Monday, November 23, 2015

All the Cool Kids Will Be There: CCCUCC's 2015 Kristkindl Markt

Although the turkey is still frozen and we've only watched Polar Express once so far, Kansas City is already beginning to glow with the spirit of the season. And really, who can blame them? There are simply too many holiday bucket list items to squeeze into 4 short weeks. From the Christmas Tree Crawl (like a pub crawl but with illuminated evergreens all over the city...I totally just made that up) to ice skating at Crown Center to the inevitable Breakfast with Santa, the list seems to multiply every year. And then there are the annual holiday traditions that seem to fill the rest of December. Growing up in Kentucky meant a mere 8 hour drive into downtown Chicago. Christmas just didn't seem complete without a trip north to shop, see the lights and windows and eat at California Pizza Kitchen (before they sold their soul to chain grocery stores). But nothing enchanted us more than the German festival known as Christkindlmarket. An open-air shopping experience featuring authentic German food, music and crafts, Christkindlmarket was unlike any holiday festival back home. In fact, it was unlike anything in Macon, Richmond or Ft. Knox. So, we have been in a bit of a Christkindlmarket drought.

Just typing that sentence makes me sad.

However, in less than 2 weeks, it's going to rain down accordian music and brats and gluhwein on this happy face of mine. Goodbye, drought...hello, Bier Garten!
Country Club Congregational United Church of Christ (CCCUCC), located in the Brookside neighborhood of KCMO, will host its 23rd Annual Kristkindl Markt on Friday, December 4 (5-9 PM) and Saturday, December 5 (10 AM - 7 PM). The idea for this 2-day, German Christmas festival in the heart of KC was conceived after Reverend Rodger Kube, a former pastor of the church, attended an authentic Christkindlmarket during his Advent season travels in Germany. Hosting a similar festival on the church's lawn seemed like a spirited way to honor the United Church of Christ's German roots.

The festivities were held outdoors for the first 5 years but in 2009, the unpredictable Kansas City weather finally moved the event inside the church. Although I, too, have German roots, I would prefer to be in a climate-controlled building drinking my Dunkel. However, large quantities of gluwein will keep you warm well into March, I've been told. If you are die-hard Christkindl, though, and want the experience of strolling through a German village on a blustery December night, you may be pleasantly surprised by how the church's interior is transformed into a landscape of Low German houses. Whipping, bitter cold wind not included.

CCCUCC's Kristkindl Markt (apparently, Kristkindl and Christkindl are both correct. Those wacky Germans. And they say English is hard...) features all of the staples of an excellent German holiday market:

* A full menu of German food, including roasted pork loin, brats, hot German potato salad, red cabbage and sauerkraut, traditional Spaetzle, Bavarian pretzels and apple streudel.

*Live entertainment on both days and a marionette show at 1:30 on Saturday. The Happy Wanderers, a local German band with a growing fan base, will perform 4:30-7 PM on Saturday.

*Local artists selling blown glass, art, jewelry, wood crafts, Kansas City-themed apparel, fair trade items and much more!

*A Bier Garten featuring hot, spiced wine known as gluwein and a German-style Dunkel from local beer company KC Bier (which must be amazing considering their slogan is "We put the i back in bier." Nothing is more German then bier.).

*The Christkind Angel, a new addition this year and the first in a series. It was designed by artist Angie Pickman in the scherenschnitte (paper-cutting) style. Ms. Pickman's art was recently featured in Martha Stewart Living and she is frequently commissioned to create designs for festivals and special occasions. Christkind Angel plastic and laser-cut wood ornaments and t-shirts will be available for purchase, as well as a variety of cut-paper trees with LED tea lights.

But Kristkindl Markt offers even more!
*"Cookies by the pound" (But to hear the members tell it, it's really dessert by the pound. Cookies, bars, brownies, puppy chow, quick breads...if it all started with a stick of butter, it will probably be there.)

*Raffle baskets for every interest. Last year there was a Duck Dynasty entry. It included an extension cord, a roll of duct tape, biscuit mix, a honey bear, tea bags, 2 "fine dining beverage glasses - with lids" and 2 Duck Dynasty Christmas albums. I'm sure if I watched that show I would understand a little more, but you had me at fine dining beverage glass with lid.

