Lee's Summit Lowdown

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

Happy Sunday, Lee’s Summit! ☀️

I spent a solid chunk of this week at the pool, which is exactly what July is for. I also learned, a little too late, about a very specific homeowner task I’ve apparently skipped since moving in. More on that below.

This week we’ve got a 13-year downtown institution saying goodbye, a 1.2-million-pound steam locomotive rolling through town, and a solid live music lineup to close out the week. Let’s get into it. 👇

🍺 Grains & Taps Is Closing After 13 Years

Downtown Lee’s Summit is saying goodbye to one of its longest-running favorites. Grains & Taps Brewery and Taproom announced it’s closing after thirteen years, with owner Brad thanking the community for growing up alongside the business.

I have my own soft spot here. Back when they had their original downtown location, $4 Thursdays were the move, and some of the best people I’ve met in this town, I met leaning on that bar or on the back patio.

The taproom stays open regular hours (Tuesday through Sunday) through the end of July, with a farewell party planned for Saturday, August 1. There’s still a soccer tournament to finish and new beers to pour before then, so there’s time to stop in for one more pint.

One bright spot: the Home Brew Supply Store side of the business isn’t going anywhere. It’ll keep operating at the same location into the fall, and they’re actively looking for someone to take it over, so if you’ve ever dreamed of owning a brewery or homebrew shop, this could be your opening.

🚂 A Piece of Railroad History Is Rolling Through Town

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, July 21 around 2:40 pm. Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, is passing straight through Lee’s Summit as part of its coast-to-coast tour marking America’s 250th anniversary.

It’ll make a quick five-minute stop in Pleasant Hill (2:20-2:25 pm) before rolling our way, then head into Kansas City for public display July 21-22.

If you’ve never seen 1.2 million pounds of steel and steam move at speed, this is the one to bring the kids out for. Photo courtesy of Union Pacific.

🍦 Six Stops, One Summer Mission: The Summit Scoops Ice Cream Crawl

Looking for something to fill the rest of these hot July afternoons? The Summit Scoops Ice Cream Crawl has families hitting six local spots, collecting passport stamps, and earning a prize at the end.

The lineup: Andy’s Frozen Custard (630 NW Chipman Rd), Betty Rae’s Ice Cream (1636 SE Blue Pkwy), Bruster’s Ice Cream (1802 NW Chipman Rd), Cold Stone Creamery (1694 NW Chipman Rd), Howdy Homemade Ice Cream (921 NW Woods Chapel Rd), and Poppy’s Ice Cream & Coffee House (307 SE Douglas St). Full details and the passport are at ExploreLS.com.

🏛️ District 3’s Council Seat Is Now Open

Cynda Rader has resigned from her District 3 City Council seat effective July 15. In a statement, she pointed back to concerns she raised during her run for Mayor in the April 7 election, namely wanting more transparency and collaboration from the governing body. She said she’d come to feel that her perspective, and those of the residents she represents, weren’t getting the consideration needed for sound decision-making, and that she “can no longer effectively serve in this role.”

Rader thanked residents for the chance to serve over the past two years.

Most likely path from here: a council appointment to serve out the remainder of her term, rather than a special election. That’s how it went when Fred DeMoro stepped down and the council appointed Donnie Funk to finish his term. We’ll confirm once the city makes it official.

👀 KEEPING AN EYE ON

The Novelist Hotel. A $27M, 5-story, 84-room boutique hotel concept could be coming to Green Street. Developers are asking the city for around $6M in incentives, and in exchange, the city projects upwards of $1M a year over 30 years, plus revenue to the Downtown CID from a proposed high-end restaurant on site. It got a conceptual presentation to City Council on 7/14, no vote yet, just introducing the ask. Worth watching for when it comes back for a real decision.

A gas station/convenience store for Blue Parkway. A Commercial Preliminary Development Plan (application PL2026078) proposes a convenience store with fuel pumps at 2661 SE Blue Pkwy, at the Blue Pkwy/Blackwell Rd intersection near Summit Woods Baptist Church. Groceries, gas, and now apparently a whole cluster of ‘future commercial and medical outparcels,’ Blue Parkway is quietly becoming a strip mall’s strip mall.

Planning Commission reviewed it July 9; it heads to City Council for a public hearing Tuesday, August 4 at 6 pm. Nearby property owners have the right to file a protest petition with the City Clerk.

Pryor Road neighbors are running out of patience. The $25 million project to widen Pryor Road from two lanes to four has kept a main road closed for over a year, and Eagle Creek neighbors are feeling it. The project hit trouble almost immediately when unexpected utility lines were discovered underground, triggering a 90-day suspension before work even really got going. The contract runs 660 calendar days, with completion expected by summer 2027. If the contractor blows past that deadline, the extra cost is on them, not the city.

⏪ THE LS LOOP

🏛️ City Council Tuesday’s meeting got a conceptual look at the Novelist Hotel ask (see above), plus a Municipal Court operational review and a sales tax exemption request from Mid-States. Riveting stuff if you’re into that sort of thing, and I say that with love. And, as of Wednesday, District 3’s Cynda Rader has resigned her seat, see the full item above.

