Lee's Summit Lowdown

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

Happy Sunday, Lee’s Summit! ☀️

I was at the Royals game Friday instead of Futbol Friday, and I am not going to pretend I wasn’t a little bummed to miss it. But then the game happened, the weather was perfect, and I’m sitting there looking at GEHA Field already being modified for FIFA. The transformation is real and it is happening.
Speaking of momentum: Team USA opened the World Cup with a 4-1 win over Paraguay. Four goals. A record for the US men in a single World Cup match. The whole city is buzzing. Let’s get into it.

🌍 The World Cup Is Here and LS Is All In

That 4-1 opener was just the beginning. Next up: USA vs. Australia this Friday at 3 PM CT. Catch it at home, then head downtown – because the timing works out beautifully. Futbol Friday starts at 6 PM, and by the time you get there, you can celebrate (or recover) over food trucks and live music before the Brazil vs. Haiti watch party kicks off on the big screen at 8 PM. Two World Cup games, one great Friday night in Lee’s Summit.

Futbol Friday Week 2: Boots on the Pitch
Friday, June 19 | 6:00–10:00 PM | 209 SE Green St. | Free

Country vibes, a city block of people, live music, a mechanical bull, a petting zoo, food trucks, and that Brazil vs. Haiti watch party at 8 PM. Free to attend, family-friendly. If you went to Week 1, you know what this is. If you missed it, Week 2 is your chance to see what all the fuss is about.

And if you need any more proof that LS showed up last Friday: KSHB covered Week 1, noting that hundreds of visitors turned out for a family-friendly evening of live music, bubbles, and dancing, with crowds packing inside to watch Team USA take on Paraguay. One attendee put it perfectly: “It’s so nice that Lee’s Summit is saying, ‘We’re not giving up and we’re doing a family-friendly focused thing.’” Week 2 is your chance to keep that energy going.

🏗️ New in Lee’s Summit

7 Brew Is Coming to the Old Fazoli’s Spot

A second 7 Brew Coffee is officially headed to Lee’s Summit, taking over the former Fazoli’s location. The Arkansas-based drive-thru chain is tearing down the old building and putting up a 530-square-foot stand. If you’ve been to the one we already have, you know the drill. If you haven’t, now you’ve got two opportunities to fix that.

Costco Is Coming – October 2026

This is not a drill. A real, actual Costco is coming to the southeast corner of US-50 and MO-291, and it now has an official opening date: October 2026. The store anchors a larger mixed-use development that includes apartments, retail, dining, and trails. October also happens to be my birthday month, so I will personally be celebrating with a $4.99 rotisserie chicken and a 48-pack of paper towels. Dreams really do come true.

📌 Downtown Days: A Final Chapter

After nearly 40 years, Downtown Main Street has announced that 2026 will be the last Downtown Days. Safety concerns following last weekend’s incident led to the decision. The council discussed it at Tuesday’s meeting and fully supported the organizers, with praise for how Lee’s Summit Police and Fire handled the situation. The organization says they’re committed to finding new ways to bring the community together downtown, and we’ll be watching for what comes next.

⏪ The LS Loop

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

🏛️ City Council

The June 9 meeting was efficient, consequential, and per City Council tradition, reliably entertaining in the public comments department.

The council officially adopted the FY27 city budget, along with pay plans for city employees, fire represented employees, and municipal courts. To close that $13 million funding gap we’ve been tracking, the city is implementing a hiring freeze on 31 vacant administrative roles. No active layoffs, just hitting pause on empty desks. (If you’ve been following along since the May 10 issue, this is the plan coming to fruition.)

On the soccer front: the council approved a mutual aid agreement with the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners to provide law enforcement support for FIFA World Cup matches. Lee’s Summit is ready for its close-up.

Public comments delivered, as always. One resident offered a thoughtful olive branch on Downtown Days. Another arrived with a full grievance about property code enforcement at Senko Acres, accused the council of selective enforcement, and wrapped up her three minutes with a dramatic “What are you scared of?” before the mic cut out. Forget Netflix. Local government is free.

Council Member Prier closed things out by announcing she’ll be signing the circulating petition for a city audit, not out of suspicion, but in the name of transparency. Her words: the city has nothing to hide. The meeting ended with a warm round of applause for City Attorney Brian Head, celebrating 12 years on the job. Twelve years of city council meetings. The man deserves a trophy.

🍎 LSR-7 School Board

No meeting this week. The next regular session is Thursday, June 18.

🎸 Live & Local

Where the music is this week.

Thursday, June 19

• Shaun Munday — Iron Horse Bar & Grill | 7:30–10:30 PM | A Berklee School of Music grad with soulful vocals and show-stopping bass. His sound draws from Donny Hathaway, Al Green, and Marvin Gaye. Don’t sleep on this one.

Friday, June 19

• Kevin “Church” Johnson — The 1909 Club | 7–10 PM

• One Two Trio — ZPub KC | 7–10 PM

• Discord & Rhyme — Konrad’s Kitchen and Tap House | 8–11 PM

• Tyler Lyon — Llywelyn’s Pub LS | 8 PM–midnight

Saturday, June 20

• Mike Bourne & KC Boogie — The 1909 Club | 7–10 PM | Kansas City Electric Blues done right.

• The Supermatics — 329 SE Douglas St | 7–10 PM | Jazz, Pop, R&B, Motown, Funk, Soul, Rock, Swing, Blues, and New Country — the kind of band that has something for literally everyone.

• Asher Brown — The Goat Brewing Co | 7–10 PM | Acoustic singer/songwriter rooted in classic country, Americana, and folk with heartfelt Midwestern storytelling.

