An estimated 50,000 people took the first public tour of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts Sunday. Sounds like they hired the same folks who used to put out the Plaza lights crowd count. I was there with the family but discovered the line to get in was 4 blocks long.
Most of the people I met thought they were in the unemployment line.
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Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles had a season-ending injury yesterday as the team fell apart losing 48-3 to Detroit. Even worse, the TV ratings are out and the Chiefs game came in behind an infomercial aired by Channel 9.
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Officials in Osceola, Missouri – half-way between here and Springfield and famous for "Osceola Cheese" – are asking the University of Kansas to drop its Jayhawk mascot because the name refers to domestic terrorists that nearly destroyed the city 150 years ago. I’m asking the people of Osceola to stop making cheese because I’m lactose intolerant and their cheese is terrorizing my intestines.
Kelly Urich hosts the morning show on The Point 99.7 FM
50K is Pretty Accurate
We walked in at 5 pm after an hour plus wait… Our door attendant had a counter clicker and she said she was at 14,000 plus… there were three doors… That would be a pretty solid estimate of 42K.. and there were a good couple thousand in line behind us… The 50K mark is way feasible, and probably right on. Then I walk in thinking this was “peasants day” after the high profile gala the days before. But nope… Julia Irene Kauffmann herself was at the top of the stairs greeting all… Talking, taking photos with people, signing programs. Beautiful facility. Many thanks to all who made this happen… especially Kauffmann and Shirley Helzberg.
Keepin with the spirit of “Old” KC Money,
I think they should have handed out Alaskan Furs to the first 500 folks who waited in line.
And cake, yeah, cake.
Total Fail
On playing the Plaza Lights card, this event was definitely close to that number. Jeez, you act like 50k is 500k.
Don’t get out much
See i live in the basement. So i really have not been around people with upscale tastes. To me they are arrogant. So I hang out at the pizza shoppes with my buddy Erin and we go play video games on the weekends. That’s only because mom wants me out of the house til 6pm on weekend nights.
I work for $12 an hour and have no life. I drink colt 45 and play on the internet because that’s the best and most I can afford. I have no idea what being around other people is like because I never get out and don’t have a girlfriend.
The last girlfriend i had was back in the 80’s when I worked the thrift shop circuit looking for used clothing. Now I just wear the same jeans and shirts I wore back then and hope that mom throws them in the wash every 3 weeks.
I wish I could meet Ms. Kauffman. She seems like a real nice lady. She’s probably worth 200 million dollars which a whole lot more than I make.
Oh well…I can dream. Does anyone have a photo of her. I can put it on my wall in my basement bedroom alongside the other photos i have in there.
I doubt there were 50,000 people there. That’s more than I saw on tv watching the baseball game.
Catch you guys later. Gotta get back to my new video game…Madden ’11!
50k is far greater than a sold out Royals game. Which has acres and acres of parking and a proven system for handling large crowds. Do you know what the parking is like downtown, even with just the Auto Show and a sprinkling of minor events?
That’s nearly double the Plaza Lighting ceremony. Double.
Since the police are on record as having no training or methodology in counting crowds, what make you think a brand new arts org on its opening weekend would? Diud you read they way they said they figured it?
If they had planned on keeping a count, why not just do it at the turn styles and dispense with the guessing games?
Speaking of which, you expect people to take the word of an anonymous comments person? How about if another no namer weighs in that it was only 3,000 people? Add ’em together and divide by two work for you?
Huh?
Who’s taking the word of an anonymous comment? I was down there and the lines stretched around several city blocks in FOUR directions and were continuous for SEVEN (they opened at 10am instead of 11am because of the early arriving crowds) hours with the entire building filled beyond capacity at all times. It took us near 90 minutes to get inside. As the original post said, easily over 40-45K via legitimate estimates so perhaps embellished a bit to a round number of 50K…big deal…easily doable. As for parking issues…the typical anti-downtown response. This wasn’t a singular event such as a concert or ballgame. It was an event that had people coming and going from the area all the time (we slipped into a parking spot near the Star as other PAC patrons were leaving, imagine that) and there was a shuttle system in use that was bringing people in from several blocks away so again, the logistics of handling 50K was easily doable.
Look, I’m the first guy to slam on the Plaza lights estimates, those numbers are ridiculous, but this event wasn’t close to being as overcounted as that ceremony usually is. Heck, if they wanted to make that kind of statement, why not say 100K. I do find it interesting that a gentleman who has his name on a blog entitled KC Confidential couldn’t take the time to pull himself away from his computer and give us a first-person account of the estimates surrounding the historic opening of what will be an iconic Kansas City landmark. And another word of advice, you don’t have to go out of your way to defend all your bloggers, especially when they are clearly misinformed such as Mr.Ulrich is. On a positive note, at a whopping 6 responses, I think Kelly surpassed his previous half-dozen posts. Good work.