Chasing Davies x Country Club Plaza: Art Fair Sneak Peek!
It's the most wonderful time of the year! This weather is freaking amazing - sunny (when it's not raining... hah!) with a cooler crisp in the air and signs of fall! September is the start of such a busy and wonderful end to the year, and I think the Country Club Plaza's annual Art Fair is the quintessential kick off to fall in Kansas City. {If you aren't from around here, you should put this on your list of places and times to come visit!}
My family and friends (and thousands of others) make it to the the Plaza Art Fair every single year. Even when I lived in Lawrence (during college), I'd make the trip in. With the streets blocked off for roaming freely, the streets lined with tents of art in all kinds of formats, top notch food and drink booths, multiple stages for local bands and plenty of kid-friendly activities all weekend long, this is an event not to miss! And it somehow gets better every year!
The Plaza Art Fair:
Friday, September 25th 5pm-10pm
Saturday, September 26th 10am-10pm
Sunday, September 27th 11am-5pm
So, to get you as excited as I am for the 84th Annual Plaza Art Fair, I have a few sneak peeks and the latest information for you! And if you've never been before - this will also help you know what to expect (and what to wear!).
Food & Drink:
There will be over 23 featured restaurant booths in 3 areas throughout the fair, this is an awesome time to try something new! Every year, I love to try a restaurant I haven't been to yet, check out the different specials each place has or the one-of-a-kind offerings some restaurants have just for the big weekend.
The Kona Grill (booth will be located in the Broadway Restaurants area) will have some of your favorites (or soon to be). Kona is one of the BEST places to get sushi (my favorite is the Vegas Roll, pictured above!) in town, so if you are craving any sort of fish, they will not disappoint.
But they will be offering so much more than just sushi! Their popular parm fries (fries with truffle oil and parmesan cheese on top), Hawaiian steak skewers, oriental salad and two sushi rolls: Vegas & Spicy Tuna. Plus, they'll even have drinks and cookies! So, definitely make sure to stop by Kona for either lunch or dinner!
The Plaza III (booth will be located at the Ward Parkway Restaurants area) is a local and well-known staple to Kansas City. They have some of my favorite soup in the WORLD! Every year when we come to this fair during the day, I always grab a bowl of Plaza III Steak Soup with a Filet Sandwich. It's perfection. This year, they will also have a Salmon Sandwich, Sliders and fantastic drinks (house red & white wine, a Manhattan & Cosmo - served in plastic martini cups, and draft beer).
New to this year's festivities is Panache Chocolatier and Café. They have been on the Plaza for over 30 years - a staple for serving the best hot chocolate during the Plaza Lighting ceremony on Thanksgiving. But they are so much more and they have some super new offerings launching this weekend for the fair! They will be having a patio party right in front of their store location and serving up 3 new adult milkshakes, 3 kinds of cocktails and 3 kinds of wine, and of course offering all the best chocolate in the city (trust me).
You guys, these Chocolate Crown & Coke drinks (above) are amazing! I had mine with Diet Coke and it was super refreshing with a hint of chocolate (not too much at all). I will definitely be having one of these. There will also be a Chocolate Amaretto & Cream and Chocolate Martini offered.
One of their new offerings will be adult milkshakes! We got to try them and they are so amazing. There are 3 options: Irish Creme Coffee Fudge, Pistachio Double Dark Ice Cream and Vanilla Pomegranate. There will also be wine served + get help pairing some chocolate with your wine or your wine with your chocolate.
And food-wise, I'm really excited to try their BBQ Wrap which is made with their own rub that includes... you guessed it, cocoa powder! They'll also have a Plaza Salad (that includes cranberries, smoked chicken, sliced almonds, goat cheese over greens and topped with citrus vinaigrette) and house made ice cream!!
Music:
There are 3 different stages and 50 musical acts happening over the 3-day fair. Friday night, the Zeros (a super popular 80s-cover band) will be playing on the Russell Stover stage on Ward Parkway and Broadway. You will dance the night away to this band, no doubt!
You can check out the full live music schedule here!
Art:
There will be 240 artists lining the streets this weekend. And all kinds of formats - from 2D to 3D mixed media, to ceramics, drawing and pastels, to fiber, glass, metalwork, jewelry, to painting and photography, wood work, printmaking, sculptures and more. Surely something for everyone!
Some of my favorites that I'm excited to see:
Cheryl Eve Acosta - Jewelry
Susan Hill Design - Fiber Materials
Jenny Meyer-McCall - Paintings
So, what do you wear?
Well, we're in luck (at least as of now) - it looks like a beautiful weekend! With the sun out and temps in the 80s by day and cooling off by night - this is the perfect time to break out some of your fall favorites (for me it's booties!) or wear new fall trends (70s-inspired). Here is one idea of what you might wear, and you can watch KC Live on Friday at 10am for more ideas!
{Outfit Details: Dress; Jacket - Loft, Necklace - won from Kendra Scott on the Plaza (this one has fringe!), Bucket Bag, Booties (in Putty), Fringe Bracelet - H&M on the Plaza (similar one from Kendra Scott and this one is on mega-sale!)}
Other Happenings:
Kendra Scott will have extended hours through the weekend - so if you haven't been to the brand new store yet, make sure to check it out!
Get this year's Plaza Art Fair poster this weekend! *Fun fact: my husband and I have been collecting these over the years and have framed them to be part of our new family room makeover.
Barton Perreira will be doing character sketch drawings at their store on Saturday from noon until 2pm for free!
There will be Plaza Art Fair t-shirts and programs available. Watch my Instagram feed for a sneak peek of the t-shirts coming soon!
Kids Art Experience is an interactive workshop located on Broadway, across the street from The Apple Store. All ages are welcome to participate in the hands-on art project, stories and more.
Are you headed to the Art Fair this weekend!? If you've been before, what's your favorite part?
