Downtown Kansas City is a thriving and diverse community, with 32,000+ residents, 122,000+ workers and 6.1 million annual visitors actively living their lives in the center of our city! Within this larger Downtown area, there are 25 parks, offering acres of open space for recreation and the positive environmental impacts of trees and green space.  This Greater Downtown area includes grand spaces like Penn Valley Park, home to the National WWI Museum at the Liberty Memorial, and the more recently activated acre Berkley Riverfront Park which graces the banks of the Missouri River on the northern edge of Downtown.

A reimagined Barney Allis Plaza is taking shape in the heart of downtown Kansas City! Following a summer 2024 groundbreaking with Mayor Quinton Lucas and city officials, demolition and construction are well underway, with major changes already visible. The Barney Allis Plaza Redevelopment Project is led by the City of Kansas City in collaboration with McCownGordon Construction, LM2 Construction, HOK Architecture, and other vital contractors.

Last month, my husband and I had the opportunity to take a 3-week, mini-sabbatical to walk the walk 150 miles along the Camino Portuguese from Porto, Portugal to Santiago, Spain. It was the trip of a lifetime and I am very grateful to my Downtown Council and Art in the Loop colleagues, family, and friends for “holding down the fort” while we were gone. The Camino Portuguese is one of many pilgrimage routes established over 1,000 years ago leading to Santiago. As we walked each day, we found time to observe the world around us, reflect, and converse with our fellow travelers from around the world.

The Downtown Council, through its affiliated organizations Downtown Community Improvement District and Art in the Loop, is presenting a unique and interesting set of performances to Oppenstein Brothers Memorial Park and Garment District in September. These performances highlight talented local musicians and provide a refreshing break for Downtown employees, residents and visitors alike – bring a chair and your own refreshments or take advantage of the participating food trucks.  All performances are free and open to the public.

Traditional Music Society – Soundz of Samba will perform at Oppenstein Park on July 10 as part of the “Summer in the City” activation series produced by the Downtown KC Community Improvement District! Soundz of Samba truly depicts the color and pageantry of this four-day-long event in which marching bands come from all over Brazil to express their culture and the beginning of spring.