Welcome to the Lowdown! I am so glad you’re here!
Happy Sunday, Lee’s Summit! ☀️
I’m writing this one from the UK, so fair warning: this edition is running a little shorter and leaner than usual. I spent the week eating my body weight in gammon steak, mushy peas, and steak and ale pie. Peer pressure also talked me into trying black pudding. I do not recommend it. Normal Lowdown service, and normal food, resumes next week. Let’s get into it. 👇
🍺 Oktoberfest Is Getting a Serious Makeover
Lee’s Summit Oktoberfest is 37 years old, and 2026 brings its biggest changes yet: a move to Green Street, gated entry for the first time, and $10 admission for ages 10 and up. Vendor count is getting cut roughly in half, from a typical 88 down to about 43. Friday, Sept. 25 is 21+ only; Saturday, Sept. 26 is all ages with chaperone rules enforced; Sunday wraps things up.
Chamber president Matt Baird has been direct about why: this follows the chaos at Downtown Days back in June. Smaller footprint, tighter security, real cost. Fewer craft vendors and a smaller beer line might actually be a win depending on how you feel about waiting twenty minutes for a stein. Curious how longtime festivalgoers feel about the tradeoff.
🌧️ Lee’s Summit Votes Tuesday on a Stormwater Sales Tax
Lee’s Summit residents decide Tuesday, Aug. 4 on a quarter-cent sales tax increase dedicated to stormwater management. Public Works Director Michael Park says it’s been a council priority for three decades but is mostly funded through the general fund, which isn’t keeping pace, and the 2017 half-cent capital improvement tax that covered some of this work expires in about six years anyway.
That stormwater is a real problem isn’t really in question. This one’s personal for me: years ago I was treasurer for the Vista Del Verde Community Association, where flooding was a constant headache, bad enough in a few cases that homes became uninsurable. The real debate is how to pay for fixing it. The city’s answer is this tax. Critics argue the city should rework its budget or scale back the incentives it hands developers before asking residents for more.
If the tax fails, Park says the city would likely shift money from other services, like police, fire, or planning, to cover stormwater instead.
Polls are open Tuesday. Are you planning to get out to vote?
🎄 Downtown LS Wants to Be “America’s Merriest Christmas Town”
Yes, it’s July. Yes, downtown Lee’s Summit is already thinking about Christmas. The Downtown Business Association is asking for our help getting nominated for the Hallmark Channel’s “Merriest Christmas Town,” with the winner getting featured in an actual Hallmark Christmas movie.
Honestly, they’ve got a case. Brick storefronts, a walkable grid, the Mayor’s Tree Lighting, Christmas in the Park down at Longview. This is basically a Hallmark set already.
You can nominate Lee’s Summit directly at hallmarkchannel.com/merriest. Nominations close August 10, so if you’re going to do it, don’t let this slip past Christmas-in-July mode and into “wait, when was that due?” mode.
🎒 Back to School Store Open for Families in Need
Lee’s Summit Social Services opened its annual Back to School store this week, serving hundreds of local families ahead of the new school year. The three week program hands out grade specific backpacks stocked with supplies, clothing, and shoes for students from Pre-K through 12th grade. Last year it helped more than 730 kids. Families in Lee’s Summit, Greenwood, Lake Lotawana, and Lone Jack can sign up at lssocialservices.org. They’re still taking donations of supplies, clothing, and cash. Call 816-525-4357 if you want to help.
🔧 A Perfect Storm of Mistakes, and a Community That Showed Up
Jake Edwards, owner of Make It Jake’s Handyman Services, had his utility trailer in for repairs last week, so he loaded all his tools into his truck instead. He parked it while on a job in downtown Lee’s Summit, and someone emptied the back of it. Nearly $7,000 worth of tools, gone.
“It completely crippled my business,” Edwards said. He’s candid that a string of small decisions led to it: “It was kind of a perfect storm of mistakes that I own.”
His cousin set up a GoFundMe to help replace what was stolen, and Lee’s Summit did what Lee’s Summit does. The full amount was raised within 24 hours. Edwards has already replaced his tools, and he’s not taking chances twice: everything’s photographed, every serial number logged, and by his own description, “It’s like Fort Knox back there now.”
Lee’s Summit police are still investigating. Edwards says he hopes to personally thank everyone who helped get his business back on its feet.
⏪ THE LS LOOP
🍎 LSR-7 School Board
Thursday’s meeting opened with some hardware: the Board honored state record holder Harrison Perkins (LS West) and state champs Kelvin Foster and Jeremiah Mangels (LS North). Watch the full recap or dig into the full agenda and packet.
On the wellness front, a $260,000 CORE grant will fund two therapeutic clinicians and a school liaison at zero cost to the district, and Title I funds are expanding Trauma Smart to Lee’s Summit Elementary. The city also previewed Tuesday’s stormwater tax vote (see above) and a summer 2027 roof contract.
