contest)

• Xtreme Music Bingo | 7 to 10 p.m. | The Goat Brewing Co., 817 NE Rice Rd. (bingo with your favorite songs; free with a food or drink purchase)

• Rock & Roll Music Bingo | 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. | B&B Theatres New Longview 7, 3241 SW Fascination Dr. (free to play, all ages, prizes for winners; first come, first served, so arrive early)

Wednesday, Oct. 28

• Downtown Lee’s Summit Farmers Market | 8 a.m. to noon | Green Street Market, 209 SE Green St.

• Casual Commander Night | 4 to 10 p.m. | 206 SE 2nd St. (40+ Magic: The Gathering players fill the game room; free, with promo pack door prizes and a great night for new players)

• Karaoke Night with Martell Love | 8 p.m. | Iron Horse Bar & Grill, 1012 SE Blue Pkwy. (happy hour 3 to 6 p.m.)

Thursday, Oct. 29

• Treat Street | 5 to 7 p.m. | Green Street, Downtown (the Chamber’s trunk or treat, now with free candy, a bubble party, crafts, a food truck and free hot chocolate; rain or shine, ends promptly at 7)

• Halloween Zumba | 5:30 to 6:20 p.m. | Lovell Community Center at Legacy Park (costume dance workout; free for members, $10 for LS residents)

• LS Creates Arty Party: Art in Motion | 6 to 8 p.m. (VIP at 5:30) | Grand Ballroom at Unity Village (silent and live art auctions supporting local arts scholarships; tickets required)

• Thursday Team Trivia | 8 to 10 p.m. | Bricks Pub & Grub, Downtown (six rounds of general and pop culture trivia; $5 per player into the pot, $4 draft special)

Friday, Oct. 30

• Halloween Tattoos & Coffee | coffee bar 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., tattoos noon to 8 p.m. | The Cherry Bomb, 1100 SE Blue Pkwy. (Halloween flash tattoos at $113 and $130)

• Summit Zoo’s Howl-O-Ween Trunk or Treat | 5 to 8 p.m. | Summit Zoo & Pets, 261 SW Greenwich Dr. (treats for kids and dogs, Rolling Roast Coffee on site; leashed pups welcome)

• Rotary Boo Ball | 6 to 10 p.m. | Green Street Gathering Space, Downtown (the first-ever Lee’s Summit Rotary Halloween fundraiser: food from Chef Aristo, drinks from Embrace the Grape, live music by Crossroad Sound, and a costume contest; $100, 21+, benefits local youth programs and scholarships)

Saturday, Oct. 31

• Downtown Lee’s Summit Farmers Market: Final Day of the Season | 8 a.m. to noon | Green Street Market, 209 SE Green St. (last chance until the holiday markets, with food trucks on site)

• Boos, Barks & Badges Halloween Parade | 9:30 a.m. to noon | Downtown (costume contest at Green Street at 9:30, a walking parade from City Hall to Howard Station Park at 10, then games, face painting, a giant bubble party and business trick-or-treating; pets welcome)

• Trunk or Treat at Chevy Lee’s Summit | 4 to 7 p.m. | 945 SE Oldham Pkwy. (on the showroom floor)

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🤔 Lee’s Summit Trivia

Did you know some of the country’s most important paperwork lives underground in Lee’s Summit? The USCIS National Records Center has been housed in a subterranean space here since 1999. GSA says its staff manages enough immigration records to stretch the length of about 3,900 football fields. If the new campus gets approved, all that paper finally gets to see daylight.

One Last Thing

This week is Lee’s Summit at its most Lee’s Summit: dogs in a parade, a downtown full of bubbles, and neighbors handing out candy to each other’s kids. No wonder the state just called us one of the most neighborly places in Missouri.

My own week was less festive. Outside of work, it belonged to the wasps. Specifically, a yellow jacket that stung me several times and seemed to take it personally. Those things are aggressive. The one good thing to come out of it is a tip: a paste of baking soda and a little water took the sting down so much faster than I expected. File that away for the next time something with a stinger decides you’re the enemy.

So here’s my ask: if you’re out at Treat Street or the parade and spot a costume that deserves statewide recognition, hit reply and tell me about it. Photos are even better. The best ones might just make next week’s issue.

Thanks for being part of the Lowdown crew!

– Jen

 Editor, Lee’s Summit Lowdown

P.S. The fastest way to keep the Lowdown growing is you. Forward this to one neighbor who’d love knowing where the music and the free candy are this week. It takes ten seconds and it’s the most neighborly thing you’ll do all day. 🎃

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.