Embassy Suites Kansas City Overland Park

Farmer's Market

by basstbn

A popular activity for OP residents is heading to the old downtown area on Saturday mornings from late spring until fall. Central to the activities there is the outdoor market where regional farmers bring in their best. In addition, there is often musical entertainment and a festive atmosphere. A nice outing for the whole family, or hanging out solo.

For additional photos, see my travelogue for Saturday mornings in OP.

The Fertile Soil From Whence G$ Sprang

by giampiero6

Overland Park is a suburb of Kansas City. OK quick drill. The Kansas City that everybody means when they say Kansas City lies in Missouri. Suburbs spill out on both the Missouri and Kansas Sides of the border. There's even a road called State Line. Anyway, I say I grew up in Kansas City, but what I mean is that grew up in Overland Park, KS. (There's also a Kansas City in Kansas, but let's not get into that...you probably never will either..although I saw U2 in Kansas City Kansas in 1982)

So anyway, where was I?

Oh. Overland Park was a grand place to grow up. I lived on the outermost street in the last development in Suburban KC. 103rd and Antioch. South of me it was Farmland until Oklahoma City pretty much.

Any way, when I moved in, in 1971 at the spry young age of 5, it was all horse farms, pastures and budding little developments. Now Overland Park or OP as it's called is a major corporate headquarter kind of place and lies in about the center or north-ish area in KC. A lot changes in 30 years although I, myself, am only getting better and better with each passing year :-)

Any-hoo people always ask what growing up in Kansas was like imagining the OK Corral, but in fact the best description of what OP was like is "pretty much like the suburbs in any John Hughes Film (16 Candles, Breakfast club etc., Ferris Bueler's Day Off)"

I spent my youth bulding forts, catching crawdads in the creek, playing sports on teams, riding my bike, fishing in the lake of the golf course all the rest.

I left when I was 17 to go to college and the family moved back to Italy. I haven't been back for about what...12 years. It's totally different but it was great place to grow up.

Hey this is so cool. My VT friend, 'frankcanfly' dropped me a note last week to say he was in Overland Park by chance. He was NICE enough to go take a pic of the old homestead (I haven't been back in about 15 years) So I gave him the address and here it is..wow..it's so strange...we planted each one of these trees.

I remember the house a lot bigger :-) Especially when we used to climb up the little overhang on the garage and 'parachute' down with an umbrella or sheet.

Cool huh? THANKS FRANK. COLD BEERS ON G!