On June 21, the City of Liberty will join with 49 other U.S. cities and more than 800 cities worldwide to celebrate the first official day of summer and the joy of music. The event is called Make Music Day globally, and Make Music Liberty locally (or Make Music Boston, or New York, or Los Angeles according to each participating city).  

Make Music Liberty is unlike any other music festival that you may have experienced in that it runs continuously from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with parks, businesses, sidewalks, theaters, porches, plazas and churches serving as venues that host musicians of all ages and musical abilities representing a myriad of musical genres.  And, it's all free!!

Audience participation or "Mass Appeal" events are a big part of the schedule. These gatherings usually include either basic instruction on harmonica, guitar or ukulele, or play-along sessions where the audience is encouraged to bring along their own harmonica, guitar or ukulele and play along with the artist/performer. 


Mass appeal events this year include not only basic Ukulele and Harmonica instruction, but also play-along sessions with the Kansas City Ukulele Alliance and the KC Women's Music Network.  For those who don't have their own harmonica, Hohner Instruments has provided them as giveaways and Alfred Music has supplied basic ukulele instruction books for giveaway. 

As of early June, there are 39 artists and 43 performances scheduled and we're still counting. In addition to a host of vocalists and singer/songwriters, here's a sample of what else is currently slated for Make Music Liberty 2018:

• a bluegrass band
• a dulcimer club
• an Elvis impersonator
• a blues-rock band
• an all-day parade of very talented young "stars of tomorrow" 
• a promising young solo pianist
• a bagpiper
• an organ crawl involving several area churches.  

We hope you’ll come and join the Make Music Liberty celebration on Thursday, June 21 from 10 am until 8 pm.

Make Music Liberty is sponsored by the Liberty Arts Commission, The Liberty Arts Foundation, Hohner Instruments and Alfred Music.

For more information on Make Music Liberty along with performance schedules and participating artists, go to www.makemusicliberty.org.

 
Contributed by Bill Stillfield, Chair of the Liberty Arts Commission and Event Director for Make Music Liberty

Photos contributed by Shane Immelt & the City of Liberty

With winter loosening its grip, now is a unique time to visit Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary. If you’re like me, you are tired of being pent up inside for so many months and ready for some spring air. As you look out your window, you may think there are few signs of spring. But look closely and you’ll see that the days are already starting to get longer. The birds have noticed!

Shake off the Winter Blues
At the Nature Center you can see a wide variety of songbirds, already shaking off their winter blues. Soon, male goldfinch will provide a splash of color against the gray skies, attracting females with their bright yellow feathers.

Other birds becoming more active are chickadees, cardinals, tufted titmice, and juncos. The sounds of spring are another sure sign that we’ll soon be putting our heavy coats away. Besides the birds singing loudly to one another, you’ll begin to hear western chorus frogs creaking in the marsh or at Rush Creek.

Getting Ready to Bloom
The grass in your yard may still look dull and brown, but out on the Pawpaw and Columbine trails, spring ephemerals are getting ready to bloom. These plants are the earliest flowers of spring, sprouting and blooming in the forest before the trees get their leaves. The first to arrive are Dutchmen’s breeches, bloodroot, and wild violets.

Later in April, you will likely spot trillium, bellwort, trout lily, Solomon’s seal, and wild geranium during a hike on the Pawpaw, Columbine, or Bluff trails. With our relatively mild winter, you never quite know when to expect these spring beauties, so don’t delay a visit.

Aerial Displays 
For a truly unique weekend experience, plan a visit to the nature sanctuary for the Woodcock Watch event. On the evenings of March 2-3 and 9-10, staff will guide visitors to watch the amazing aerial displays in the mating ritual of the American Woodcock. Please call 816-781-8598 to register for this event, or visit naturesanctuary.com to learn more about this and other activities scheduled.


I hope you’ll come to Martha Lafite to seek out the signs of spring. The trails are open daily from 8 am to 5 pm (starting in April they’ll be open until 8 pm!) and the nature center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no entry fee, but a $5 per vehicle donation is requested.

Everyone at Martha Lafite is looking forward to helping you connect with nature!

Contributed by: Anne Nickel, MLTNS Board President