18th & Vine

Kansas Citians have a lot to say – and feel – about the Kansas City Royals’ interest in relocating Kauffman Stadium. Particularly touchy is the idea that its new home could be downtown.

Some say the economic benefits a downtown baseball stadium would generate is a no-brainer. Others think the team should stay put and suggest that complications like increased downtown traffic would make the move a disaster.

A recent article covering the potential move mentioned that both the Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs once played in a facility near downtown. A reader asked What’s Your KCQ?, a collaboration between the Kansas City Public Library and The Kansas City Star, to investigate the history of Kansas City’s first major sports venue, and whether its location worked for fans.

The man who first assumed the title of Barbecue King of Kansas City way born on March 16, 1874, in Shelby County, Tennessee. By the age of 15, Henry Perry had started learning his trade working in steamboat kitchens traveling up and down the Mississippi River.