I genuinely like Kansas City.   It’s small enough that it still feels homespun and Midwestern-y to me.  But yet it’s cosmopolitan enough to get big-name performers at the Sprint Center and direct flights to just about anywhere –courtesy of KCI.   

A few weeks ago, Kansas City unveiled its latest attempt to be urban and trendy when it unleashed WaterFire upon the oh-so uppity Country Club Plaza area.  For those of you not in the know, the original WaterFire is a sparkling sculpture in Providence, Rhode Island.  It features a series of 100 bonfires that blaze just above the surface of the three rivers that pass through the middle of downtown.  It’s been such a big hit they tried to duplicate it in Kansas City.  And as you can see – with mad-crazy success. 

Now, I have to admit … I wasn’t even going to go.  Me and crowds typically don’t get along.  But I got a last minute call from my friend Cliff who pointed out that anyone who was anyone was down there.  I immediately flung off my robe and fuzzy slippers, got dressed and headed down.

Now, I had been lucky enough to see the original incarnation in Providence, but it was just as glorious here in Kansas City.  The Plaza was a veritable beehive of activity – helped by perfectly crisp fall weather. 

This is allegedly the second year for the event.  Last year’s event was a washout apparently.  A deluge of rain caused WaterFire to be more like WaterWater … or, rather, smoke on the water.

I walked around, mingled, gawked.  And then I spotted a vendor selling spiked apple cider.  It was like Xmas came early.  By the time I left I was mesmerized by the spectacle around me.  And, no, despite what you may think I did not a) catch on fire or b) fall in the river.  I certainly didn’t want a repeat of Providence.  Lord.