The best things to do this month in KC: July 2025

Atchison’s Amelia Earhart Festival honors the trailblazing aviator in her birthplace

In 1997, community members in Atchison, Kansas, decided to commemorate hometown hero Amelia Earhart’s 100th birthday with a celebration. The centennial event drew attendees from around the region and quickly gained widespread attention, earning mentions in publications like The New York Times and The Boston Globe. 

“It was even bigger than we thought it would be,” says Jacque Pregont, who has organized the festival since 2003.  

The success of that first gathering led to an annual tradition. Now, each third weekend in July, the Amelia Earhart Festival takes place in Atchison, located an hour north of KC along the banks of the Missouri River. The three-day event is a charming tribute to the trailblazing aviator.

This year, the festival’s major draw is a visit from author Laurie Gwen Shapiro as she debuts her most recent book, The Aviator and the Showman. The tour stop comes just days after the book’s release and follows an appearance on CBS This Morning and an excerpt in The New Yorker.

While many books about Earhart focus on her disappearance and conspiracies surrounding it, Shapiro takes a different approach, exploring the pilot’s marriage to publisher George Putnam and how their partnership helped advance her career. The event takes place at the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum—home to the world’s last remaining Lockheed Model 10 Electra, the same model Earhart flew on her final flight nearly 90 years ago. 

In addition to the author talk, the weekend is packed with family-friendly programming, including a car show, aerobatic flight demonstrations, live music, a fireworks display and more. The festival is a uniquely personal tribute with a small-town feel—festivities kick off with an ice cream social at the same church Earhart’s grandfather attended; festivalgoers sign a birthday card and indulge in cake; the aviator’s childhood Victoria-era home, Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum, offers tours all weekend long.

“We want people to come and have fun in our town,” Pregont says. “This is not only celebrating Amelia Earhart but the community spirit.” 

GO: Amelia Earhart Festival. July 17–19. Times and locations vary. A full schedule of events is available at visitatchison.com.

4

Stars and Stripes Picnic

Sprawl out on the lawn of Liberty Memorial for the annual Stars and Stripes Picnic, a free family-friendly celebration of America’s birthday. Pack a blanket and lawn chairs and enjoy an evening of food trucks and live music capped off with a fireworks display. July 4. 3 pm. National WWI Museum and Memorial.

8

Rachel Kushner

Rainy Day Books is bringing Guggenheim fellow and New York Times bestselling author Rachel Kushner to KC in support of her latest comedic thriller, Creation Lake. The novel follows Sadie Smith—a pragmatically ruthless secret agent—on an assignment in France as she gets fooled by her own game when she meets activist (and heartthrob) Bruno Lacombe. July 8. 7 pm. Unity Temple on the Plaza.

8–13

The Wiz

Ease on down the road to The Wiz as the Broadway national tour makes a stop in KC. This spin on L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz—told through the lens of the Black experience—is a tried-and-true musical theater fan-favorite with songs like “You Can’t Win” and “Home.” When the production made its Broadway debut in 1975, it won seven Tony Awards and, though not initially popular, the 1978 movie adaptation starring pop icons Dianna Ross and Michael Jackson has since become a cult classic. July 8–13. Times vary. Kansas City Music Hall.

16

St. Paul & The Broken Bones and The Wood Brothers

Soul band St. Paul & The Broken Bones teams up with Americana trio The Wood Brothers for a co-headlining summer tour stop in the East Crossroads. Singer Paul Janeway leads the soul outfit with growling vocals—harkening back to the days of Otis Redding and Bill Withers—while The Wood Brothers straddle traditional roots music with a progressive flair. Singer and fingerstyle guitarist Yasmin Williams will open. July 16. 6:30 pm. Grinders KC.

17— Aug. 3

Festival of Butterflies

Powell Gardens’ Festival of Butterflies returns to celebrate the striking pollinators. At the family-friendly event, the botanical gardens bring in butterflies from all over the world to hatch and flutter throughout the conservatory. July 17–August 3. Times vary. Powell Gardens.

18

Earth, Wind & Fire

Legendary funk band Earth, Wind & Fire takes the Starlight Theatre stage for an evening of timeless tunes. Formed 56 years ago in Chicago, the band helped define the sound of the 1970s and remains one of the bestselling groups of all time with hits like “September” and “Let’s Groove.” Although frontman and founder Maurice White died in 2016, the groove lives on through his brother, bassist Verdine White, as well as longtime members Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson. July 18. 8 pm. Starlight Theatre.

19

Summer Fest

Zona Rosa’s North Park transforms into an all-day block party at Summer Fest. Now in its third year, the Northland festival includes bounce houses, DJs, kids activities, yard games and more. Food and drinks are available for purchase in the beer garden, along with a pop-up shop of handmade items from local makers curated by Strawberry Swing. July 19. 11 am. Zona Rosa.

19

Father John Misty

After stepping away as the drummer of indie band Fleet Foxes, Josh Tillman reinvented himself as Father John Misty—a sharp-witted and sardonic persona. His wry, folk-pop sound found critical acclaim with Pure Comedy, which earned him a Grammy Award in 2018. Now, Father John Misty is bringing the theatrics in support of his latest release, Mahashmashana. Hamilton Leithauser, former frontman of The Walkmen, will open. July 19. 7 pm. Uptown Theater.

20

Nelson-Atkins Lawn Party

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s annual Lawn Party returns. A partnership with Kansas City Parks & Rec, festivities stretch from the museum’s south lawn to Brush Creek in Theis Park. Expect a day of live music from local favorites like Friendly Thieves and Back Alley Brass Band, lawn games, art demonstrations, food trucks and more. Plus, photographer Tom Styrkowicz will be snapping photos of partygoers in the Bloch Lobby for the museum’s One By One Community Portrait project. July 20. 4 pm. Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

22–27

Ain’t Too Proud

Set to the iconic hits of The Temptations, the musical Ain’t Too Proud follows the legendary Motown group from their early years in Detroit to superstardom against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement. Featuring songs like “My Girl” and “Just My Imagination,” the Tony Award-winning musical brings the story of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers to life with flawless choreography and harmonies. The touring production is a part of Starlight Theatre’s summertime Broadway series. July 22–27. 8 pm. Starlight Theatre.

26

Celebrate Ameri’kana

Free music and arts festival Celebrate Ameri’kana returns to the Historic Northeast. This year’s headliners include two local favorites—Afro-Latino rock band Making Movies and local Congolese gospel group Salvation Choir—plus Latin Grammy Award-winning singer La Lulu from New York. Produced by local nonprofit Art as Mentorship, director (and Making Movies frontman) Enrique Chi describes the event as a “living love letter to the Black, indigenous, immigrant and Latino heroes of American music.” Plus, the community-centered festival will also feature an array of food trucks, an open air mercado, kid-friendly activities, a resource fair, soccer matches and more. July 26. 12 pm. Concourse Park.

31

Fitz and The Tantrums

In 2013, indie pop band Fitz and The Tantrums’ breakthrough sophomore album, More Than Just a Dream, put them on the map. The album’s lead single and most well-known track, “Out of My League,” climbed to a number one spot on Billboard’s Alternative chart. Now, a new release is on the way: The band’s KC performance at The Truman comes days after the release of Man on The Moon, their sixth studio album. July 31. 8 pm. The Truman.

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