Local History Blog
The Folly Grand Prix – KCQ makes a pit stop to explore the Folly Theater’s 1980s auto races
Start your engines! Classic sports cars and performing arts collide in this week’s installment of What’s Your KCQ?, a partnership between The Star and the Kansas City Public Library. This time we explore the Folly Classic Vintage Grand Prix, a…
KCQ Taps into the History of an Early Kansas City Beer Garden
On the first weekend of October, thousands of Kansas Citians will raise a glass – or perhaps more fitting, a stein – to celebrate German heritage during KC Oktoberfest at Crown Center. It will be two days of Bavarian-style food, music, and, yes,…
The Chiefs … basketball team? KCQ explores the team’s once popular offseason pastime
Tyreek Hill may have departed for Miami, but Kansas City Chiefs fan may recall a 2021 video of the star wide receiver on the basketball court, celebrating his 27th birthday with a windmill dunk. Later that year, he was joined by teammates Chris…
KCQ: Last Chance and State Line
This installment of “What’s Your KCQ," a partnership between The Star and the Kansas City Public Library, is a story of gambling, gangsters, and geography. Reader William Renegar wanted to know, “Was there once a gambling establishment on…
This Kansas City beach was a destination ... until disaster struck again and again
Finding a beach during the dog days of summer can be a challenge for landlocked Kansas Citians, given the area isn’t known for its wave-side scenery. Though the area has plenty of smaller beaches, the quest for a destination often includes long-…
New Collection - Kansas City Star Newspaper
For more than 14 decades Kansas City’s news has been read by millions nationwide thanks to The Kansas City Star newspaper. When The Star building at 18th and Grand was sold in 2017, the Library’s Missouri Valley Special Collections was contacted…
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Collection
Missouri Valley Special Collections is pleased to announce the expansion of our digital collection featuring St. Mary’s and St. George’s Episcopal churches. In 2014, St. Mary’s donated their records and photographs to the Kansas City Public…
Rivers rise: KCQ examines the 1951 Flood
Seventy years ago this month, Kansas City was hit with a natural disaster that reverberates to this day – resurfacing in a recent query to “What’s Your KCQ?”: “What happened during the 1951 Flood?” Flooding in the area began the evening of July…
How did Kansas City become Barbecue City, USA? KCQ cooks up a delicious tale
When you think of Kansas City, you think of a – perhaps the – barbecue capital of the world. No matter the event, there’s a strong likelihood it will be marked by a backyard barbecue. This is especially true on the Fourth of July. For this…
KCQ Rapid Response Round
For this installment of “What’s Your KCQ?,” the joint project of the Kansas City Public Library and The Kansas City Star, Missouri Valley Special Collections staff tackle a variety of Kansas City history questions. What’s the small projection on…