Terry Dunn with wife, Leawood Mayor-for-Life Peggy Dunn:
Where’s he gonna move the American Royal to, Leawood?
It’s high time somebody called bullshit on the American Royal…
Seriously.
Just because a handful of fat cat local businessmen think they can pull a good old boy style power play over on the Kansas City Council – despite a preponderance of evidence that their plan is little more than a taxpayer money grab by a few rich guys – doesn’t mean we should let them. Am I wrong?
The scary part is, in the absence of real opposition, they could succeed.
The only thing the City Council has going to prevent that from happening is the obvious reality that plowing $50 million in taxpayer funds into an institution who’s time has so clearly passed is just plain bad business. Anybody remotely familiar with the American Royal and its devolution the past 30 years knows that much.
Every single public measure – actual and anecdotal – supports that conclusion.
Now the American Royal is trying to convince locals its BBQ contest needs the additional room that only tearing down Kemper Arena will provide. Never mind that’s there’s abundant, available useable space in every direction.
As Kansas City Star editorial page editor Steve Paul writes, “The Royal’s main argument (is) that without the barbecue event its declining horse-show and ag-oriented events would be toast.”
Hold that thought.
So the power brokers behind the American Royal want KC to spend 50 million taxpayer dollars on a smaller-than-Kemper venue to host horse and livestock shows and events so unpopular that they’d become extinct were it not for the four day year barbecue contest?
And somebody thinks that makes plowing 50 large into a livestock showplace a good idea?
If the Royal can’t stand on its own two feet now, what makes anybody think things are going to suddenly get better?
Steve Paul calls the American Royal’s concept an unfortunate “single-minded vision” and “wishful thinking.”
“Poppycock” is a better word for it.
For decades economists have rolled out studies showing that publicly funded stadiums and arenas for pro sports teams are money losing propositions for cities and taxpayers.
Well, at least those cities get 80 Major League Baseball games that attract 20,000 to 30,000 or more and 10 National Football League games that draw in the neighborhood of 80,000. Not to mention national television coverage that elevates a city’s image from bush league to big league. That at least sets Kansas City apart – and on a higher plain than cities like – oh, I don’t know, Louisville, Kentucky.
You remember Louisville.
It’s the southern city that swiped the Future Farmers of America convention from the American Royal in 1998 after 70 straight years here since its birth at the Royal.
For those who grew up and/or lived in KC back then it was a sentimental loss, but in the scheme of things it didn’t seem like very much more. That said, the 2012 FFA convention reportedly drew around 56,000 attendees which is nothing to sneeze at.
How many people go the the World Series of Barbecue again?
How many people attend the vaunted American Royal BBQ contest each year?
Star columnist-demoted to-reporter Mike Hendricks wrote an extensive kiss up news piece favoring bigwig backers of the Royal – the ones threatening that KC could lose the BBQ contest unless it shells out 50 or 60 large for a smaller arena. However, the closest, printable attendance estimate Henricks could muster was “tens of thousands.”
Like, 30,000 maybe? How many, Mike?
That’s basically a single Royals home game, less than half a lightly attended Chiefs game and about what the Plaza lighting ceremony draws. And for that the City Council is supposed to go into hock for $50 million?
If the Future farmers don’t care enough about the American Royal to stick around, hardly anybody locally goes anymore and with so few people attending overall that it needs to downside its building to about one-fourth its current size, where’s the payoff? What kind of optimism for the future does that generate?
If the Kansas City Chiefs started consistently drawing only 20,000 fans per game would it make sense to drop $100-plus million to tear down Arrowhead and build something smaller the size of say Sporting Park?
How about we let Louisville have what’s left of the American Royal and KC keeps the barbecue?
Thing is though, Louisville probably doesn’t want it. They already have the portion of our failing fall pageant that still makes money and still makes sense.
The best thing that could happen to the so-called World Series of Barbecue is for it to cut its meaningless ties to a dying horse and livestock show and saddle up with the sort of sponsors and entertainment tie-ins that could rival what barbecue and barbecue contest town Memphis has been so successful with.
Memphis in May blows each and everything the American Royal has to offer completely away, hands down.
Allow me to remind…
This year’s World Series of BBQ headliner An All-Grrrl AC/DC Cover Band
The schedule for our four day “World Series of Barbecue” lists just two bar bands, a pair of tribute bands – one for Garth Brooks, the other for AC/DC – and a deejay I can’t even find on Google (unless he’s also an economist and game theorist at Northwestern University).
