Kansas City brings Sunflower Festival, Moon Market, ‘High School Musical’ performances this weekend

As Kansas City says goodbye to July and welcomes August this weekend, residents have ample opportunities to enjoy festivals, markets and a special theater performance of High School Musical Jr.

Sunflower Festival

Families can enjoy more than 60 kid-friendly activities at KC Pumpkin Patch’s Sunflower Festival in Olathe, Kansas, this weekend.

Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. will kick off the festival’s first weekend celebration. It will feature activities such as slides, games, oversized bubbles, sunflower picture opportunities and more. Visitors can also sign up for a “cow cuddling” session with the farm’s highland cows for an additional cost.

Red Concessions will offer family-friendly food such as corn dogs, mac and cheese, chicken tenders, burgers and more.

The festival will take place the first three weekends of August, with the last day being Aug. 16. Grandparents get into the event for free this weekend, and general admission for everyone older than 2 years old costs $21 per person, or $31 per person with the cow cuddling add-on. Families of four are offered a special online deal of $65, which is $14.95 per person.

The festival will take place at KC Pumpkin Patch at 13875 S. Gardner Road, Olathe, Kansas.

Moon Market

West Bottoms Plant Co.’s July Moon Market will take place at West Truss Friday from 6 to 9 p.m.

Visitors can enjoy local artists, vintage finds and handmade goods at the market taking place 60 feet above the Kansas River on Rock Island Bridge. The event has free admission and will have a “pay what you can” produce stand featuring fresh fruits and vegetables.

Festival of Butterflies

This weekend will be the last weekend for Kansas City’s annual Festival of Butterflies at Powell Gardens in Kingsville, Missouri. This year’s festival began July 16 and will be open Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for its final weekend.

Visitors can walk around Kansas City’s botanical garden conservatory and enjoy free-flying butterflies such as blue morphos, tropical butterflies and moths. A botanical cake display will be in Grand Hall to help celebrate the festival’s 30th anniversary, and visitors can also learn about pollinator plants.

Children 4 years old and younger are free, while admission for children ages 5 to 12 is $12. General admission is $20 per person, and seniors 60 years old and are $18. Parking is an additional $8.

High School Musical performance

The Bell Cultural Events Center in Olathe, Kansas, is hosting a one-hour, 15-minute performance of High School Musical Jr. Friday and Saturday.

Middle school students attended a weeklong theater camp and learned the entire production, which follows Disney’s well-known love story about high schoolers Troy, a jock, and Gabriella, a brainiac, who fall in love and work to defeat their school’s “status quo.”

“As you are watching this production of High School Musical Jr., allow yourself to be in awe that these young students learned an entire show in just a few short days,” show director Elizabeth Phillips says. “They have poured (literal) blood, sweat and tears into this show over this week, and we cannot wait to share it with you!”

Shows will take place Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets range from $14 to $23 per person based on seating.

(Photo credit: Facebook/KC Pumpkin Patch)