🎸 Live & Local

This week’s music lineup:

Sunday, 7/19

• Jam or Open Mic | 4-8 pm | General Admission Sports Bar

Thursday, 7/23

• Addy Gardner Music | 5:30-8:30 pm | The Fillmore Café

• Jam or Open Mic | 7-10 pm | Jack Ray Post 5789, VFW

• Scotty McBee | 7:30-10:30 pm | Iron Horse Bar and Grill

Friday, 7/24

• School of Rock Lee’s Summit | 6:30-8 pm | William B. Howard Station Park

• Brody Buster & The Redemption | 7-10 pm | The 1909 Club, harmonica done right

• David Olson | 8-11 pm | Konrad’s Kitchen and Tap House

• Scotty Eggleson | 8 pm | Llywelyn’s Pub

Saturday, 7/25

• Jason Vivone & the Billy Bats | 7-10 pm | The Goat Brewing Co

• Headz Up | 7-10:30 pm | Jack Ray Post 5789, VFW, rock and roll

• The Bluebird Ramblers | 7-10 pm | The 1909 Club, country

• 2 Miles Deep | 8-11 pm | Konrad’s Kitchen and Tap House, rock

• Butter and Honey KC | 8 pm | Llywelyn’s Pub

📅 THE WEEKLY LINEUP

Here’s what else is going on this week:

Monday, 7/20

• Storytime for Toddlers | 10-11 am | Colbern Road Storytime Room

• Book Group: This Is Not a Game by Kelly Mullen | 2 pm | East Lee’s Summit Community Room

• Adult Game Night | 6:30 pm | Colbern Road Community Room

Tuesday, 7/21

• Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive passes through town | 2:40 pm (see above!)

• Music Bingo | 7 pm | Brick’s

• Elvis Music Bingo | 7:30 pm | B&B Theatres Lee’s Summit New Longview 7, free to play, all ages

• Karaoke | 8 pm | The Pink Elephant

Wednesday, 7/22

• Karaoke | 8:30 pm | Brick’s

Thursday, 7/23

• Storytime for Families | 10:15 am | Lee’s Summit Community Room

• 3rd Thursdays at Bailey Farms | 5 pm | Bailey Farms

• Matters of the Heartland Author Panel | 6:30 pm | Colbern Road Community Room

• Trivia | 8 pm | Brick’s

Friday, 7/24

• Fourth Fridays Art Walk | 5-8 pm | Downtown Lee’s Summit, local artist pop-ups, live music, and free kids’ activities, presented by Budget Blinds

Saturday, 7/25

• Jamaican Jam | gates 7 pm, show 8-10 pm | Legacy Park Amphitheater, free reggae night with AZ-One and Jah Lion

Ongoing this summer

• Summit Scoops Ice Cream Crawl (see above!)

🤔 Lee’s Summit Trivia

Did you know downtown Lee’s Summit has an official name that isn’t just “downtown”? It’s called the Strother District, named after Strother, the original name of the town before it became Lee’s Summit in the 1860s.

So next time someone mentions the Strother District, you’ll know exactly where that name came from. You’re welcome. 😜

💛 ALYSSA’S WISHES

This one’s close to home for our family. Alyssa’s Wishes was started in 2018 by Karen Houck, in memory of her daughter Alyssa Noelle Audette, who died in 2011 at age 20 from an accidental prescription drug overdose. It’s grown into a collection of projects Alyssa would have loved, built around kindness, community connection, and literacy.

Kindness Rocks is one arm of it. We’ve done the rock painting ourselves, and ours are still sitting out front.

The Little Ladybug Library is the other big piece, a free “leave a book, take a book” library at 2108 NE Concord St that Houck started during the pandemic. My daughter has donated and taken home more books from that library than I can count. It recently was rebuilt and replaced by a new all-metal structure built by Fossil Forge, installed in honor of what would’ve been Alyssa’s 33rd birthday.

Find them on Facebook at Alyssa’s Wishes.

🐾 PET OF THE WEEK

Meet Buster

A Goldendoodle with a signature move: the second he spots someone he thinks might rub his belly, he flops onto his back and throws all four feet in the air. Works every time.

Want your pet featured here? Hit reply with a photo and a fun fact, and they could be next week’s star.

One Last Thing

Grains & Taps closing after thirteen years hit different this week. Places like that are what make a downtown feel like yours instead of just a place you drive through. If you’ve got a favorite Grains & Taps memory, hit reply. I’d love to hear it.

Thanks for reading. Hit reply and tell me what got you this week. I genuinely want to know.

Thanks for being part of the Lowdown crew!

– Jen

 Editor, Lee’s Summit Lowdown

P.S. Apparently flushing your hot water tank annually is a thing, and I have officially never done that. If you’ve got a plumber in Lee’s Summit you trust, hit reply and send me their name. I’ll take the recommendations and the prayers. 🤣

How did we do in this edition?

• 🏆 State Champ Worthy: Best issue yet.

• 🎶 Fourth Friday Energy: Really solid week.

• 🌳 Nice Walk in Legacy Park: Pleasant, no complaints.

• 🚗 Stuck on 291 at 5pm: Got here eventually.

• 🦌 Hit a Deer on Douglas: Let’s not repeat this.