What’s next, waving a white flag and shouting uncle?
Seems like only yesterday the heavy handed civic leader backers of the American Royal couldn’t wait to pull a fast one on taxpayers by tearing down Kemper Arena for a $50 to $70 million into an overpriced horse and livestock show place.
And from appearances, they’d lined up city council members with little to lose (since they were on their way out) and used a powerhouse local law firm to scare off a group with a more popular plan for the reuse of Kemper that didn’t entail razing the historic edifice.
All that remained was to put the finishing touches on their plan and stick it to the taxpayers.
Simple right?
Ah but maybe too many people saw that pic in The Pitch from last fall’s Royal that looked as if there were more livestock there than attendees.
Because somewhere along the line the worm turned.
After threatening KC with losing the vaunted American Royals Barbecue contest, the organization moved it from the stockyards near Kemper to the Truman Sports Complex. So much for using that bargaining chip to extort the city for horse show dough.
And now, one of the last vestiges of the Royal, as many Kansas Citians know and remember it, the vaunted American Royal Parade (which got canceled a year or two back) is moving from Downtown KC to outside Kauffman Stadium.
Pardon my French, but WTF?
From the heart of the city to a giant parking lot off I-70 east of town?
Have the business and civic leaders light rail activist Clay Chastain likes to refer to as the “bully boys” lost their ever-loving minds?
The stockyards and downtown KC may have their issues, but they beat the heck out of gated parking lots in the middle of nowhere for ambience.
Look, I get that Kansas City’s having a mad, mad love affair with the Kansas City Royals. Everybody gets that.
Radio station 610 Sports has gone from perenniel cellar dweller to King of the World.
And a few weeks back it looked like the Royals were going to take over the entire starting American league lineup at this year’s All Star Game.
But seriously, dragging ass to darn near Independence to watch some horses and Boy Scouts circle a concrete baseball stadium doesn’t sound very glamorous or enticing to me.
Unless of course you have tickets to a Royals game. Which can’t possibly be the case, because there wouldn’t be room for the parade or however few spectators drive all the way out there to see it. Plus they’re having the BBQ contest then too.
Are these guys trying to kill off what remains of the American Royal?
If so, I’ve got an idea.
Why not move the BOTAR society ball to the Independence Events Center where the Missouri Comets indoor soccer team plays? Remember when they moved the Jewel Ball from the Nelson to Starlight a handful of years back? Very classy with those giant, rubber trash barrels.
Did someone on the American Royal planning committee hit their head?
As if spending $50 million to $70 million on new digs for horse and livestock shows that almost nobody attends anymore wasn’t a dumb enough idea, now this?
A PR chick for the Royal told the Kansas City Star that this year’s parade would “retain the same charm and tradition it has had for 90 years.”
Oh, really?
The American Royal Parade as it was
And that although the route may seem “unusual” – because she knew of no other parades outside baseball stadiums – pairing it with the World Series of Barbecue would set things right.
Maybe free parking, a petting zoo, pony rides and bounce houses will help make up for this lame idea.
But this concept is so bad it calls into question the basic leadership skills of the people running the Royal. Is there a monkey flying the mother ship?
Who dreams this kinda stuff up and how come nobody asked the obvious question:
Are you guys crazy?
Dead on the money Hearne.
The Horsey-Set across the Nation must have the Nile Virus. Even the vaunted Devon Horse Show fell into a WWEish fever and almost imploded.
Just to take Hearne to task a bit, those New York Football Giants held their Super Bowl parades at the Meadowlands. So, in a broader sense, everything will be up-to-date in Kansas City.
Is there a Native Horsey Set left here or have they gone the way of the beaver and bison?
The ideal for this would be to have the parade march through the stadium. Good seats for all, right?
I know the Perfesser is busy and all but maybe he can go over to the old East HS and check on the 4-H and FFA projects for the Royal?
I do remember good times at the parade, sitting in a box at the Royal with my grandparents. Grandpa B and Uncle Porter usual had cattle shown.
And if I’d have been a bit quicker, I’d have made that leap onto Trigger.
the bar b q got its new home in the sports complex which will alleviate te
problem of parking.
but running a parade back and forth inside the stadium area is absurd and
stupid.
let the parade die…the city has moved on.
With the development going on we really don’t need a parade or the
horse shows.
Keep the bar b q and its Friday night crowds and let the royals and chiefs
get this town excited again.
whoever is running the royal needs to be fired. It’s day has passed.
I agree that the parking fiasco will be solved at the stadium, but I’m skeptical about the aesthetics.
Memphis has its gorgeous riverfront and nearby Beale Street, KC’s BBQ ‘test is in a giant parking lot in the middle of nowhere.
What’s wrong with Berkley Park?
nice idea hearne….but what about parking.
no…it won’t be the same sitting in traffic for hours at
the royal but Truman complex might be neat if they
royals are also playing that night…
or maybe in swope park (right!!!)…
they can end the parade and all the b.s.
we had the chance to be the ag capital of the world…but
city leaders wanted “prime time” image so we scared off
all the ag companies.
now lets stop being only know for our “bar b q” and lets
advance the idea that kc is the greatest city in the nation…
and with royals/chiefs/low cost of living/our beautiful
city/great workforce/and all the new development in our
city…we are truly great.
so much for the cows and horses and rodeos….we’re past
that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Agree for the most part, except I don’t have any problem with cows, rodeos, horse shows or barbecue contests…
As long as they pay their own way.
I wouldn’t be against helping some sort of start up, but putting good money after bad on a failed tradition like the Royal is just bad business.
Let’s take a fraction of the money to tear down and redo Kemper and use it as seed capital for something fresh and exciting that at least has a snowball’s chance in hell of growing into something
World Series ballparks are picturesque.
You can never have enough bounce houses in a modern metropolitan area.
Can’t you just see a rental carload of tourists from New York scouting out the K before a Royals/Yankees game suddenly espying the parking lot full of cows, horses and other livestock, complete with cowboys and cowgirls?
They would dine out on that for years…
Man – talk about enhancing the city’s image!
You can thank George Guestello for the demise of the American Royal. King Puuu Bah in his tenure managed to piss off the PRCA Rodeo, many of the BBQ people, most of the staff and Royal supporters that date back to the early 1900’s including my grandfather.
Nope, you can lay the downfall of the American Royal at the feet of Georgie. Wayne Godsey was right when he told Neal Patterson that Guestello had to go. It’s a shame they didn’t listen several years before when they were told the guy was a idiot. Now he is at it again, another 501-3c. Bilking KC taxpayers at Union Station. Once again, Godsey was correct when he said the only thing financially viable at Union Station would be a casino. Nope, kiss the American Royal goodbye. Who in their right mind will go to the Truman Sports Complex to watch a parade. As for the BBQ. Well I have a smoker and know how to use it. The American Royal can move to Omaha for all I care. Please take Guestello with you when you leave.