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

Established in 2000, the Clay County African American Legacy Inc. (CCAAL) is committed to building cultural competency in Clay County by educating and informing the community of the cultural diversity that exists in the Northland.

To get just a small glimpse of the contributions of the CCAAL and African Americans to Liberty and Clay County, just take a stroll to a few notable landmarks in and around historic downtown Liberty.

Begin your walk at the corner of Franklin and Water streets at the northeast corner of the old County Courthouse, where you’ll find the Liberty Freedom Fountain. 

This drinking fountain and surrounding brick pavers were installed by the CCAAL in 2001 to honor and celebrate African American pioneers and their contributions to Clay County. The CCAAL is currently raising funds to repair the memorial.

From the memorial fountain, walk half a block west on Franklin and head into the old Clay County Courthouse, which now houses administrative offices for Clay County government. Four vibrant murals on the third floor by local artist David McClain depict the history of Clay County.

The first courthouse mural, which was completed in 1993, depicts the history of Clay County. The second mural shows the prisoner of war camp that was located near what is now the Fountain Bluff Sports Complex in Liberty. The third mural depicts Major John Dougherty’s Multnomah Plantation at dusk with a party in progress. The fourth mural, which the CCAAL commissioned in 2002, features African American pioneers businesses, schools and churches from the 1820s to the early 2000s.

For your final stop on this short walking tour, head north on Water Street to 502 N. Water St., where you’ll find the Garrison School tucked among century old homes. 

Established in 1877 to educate black youth in Liberty, the Garrison School is listed on both the National and Local Register of Historic Places in Clay County. The original school stood until a fire destroyed it in 1910. A new school for black students was opened in 1911. Despite relying on obsolete text books that were handed down from the white schools, the Garrison School earned a reputation as the best school for African American students in the state of Missouri.  The school provided its students up to a 10th grade education. Until the “separate but equal” laws were deemed unconstitutional in 1954 and Liberty schools began integrating its black students, many Garrison graduates had to ride buses to the black Lincoln High School in Kansas City, Mo.

The CCAAL purchased the school building in 2003 as its base of operations and as a center for cultural and educational events.  The organization has transformed several of the 19th century school’s classrooms into spaces dedicated to special collections and art galleries that celebrate the African America culture. The CCAAL offers monthly activities and events including art shows and cultural and education programs, such as the 27th National African American Read-In, annual Juneteenth Fundraiser and celebration, and an exhibit of Juan Houston’s jazz art collection.

Before you leave, be sure to take a walk around the building to take in two new murals that were unveiled in October. On the Water Street side, the mural Stony The Road We Trod was painted by Rodney "Lucky" Easterwood. Easterwood was trained in Boston but has actively painted here in his native Kansas City area for over 30 years. His works are featured in several U.S. cities. They encourage community and cultural pride, highlight historical events and illustrate the beauty of everyday life.

Tours of the galleries and collections are available during monthly events and by special appointments. To make an appointment contact Cecelia Robinson via email or call 816.781.7918.

Contributed by: A.J. Byrd, President of the Clay County African American Legacy, Inc.