Downtown
What Happened to Kansas City’s Christmas Crowns?
With the holidays in full swing, a What’s Your KCQ? reader recently wondered: “What happened to the Christmas decorations that used to be displayed downtown, particularly the crowns strung across the streets?” Since City Hall lacks an attic, we couldn’t start our search in the most logical place. In the years before World War I, the downtown Christmas shopping season was a modest affair. The economic boom of the 1920s changed things, and beginning in 1924, the Downtown Merchants Association pooled its resources and festooned the streets with garland and other decorations. In 1925, the association added a parade to kick off the holiday season.
KCQ: What happened to downtown Kansas City’s Christmas crowns?
KCQ Reader Annette S. Bright asked The Kansas City Star and the Kansas City Public Library a question about an iconic set of KC holiday symbols. "What happened to all the Christmas decorations that used to be downtown, particularly the crowns strung across the streets with garland?"
How the Irish Laid the Groundwork for Downtown Kansas City
Though Kansas City's St. Patrick's Day Parade moved out of downtown several years ago, the historical imprint the Irish have left on our metropolitan landscape will never fade.
In fact, without Irish immigrants, our city's skyline would look drastically different. In commemoration of St. Paddy's, learn about Kansas City's real Irish history.