06.26.2024

Today’s Forecast

90º | 6% chance of precipitation
Sunrise 5:54 a.m. | Sunset 8:48 p.m.

🦉 Adios, Duolingo

Say hola to BTG Spanish: A KC language school for adults

Bridge The Gap Spanish Vocabulary learning session teacher smiles at laptop and students

Your Spanish speaking will have you grinning ear to ear. | Photo courtesy of BTG Spanish

A KC-based biz want to help you learn (or re-learn) Spanish. Bridge The Gap Spanish (BTG Spanish) utilizes virtual meeting software to connect you with native Spanish-speaking teachers across the globe — sans guilt-tripping owls.

Started by KC native Keshia Villas in 2020, the program is designed for adult learners of all skill levels. That means you can sign up whether you squeaked through high school Spanish, or you’re a seasoned pro looking to brush up.

After learning Spanish via an immersion program, Villas decided she wanted to give that same experience to others who might not have that opportunity.

“When I moved back to the States, I realized a lot of my friends who wanted to speak Spanish [are] kind of stuck,” Villas said.

“So I started BTG Spanish as a way to provide a mini immersion experience, so they’re talking with the native speaker and getting used to conversing in Spanish instead of just [doing] book work.”

How does it work?

First, you book a “discovery call” with Villas. During the call, she’ll discover your Spanish level + find your learning style. You’re paired with a teacher based on that.

Then, you pick your learning package. You can choose to have between one to three live one-on-one conversation sessions with your teacher a week. Each level also includes live grammar + coaching sessions.

Keshia Villas and the English as a Second Language crew pose for you.
|
Photo courtesy of BTG Spanish

How are teachers chosen?

Many of the teachers are people Keshia has met during her travels but, don’t worry, she tells us she makes sure to vet their teaching skills, finding people who are great at kind correction while being a stickler for grammar.

Villas hopes Bridge The Gap Spanish helps any Kansas Citian interested in learning Spanish that have hit a wall.

“There aren’t a lot of programs for adults,” she said. “We want to meet adults where they are and bridge that gap — if you want to say — by providing classes that are tailored to adults.”

Events

Wednesday, June 26

KC Royals vs. Miami Marlins | Wednesday, June 26 | 1:10 p.m. | Kauffman Stadium, KCMO | $6-$47 | Play ball — catch the home team at this mid-week day game.
Badass Women+ Entrepreneurs Launch Party | Wednesday, June 26 | 5-7 p.m. | Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City, 1709 Walnut St., KCMO | $17 | Gab with business gals over free drinks + food, raffles, and games.
Country Stampede Start + Chamber Happy Hour | Wednesday, June 26 | 6:30-10 p.m. | Kobi’s Bar, 113 Oak St., Bonner Springs, KS | Kick off the country music festival with live tunes from Sam Shilts and The Petty Cash Band, plus a meet-and-greet with Casi Joy of “The Voice.”

Thursday, June 27

Don’t Bug Me Sugar Cookie Decorating | Thursday, June 27 | 6:30-8 p.m. | Belvoir Winery and Inn, 1325 Odd Fellows Rd., Liberty, MO | $55 | You’ll bug out after you master baking this themed collection of cookies.
Movie Night on the Farm | Thursday, June 27 | 7 p.m. | Atkins-Johnson Farm and Museum, 4109 NE Pleasant Valley Rd., Gladstone, MO | Free | Hop down the yellow brick road + watch “The Wizard of Oz” at this all-ages event.

Friday, June 28

JARS Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony | Friday, June 28 | 12-1 p.m. | JARS by Fabio Viviani, 4937 West 119th St., Overland Park, KS | Restaurateur + Chef Fabio Viviani celebrates the opening of his dessert shop — we hear it’s gonna be sweet.
Doobies + Drags | Friday, June 28 | 7-11 p.m. | Riverview Event Space, 804 Woodsweather Rd., KC MO | $5 | Get ready for a fab evening of music, dancing, and laughter as you cheer on drag queens.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Development

The Country Club Plaza neighborhood is growing. In 2025, construction will begin on two new apartment complexes at the northwest corner of Madison Avenue + 47th Street. One will revamp the vacant Plaza Corporate Center, the other will inhabit a newly built building. Both will offer one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments.

Try This

Did you know there are still original printed versions of Galileo’s works? And the only place in the world were you can see three of them at once is Linda Hall Library (5109 Cherry St., KCMO). Read the Father of Modern Science’s works beginning Thursday, July 25.

Transit

Take a look at the midtown streetcar stop and you’ll notice something new: shelters. Seven more shelters are slated to be installed next month at streetcar stops.

Open

Need an excuse for a new home improvement project? We’ve got you — Warner’s Stellian Appliance just opened its first KC metro location at 5101 W. 135th. St., Leawood, KS. The store carries a myriad of household appliances and has a grand opening sale now through Wednesday, July 10. (Kansas City Star)

Eat

Ooh la la. French bistro Aixios opened a second location in Leawood at 11570 Ash. St. You’ll notice the spot has the same menu as its sister eatery, with a few additional offerings like a tuna sandwich and chicken noodle salad. (Kansas City Star)

Environment

Nights are looking greener across KCMO. The city is converting ~90,000 streetlights to LED bulbs, designed to save an estimated $5 million annually in energy + maintenance costs and ~27,000 tons of carbon. There are still about 11,000 streetlights waiting for upgrades. Map the progress.

Civic

Tomorrow, a new Kansas law goes into effect which will require any user within state bounds to verify their age with a government ID before accessing adult websites. The law aims to provide protections to minors surfing the web.

Finance

This card is a cash rewards dream, ft. unlimited cash rewards on purchases, a $200 bonus after spending $500, and a long intro APR on purchases + balance transfers. Reward seekers, say it with us: Cha-ching.*

Kids

🍎 A treat for the brain

Treat your kids to Apple Camp

Kids can cut their teeth on public speaking. | Photo courtesy of Apple

Add this to your list of KC kid-friendly to-dos: Apple Camp, a free educational camp where kids create their own interactive storybooks.

Bring your aspiring techies aged 6-10 to Country Club Plaza’s Apple store (227 Nichols Rd., KCMO) and they’ll use iPad Airs + Apple Pencil Pros to record sounds, draw, and make 3D shapes to noodle out a narrative about kindness.

Want your kid put their pencil to the iPad? Sessions run through Wednesday, July 31. View availability + sign up on the camp website.

The Buy

The Buy 6.26.24 (Affiliate)

A margarita pool float (yes, that’s a thing — complete with a giant lime).

Answered

We asked how you felt about a West Bottoms Royals stadium...

Rendering of Royals stadium in West Bottoms

Looks like the crown is back in play. | Rendering by Manica

... and only 5.6% of you said that would be a swing + miss.

An overwhelming 94.4% of readers felt this design + location knocked it out of the park.

Pitch your thoughts

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Charmaine

From the editor

I’ve been covering the Royals stadium fiasco for a while now and this is the first time I’ve seen our readers so united. I’m blown away.

Also, I’m super excited to see Galileo’s original texts. What a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Maybe I’ll share my experience on our Instagram.

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