Welcome to the heartland

Flower & Garden Magazine, Nov-Dec, 1998

Flower and Garden magazine would like to invite you to its hometown, Kansas City, for the holidays. This is one of the most beautiful and fun-filled times of the year in Kansas City. The city sparkles throughout the holidays with spectacular lighting displays, music and theatrical performances. The past is illuminated with historical recreations of holiday celebrations, delighting all ages.

THE PLAZA LIGHTS

What began with a single strand of lights above a store entrance in 1925 has evolved into a living legend with one of the most spectacular holiday lighting displays in the nation. From Thanksgiving night until mid-January, the Country Club Plaza is transformed into a twinkling wonderland of color and light.

The Plaza, built in 1922, is an outdoor shopping and entertainment area filled with Spanish architecture and Old World charm. Each Thanks-giving more than 250,000 people fill the Plaza's streets, surrounding hotels and balconies to witness a ceremony that heralds the start of Kansas City's holiday season. At 7:30 p.m., a magical flip of a switch illuminates the entire 14-block square area of the Plaza with more than 200,000 jewel colored bulbs. Spanning 75 miles, the lights outline every tower, dome, courtyard and building on the Plaza. The voices of carolers fill the streets as horse-drawn carriages transport passengers past shop windows decked out for the holidays.

WHERE'S KANSAS CITY

Kansas City is centrally located within 250 miles of both the geographic and population centers of the nation. The maximum distance from Kansas City to anywhere in the continental United States is approximately 1,900 miles, or half the distance from coast to coast. Once you arrive in Kansas City, there are nearly 19,000 hotel and motel rooms throughout the area that provide a wide range of accommodations.

For more information about Kansas City, Mo., contact the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas City at 816-221-5242 or 800-767-7700.