07.06.2023

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Today’s Forecast

40º | Rain/snow mix | 98% chance of rain |
Sunrise: 7:37 a.m. | Sunset: 5:12 p.m.

👾 Animation comes to KC

Hollywood Animation Academy is building KC’s talent pool

Founder Gavin Dell cheeses beside the Hollywood Animation Academy sign. | Photo by Hollywood Animation Academy

Hollywood Animation Academy is the first specialty school for animation in the US — and it’s here in Kansas City. It’s the luck of the draw.

City Editor Charmaine sat with faculty to discuss their vision for the academy and what its founding means for KC’s film + animation industry.

Level One: Getting Started

Gavin Dell — an Overland Park native with 30 years of animation experience — is the founder of this brand new, two-year intensive. His long list of credits include “The Simpsons,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “X-Men,” and “Gears of War 2.” Gavin said he’d been planning to open a school and come back to KC for a while.

“I wanted to be in Kansas City — I love Kansas City. On top of it, every time I would come back I would see there was nothing like this here in the Midwest,” Gavin said.

“All of a sudden, COVID happened and I could work remotely, and I was working on a couple of different shows at the time. I was like ‘Let’s go! Let’s try this! Let’s make it happen!’ And I made it happen.”

His first choice for the school’s location was Laugh-O-Gram Studio in midtown KCMO, Walt Disney’s old studio. Since the building is being made into a museum, Hollywood Animation Academy instead found its home at 1740 W. 92nd St., on the third floor of the Centriq Training building.

After Gavin worked through grueling accreditation paperwork, perfected the course layout, and canvassed local high schools, Hollywood Animation Academy received its first class in January 2023 — the starting seven.

How the academy got animated

Events

Thursday, July 6

Life on the Farm | Thursday, July 6 | 9-9:45 a.m. | Colonial Gardens, 27610 East Wyatt Rd., Blue Springs, MO | $5 | Join the farmer to help feed the animals and get up close with animals like goats, chickens, and alpacas.

Friday, July 7

The Teddy Bear Picnic | Friday, July 7 | 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. | Swope Park, 4177 Pavilion Rd., Kansas City, MO | Free | Grab your teddy bear and a picnic blanket for this lunchtime event with the Kansas City Public Library.
Silent Disco | Friday, July 7 | 8 p.m. | Corrigan Station, 1828 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO | $35 | Move and groove with headphone tunes + spectacular city views.

Saturday, July 8

Native Garden Work Day | Saturday, July 8 | 8-10:30 a.m. | Lakeside Nature Center, 4701 E. Gregory Blvd., Kansas City, MO | Free | Volunteers will remove invasive species, and help maintain plant natives around the Nature Center.
Run With It | Saturday, July 8 | 6 p.m. | KC Wine Co., 13875 S. Gardner Rd., Olathe, KS | $10 | Rock out with Run With it while sipping on your favorite glass of wine.

Sunday, July 9

Cancer Brunch | Sunday, July 9 | 11:30 a.m. | Pete’s Place Restaurant & Lounge, 12044 Blue Ridge Ext., Kansas City, MO | $10-$325 | Celebrate the Cancer zodiac season with this boozy brunch.

Saturday, August 5

Innovation Festival | Saturday, August 5 | 2420, Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO | $25-$225 | This regional convergence of music and innovation features a tech conference, night market, brewery showcase, and musical performances by Colony House, Dante Elephante, and more.*

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Transit

Pump the brakes. The KC Streetcar paused its tram service due to rail damage on the bridge over I-670. Ride KC buses are activated along the route activated along the route running 20 minutes apart to cover service gaps. The northbound Power and Light stop near 14th Street is also closed.

Civic

Johnson County Commissioners approved two new citizen coalitions — Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion + Sustainability — after both received a 5-2 vote. Each coalition can have up to 15 members. Find more information and apply online. (Shawnee Mission Post)

Community

Crown Center’s July WeekEnder series kicks off tomorrow, July 7 at 6 p.m. The family-friendly event includes live music, barbecue, and various food trucks. A free screening of “Top Gun: Maverick” begins at 9 p.m. Just leave the pets + glass bottles at home.

Award

History in the making. Two seniors at Shawnee Mission South took first place in the National Speech & Debate Association’s 2023 National Tournament — a first for the high school’s debate program. Clare Bradley and Brooklynn Hato grabbed gold in the Policy Debate category. (Shawnee Mission Post)

Watch

Precision Mazes transformed a “Blank Space” into a mural of Taylor Swift in honor of the “Eras Tour” arriving in Kansas City this Friday, July 7. This video shows a timelapse of a field being plowed to resemble the 12-time Grammy Award-winning singer.

Concert

Arrowhead stadium organizers announced Beyoncé’s “Renaissance World Tour” stop will be rescheduled due to scheduling + logistic issues. Originally planned for Monday, Sept. 18, the concert will now take place on Sunday, Oct. 1. All tickets will be honored for the new date.

Fact or Fiction

A woman receives a breast cancer diagnosis every two minutes in the US. See the answer.*

Shop

If you’re looking to buy a new pair of sunglasses this summer, you’re in luck. Our online store (Six & Main) has you covered with a variety of polarized, floating sunglasses… that’s right they float in the water. Find your perfect pair now.

Eat

🌶️ Pass the Sriracha?

Where has all the Sriracha gone?

Three shelves full of sriracaha bottles.

And to think we took this sight for granted last year. | Photo by Paul Narvaez via Wikimedia Commons

Last year, we heard word from Huy Fong Foods that a Sriracha shortage was on the horizon. Now, it seems we’re in for another Sriracha drought — quite literally.

Droughts in Mexico — where Huy Fong Foods sources its chilis — have affected supplies.

So what if you crave that burning sensation? You could try your luck on sites like Amazon but our advice is to go local.

Here’s three KC hot sauces to keep your taste buds buzzing:

Da’ Bomb Ground Zero | This sauce comes in four levels of heat, measured in Scovilles — the hottest is “The Final Answer” which clocks in at 1.5 million Scovilles.
Zim’s Kansas City | They claim to be the “peanut butter cup of sauces.” You’ll find them to be much cooler, with only 813 Scovilles.
Pain Is Good | A collaboration between the KC Chiefs + Spicin’ Foods, this collection includes hot + wing sauces, and drink mixers.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Charmaine

From the editor

It’s almost the weekend. 🎉 I’m looking forward to finally getting some me time. I bought a new game for my Nintendo Switch and I can’t wait to curl up on the couch and ignore the world.

I hope you’ve built in some self care for your days off, too.

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