The Memphis World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest may only draw 250 teams – as opposed to the American Royals’ claim of more than 500 – but that didn’t stop USA Today from declaring Memphis the No. 1 barbecue contest in the country in January.
And by the way, why with supposedly double the number of participants at the American Royal BBQ contest, are they only able to come up with $50,000 in prize money this year when Memphis gave away double that amount, $100,000?
Anybody, anybody?
Which event do you suppose draws the most people and makes the most dollars and sense?
Allow me to remind you that instead of the American Royal’s limp wristed “World Series” lineup later this month, Memphis had Kid Rock, Alabama Shakes, Foster the People, Avenged Sevenfold, Pretty Lights, Snoop Dogg, String Cheese Incident, Patti LaBelle, STS9, 311, Joan Jett, Jerry Lee Lewis, Third Eye Blind, Seether, Bootsy Collins, Chick Corea,Group Love, Fitz & the Tantrums, Blues Traveler, Anthrax, Dropkick Murphys, Twenty One Pilots, Dickey Betts, Buddy Guy, Canned Heat, The Dandy Warhols, Tommy Castro, Ana Popovic, Kenny Neal and more than a dozen others.
Which basically renders KC’s barbecue contest a snoozefest.
One that’s being run by a small handful of local cheapskates who now are trying to hold the contest hostage by trying to force the city council into making a senseless investment it can ill afford. And for what? To try and prop up what little remains of a once proud tradition that’s time has come and gone.
That’s a little sad, but horse and buggies used to be pretty cool to back in the day too.
On top of all that, now we have Terry Dunn of J.E. Dunn Construction – who’s company appears likely to harvest a ton of those tax dollars by building the new American Royal facility – threatening that the American Royal might leave the West Bottoms if the city doesn’t give in?
And go where, pray tell?
Johnson County? KCK? Emporia?
Is Dunn joking? Who cares? Like there’s going to be a bidding war for the American Royal. Last time I checked the year was 2014, not 1914. The stockyards are long gone, artists are moving in and it’s a brave new world down in the West Bottoms. And not many of its newly minted denizens seem to hold much interest in horses or livestock.
Maybe Oklahoma City will try and steal the American Royal from Kansas City – but that would probably either be a BBQ contest killer. Or else ‘Joe’s’ might have to change its name back to ‘Oklahoma Joe’s.’
And why should Dunn get such a big a say in whether the KCMO and the state of Missouri coughs up this kinda cash for a obviously dying and losing event anyway? He doesn’t even live in Kansas City or Missouri.
Hey, one man, one vote, except for the fact that a small handful of businessmen – most of whom live out of state – want to be the tail that wags KCMO’s dog.
It might be cheaper to just write Dunn a check for $5 million to go away and another $5 million to try and get the American Royal to spin off the BBQ comest to an independent non-for-profit company with the goal of reimagining it and beginning the long journey of trying to catch up to Memphis.
Seriously, is a BBQ contest that can only afford to give away 50 grand worthy of pouring $50 million of good money after bad into a failed concept?
Who at City Hall thinks that makes sense?
You know, pushy local big shots and power brokers aside.
I’ve got a question for readers to ponder: When’s the last time you went to an American Royal event – voluntarily – including the barbecue contest?
Back to you Steve…
is that what this town wants to be famous for? bar b q?
doesn’t save lives…doesn’t mean shit…won’t save the world…all this money
they pour into making this some hillbilly town could be put to better use.
Who cares about dancing horses…didn’t even know it was still going on.
level kemper…level royal….they’re old andfallingapart.
Move on kc….the action is out south…put an arena at 115 and Metcalf
and it will thrive. KCMO couldn’t put a nail in straight.
A bunch of horse sh(t is all these conmen are trying to sell us so they
can watch their horses.
Please take a class at a local community college and learn English grammar.
And so they can make some serious coin on the construction, design, legal and finance work.
All the usual suspects are lined up with their hands out.
The $64 million question: Can the KC Council be bought and/or intimidated?
Looks like we’re about to find out!
Harley please STFU. Thank you!
Brilliant.
Great article.
Jesus Hearne, you are getting into serious, serious, actual journalism in my opinion.
Lets stop for a moment and imagine, the Kansas City Star, letting this go to print.
God bless the Kempers and the many other city fathers, pecuiarily insouciant by way of birth and blood, as opposed to sweat and effort who run this town by way of familial fortune and a throw of the dice. That time has, I hope, come and gone. In our freshly remembered past, we, we salt of the earth, would never, NEVER see an article that accosted those in power with an opinion in our local fish wrap that deviated from the will of families like the Kempers.