• Dating Sarah — Konrad’s Kitchen and Tap House | 8 PM–midnight | Classic rock favorites spanning the ’60s through 2000s.

• The Old Number 5s — Iron Horse Bar & Grill | 8–11 PM | Blues to rock, roots to Americana — originals and well-known classics all night.

• Keith Ladd Band — Llywelyn’s Pub LS | 8–11 PM

📅 The Weekly Lineup

Monday, June 15

• Learn to Play Magic: The Gathering — Mindgames and Magic, 206 SE 2nd St | 6:00 PM | Free. Never played before? A staff member walks you through the basics. Running every Monday in June.

• Family Fun Night — Summit Waves | 8:30 PM | Soccer-themed after-hours fun with the wave pool, water slides, games, giveaways, and food. Tickets must be purchased before 8:30 PM. Adults (18+) required with children.

Tuesday, June 16

• Karaoke — The Black Rabbit | 8 PM–1:30 AM | $6 shot specials, $5 seltzers, reverse happy hour. “Good singers welcome. Bad singers encouraged.” Enough said.

• Karaoke — The Pink Elephant | 8 PM

• Music Bingo — Brick’s Pub & Grub | 7 PM

Wednesday, June 17

• Downtown LS Farmers Market — Green St | 8 AM–noon | Fresh produce, local meats, baked goods, flowers, and more every Wednesday through October.

• The Purple Bench Project — Downtown LS Farmers Market | 9:30–11 AM | Seniors from Raintree Village take a seat, share stories, and make new connections with fellow community members. A simple, lovely thing.

• Llywelyn’s Pub Trivia — Summer Season Kickoff — Llywelyn’s, Strother District | 7 PM | The summer trivia season officially kicks off. Get your team together.

• Jeep Club Monthly Membership Meeting — Jack Ray Post 5789 | 7 PM | All are welcome.

Thursday, June 18

• Critter Chat — Green St | 6:00 PM | KC Exotics-R-Us is back at Green Street with a free educational program and craft. Great for kids and curious adults.

• Pub Karaoke — Llywelyn’s | 8 PM

• Trivia — Brick’s Pub & Grub | 8 PM

Friday, June 19

• Futbol Friday Week 2: Boots on the Pitch — Green St | 6–10 PM | Free. Country-themed night with live music, a mechanical bull, petting zoo, soccer games, food trucks, and a Brazil vs. Haiti World Cup watch party starting at 8 PM. Dust off your boots.

Saturday, June 20

• Cars, Coffee & Canines — Summit Zoo & Pets | 9 AM–noon | Show cars, show dogs, and good people. Bring your camera.

• Books & Brews Book Swap — The Goat Brewing Co | noon–2 PM | Free. Bring 3 books, take 3 books. Grab a beer. Honor system. No pressure.

• Father’s Day Build a Lego Fig Weekend — 1201 NE Rice Rd | 11 AM onward | Buy one, get one free when kids bring their dads. Build your minifigures, celebrate your people. Runs through Sunday.

• Father’s Day Cruise-In — Journey Church International | 5–8 PM (vehicles arrive at 4 PM) | Classic cars, hot rods, motorcycles, muscle, and custom builds. Free food and fellowship. All makes and models welcome.

• Jazzy B’s Comedy Night — Jazzy B’s | 8:30–10 PM | Live professional touring comedians, BBQ, and drinks.

• Aqua Glow Zumba — Summit Waves | 9–10 PM | $15/person. Latin rhythms, glow vibes, cardio in the water. The official “feel happy” workout.

Sunday, June 21 — Father’s Day

• International Yoga Day — Legacy Park Amphitheater | 6 PM | $12 pre-registration, $15 at the gate. Bring your mat and your people.

🤔 Lee’s Summit Trivia

Did you know the Amtrak stop at Main Street, right in the heart of downtown Lee’s Summit, connects directly to Kansas City’s Union Station, just steps from the FIFA Fan Festival this summer?

The Missouri River Runner makes that run daily. So if you’re headed to a World Cup watch party or the Fan Fest, you can park downtown, hop on the train, and skip the nightmare of trying to park near Union Station entirely. Not a bad deal for a city that’s been a rail stop since the 1800s.

Lee’s Summit: officially World Cup-ready, one train ride at a time.

One Last Thing

I’ve been on a mission to get red, white, and blue flowers in my yard this summer. America’s 250th, the World Cup in our backyard – it felt like the right call.

Recently at the Green Street Farmers Market, my usual vendor was nearly out. She didn’t have what I was looking for, and I almost moved on. But she didn’t let me. She offered to put together a custom arrangement in exactly the colors I wanted and then dropped it off at my house while I was out of town.

I came home to flowers on my doorstep. I didn’t have to ask, I didn’t have to follow up, and I didn’t even have to be there. She just did it.

The small businesses in Lee’s Summit don’t just sell things. They look out for you. They go the extra mile because this is their community too.

So if you’ve been looking for a reason to support a local business this month, you don’t need one. Just show up. You might be surprised at what comes back to you.

Hit reply and tell me what you’re most excited about this week… Futbol Friday? Father’s Day? The Costco news? I genuinely want to know.

Thanks for being part of the Lowdown crew!

– Jen

 Editor, Lee’s Summit Lowdown

P.S. Father’s Day is Sunday. The Build a Lego Fig BOGO deal runs all weekend – kids bring their dads, everyone wins. Nothing says “I love you, Dad” quite like letting him pick his own minifigure. Happy Father’s Day, LS. 🧱

Thanks for being part of the Lowdown crew!

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.