The most notable exchange: Board Member Sparks again asked why LSEDC’s board lacks racial diversity. LSEDC’s standing answer: seats go to whoever the investing company nominates, not LSEDC itself, and even LSR7’s own seat is filled by the district’s (white) superintendent, because that’s who LSR7 chose to send.
My take: this isn’t racism, it’s just how the structure works, and raising it year after year, Sparks now, another board member before him, reads less like a genuine equity concern and more like a recurring attempt to make LSEDC look bad.
To their credit, LSEDC brought real numbers this time: three projects, two new manufacturers plus a Mid-States Distribution expansion, are bringing about 152 new or retained jobs and $13 million in first-year payroll, with one manufacturer needing zero incentives. They couldn’t yet tie that directly to LSR7’s budget, but committed to getting district finance staff a number.
🎸 LIVE & LOCAL
Thursday, Aug 6
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Jam or Open Mic | 6-9pm | The Fillmore Café
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Jam or Open Mic | 7-10pm | Jack Ray Post 5789, VFW
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Soul Fundamentals | 7-10pm | The 1909 Club (funk, R&B, and soul)
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Matthew Shoaf | 7:30-10:30pm | Iron Horse Bar & Grill (solo acoustic loop artist)
Friday, Aug 7
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Kevin “Church” Johnson | 7-10pm | The 1909 Club
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Discord & Rhyme | 8-11pm | Konrad’s Kitchen and Tap House (acoustic covers)
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Mitch Prather | 8-11pm | Llywelyn’s Pub
Saturday, Aug 8
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Michael Pagán & Paganova | 7-10pm | The 1909 Club
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Elton Dan and The Rocket Band | 8pm | Legacy Park Amphitheater (Elton John tribute)
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Bob Rowden Music Trio | 7-10pm | The Goat Brewing Co (classic rock)
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Dallas and Janell | 8-11pm | Konrad’s Kitchen and Tap House (country)
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Cocoa Marie | 8pm | Iron Horse Bar and Grill (blues, soul)
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Southtown | 8-11pm | Llywelyn’s Pub
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The Velcrows | 7-10pm | Jack Ray Post 5789, VFW
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Dogzilla | 9pm-1am | Stuey McBrew’s
📅 THE WEEKLY LINEUP
Here’s what else is going on this week:
Monday, Aug 3
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Adults Night Out: Luau | 8:30-10:30pm | Summit Waves. 21+, $11 LS resident rate.
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Llywelyn’s Burger Night: 50% off classic burgers, all day.
Wednesday, Aug 5
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VIP Teacher Night | 5:30-8pm | Tillie & Co. Collective. Goodie bags, discounts, and a dirty soda bar for LSR7 staff.
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Storytime for Families | 10:15am | Lee’s Summit Community Room
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Karaoke Night | Iron Horse Bar & Grill
Thursday, Aug 6
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Sip & Glaze at The Goat | 6-9pm | The Goat Brewing Co. Pottery and drinks.
Friday, Aug 7
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Will Stuck’s M.E.S.S. Show | 10am | Colbern Road Community Room
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Camp Half-Blood Bash: A Percy Jackson Party | 2pm | Lee’s Summit Community Room
Saturday, Aug 8
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Bowling for Rhinos 2026 | 6-9pm | Summit Lanes. Raffles and auctions benefiting rhino conservation.
🤔 Lee’s Summit Trivia
Did you know the building that’s now Neighborhood Cafe has been in continuous business use for over 150 years? It started as a wagon repair shop in the early 1900s, then cycled through a shoe store, a steakhouse, and a diner called Chuck Wagon before becoming Neighborhood Cafe. Same address, five different businesses, one very long run.
🐾 PET OF THE WEEK
Meet Preya and Sukha
Preya has one job: dominate her brother Sukha. Sukha’s response is basically a shrug every time. This week they’re pictured gearing up for a lake swim, which feels like the most sibling photo possible.
Want your pet featured in a future issue? Hit reply with a photo and a fun fact, and they could be the next star of the Lowdown.
One Last Thing
Shorter week, but a good one. I came home with a real appreciation for pie as its own food group and a permanent, non-negotiable stance on black pudding: no.
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. If anyone wants to open a proper steak and ale pie shop downtown, I will be your first customer and possibly your entire marketing department.
P.P.S. Election day is Tuesday, and the stormwater tax isn’t the only thing on your ballot. If you want to see exactly what you’ll be voting on before you get to the polls, look yourself up at the Jackson County Election Board’s sample ballot lookup. Takes two minutes, and there’s nothing worse than standing in a booth reading something for the first time. Go vote, LS.
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