In no way, am I slandering the Kempers, who are first rate citizens, who contribute greatly to our city. In every way, am I slandering the power that comes by way of fortunate fortune and coalesces without review by way of that same power.
Our own rich boy, Hearne is at his best here.
Yes, agreed. [Mostly] a great job by Jr. for a change – except for the part where he dragged an Oklahoma Joe’s namecheck into it for no good reason.
I agree wholeheartedly. The 50 million is unnecessary and if it is viable then the American Royal is free to pay for it themselves.
As for these ridiculous BBQ “competitions” we need to keep in mind that they may just be a fad. People will always want a “taste of chicago” type of thing and this fills that niche but the idea that these Guy Fieri looking guys who overbaste their ribs are anything to hang their hat on may be stretching it.
From a practical perspective KC could just as easily host the “World Championship of fat guys with flame tattoos and overbasted ribs” on a weekend when the Chiefs play an away game. Truman Sports complex is twice to three times the size, has a tailgate pedigree and isn’t in the West Bottoms. I don’t think they have any leverage here.
As for Kemper, sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.
We should spend 5-10 million of city money via bonds to renovate the arena and use it for a multipurpose sports and entertainment arena for bands and minor league teams who can’t fill up or afford the Sprint Center. Other cities like LA and Philly have kept their 60s and 70s basketball stadiums (Forum and Spectrum) and use them successfully. That will get another 20 years of viable use out of the stucture. At that point the arena will be approaching 50 years old and they can look at revitalization/TIF/corporate welfare plans then.
“World Championship of fat guys with flame tattoos and over basted ribs”
Now you’re cooking with gas, balbonis
Actually, Philly has torn down the original Spectrum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectrum_(arena)#Demolition
And the Forum is privately owned now by MSG.
right on balboni….excellent ideas.
American royal bar b q is nice…but really for one night we have to spend
all that money.
let the rich dudes take their horses somewhere else…kc is broke…Kansas
iis broke….take it to where the money and horses are…maybe Kentucky??
What did I just say, H Man.
Let Louisville have it, if they’ll take it.
But threatening to leave the West Bottoms, please
I spent over 20-years in the “show” business with my children in 4-H and FFA. This was living in suburban Philadelphia and a short time in Berks County, PA.
Youngest twins made the trip for the last FFA convention here.
Hard to support any of this with tax dollars. Hogs, chickens and lots of beef are from factory farms where no animals are allowed in or out of the herd for showing and such. Have to maintain the bio-security.
What you have here is the horsey-set. Historically the worst caretakers of livestock. Many tend to have horse ghettos, land without room for exercise or grazing. They they may have ligaments cut to get that special “step” of certain breeds.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show is the equivalent of The American Royal. It attracts enormous crowds for the rode0, livestock exhibitions and sales as well as the farm crafts. It is held in January when farmers have some time off.
The cattle are groomed, some spray-painted to make them look better. Starved if they are close to being overweight for the show.
Some parents buy an award winner for their children at one of the spring sales/shows. Then they will feed the animal so it doesn’t gain too much wait to be disqualified from showing. So they starve an animal for blue ribbons and prize money.
All over the country this horsey set has turned loose animals onto park lands. One area of the Ozarks is being ruined because of the “wild” (feral would be a better name) horses running the streams.
If they want to keep THEIR tradition going let them ante up the money.
The livestock shows have no connection with the reality of farming and ranching in today’s world.
Brutal.
Jesus Orphan that is eviscerating.
Really? I am so naive I had never heard of any of that.
Jesus.
stfu you hoosier swine sniffing puke! payback are hell1
that “compliment” was meant for orphan. I like chuck.
good for material on kcc.
Well said, Hearne. It might also be worth noting that there is a seemingly viable plan to preserve Kemper and use it for something that might actually be on the correct side of the popularity curve – youth indoor sports. Volleyball, soccer, bball, you name it. And it is being promoted by folks who know how to run these facilities. I couldn’t quite figure our why the powerful KC business folks wanted to tear Kemper down so bad, maybe the answer was always obvious – $$.
The FFA left KC because Louisville has a carnival by their convention site. Nothing more. It’s a dumpy town — I’ve done many trade shows there. The food sucks, the hotels suck. No nightlife. But they do have an amusement park which satisfies teenagers — since many FFA members are now female — a downtown convention doesn’t seem like the proper place for young girls.
Any guess what the City Council will do now?
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2014/10/07/city-consultant-likes-foutch-plan-for-kemper-arena.html
But then there is this…
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2014/10/07/big-name-kc-leaders-support-plan-to-raze-replace.html