Forest Park – KC Backstories

Forest Park and the “Negro Fair”

(originally published 6/6/19) Though the 1950s and 60s were clearly two decades where significant efforts resulted in changes in civil rights, those efforts had been going on for decades before then. In researching the stories behind the amusement parks featured in the last post, I came across a series of newspaper accounts about one ofContinue reading “Forest Park and the “Negro Fair””

The Golden Age of Kansas City’s Amusement Parks

(originally published 5/30/19) I was born the same year Disneyland opened, and the only kind of amusement park I’ve ever experienced is in the mold of what Disney created – the theme park. Theme parks don’t just have rides and attractions. Every aspect of the experience conforms to the fantasy that each theme suggests. ThemesContinue reading “The Golden Age of Kansas City’s Amusement Parks”