* 2 words: Wine Pull. The idea behind this activity is brilliant. Church members have donated bottles of wine that are at least $10 each. The bottles are then wrapped in brown paper bags and for $10, you choose a bottle to take home. More often than not, you end up ahead. Way ahead. Don't like wine? I bet your boss does. Fortunately for me, my boss is me and I love wine.

*The Christmas Decor Flea Market, which features gently-used Christmas decorations at below yard sale prices. That set of Christmas pickle placemats will bring someone immense joy this year. I personally plan on sending my 3-year old in with $5 and an eye for treasure so he can pick out his Daddy's Christmas gift all by himself. (Which is how we will end up with a mooning Santa ash tray that we can never get rid of because...nostalgia.)

*Father Christmas (Weihnachtsmann) will be greeting visitors and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

*Crafts by the Congregation will include Christmas-themed wreaths and centerpieces and jewelry by Daisy & Elm Jewelry and Rosaries. Oh wait, that's me. Yep, the pile grows tall with freshwater pearl bracelets, hot mess necklaces and wine cork rings!

*And last, but certainly not least, is the Black Forest where children of all ages can descend the stairs to decorate pre-assembled gingerbread houses. A couple of weeks ago, local high school students received volunteer credit for building over 700 gingerbread houses for this event. They now sit, ready to be adorned with M&Ms, Red Hots, pretzels, mini marshmallows and individual tubes of icing that were filled today. This activity is free but donations benefit Operation Breakthrough, the largest single site early education child care and social services facility in Missouri. Their website details the many ways they help children (age 6 weeks-13 years) who are living in poverty to develop to their fullest potential.

My only anguish is that I must wait 2 weeks for all of this fun.

If you are interested in attending, I have a few tips.
1. From Ft. Leavenworth, it takes me about an hour to get to church every Sunday. But CCCUCC is centrally located in Kansas City. It is, literally, minutes from Country Club Plaza, Costco and Union Station so we often combine stops into one trip.

2. Parking is mostly on the street and it can be a bit nuts. There is overflow parking for St. Andrews Episcopal Church less than a block away on Brookside. It's a large lot that our congregation uses every Sunday and it's just at the end of the block, down the hill.

3. With the exception of the vendors (who mostly use Square), cash and check are the most efficient methods of payment. Although credit cards are accepted for food and cookies by the pound, the machines are slow and that can make the lines long. I will list the prices for everything at the bottom of this post so you have an idea of how much to bring.

4. When you enter the church (from the south side), a greeter will be there to welcome you and provide a map to help orient you to the market. But in general, you can expect vendors to be scattered throughout the first floor (with some placed in the small chapel, which is the first door on the left as you enter the church and some in the parlor, which is the next door on the left). Cookies by the pound, raffle baskets, the wine pull and Crafts by the Congregation can be found in the nursery. Dining and live entertainment will be held in the social/fellowship hall. And the gingerbread house decorating occurs in the basement.

5. Drinks from the Bier Garten can be purchased directly from the bartender with cash or with tickets purchased from the food cashier (with cash or credit card). For example, you are only here for the gluwein. Bring cash and buy it directly from the bartender. If you are buying food and drinks together and you want to put it all on the card, then go through the food line and receive tickets for the alcohol which you would then give to the bartender. I swear, no gluwein was consumed in the constant re-writing of this paragraph in an attempt to make it clearer.

6. The gingerbread houses require some dry time. If it were me (and it will be on Friday night as I'll be working the event all day Saturday), I would grab a bier from the bartender, take drink and toddler down to decorate a gingerbread house, do some shopping, eat dinner and then pick up the gingerbread house on the way out.

7. Apparently, the lines can get long. I tell you this because I'm an impatient person who groans at the sight of crowds and lines. Especially if they are between me and food or beer or shopping. But in the end, the experience is always worth it and sometimes the people I meet along the way make it all the more enjoyable. I will pack an extra cup of patience and some Christmas spirit to share. But I will also probably have applesauce and fruit snacks. 

8. Take a minute to enjoy the splendid stained glass windows in the sanctuary. Although the entire building is almost Quaker-like in its simple beauty, the windows bring me many moments of quiet reflection every Sunday morning.

Prices: 
Admission: FREE!
Gingerbread House: FREE!
Christkind Angel T-shirt: $12
Christkind Angel plastic ornament: $8 or 2 for $15
Christkind Angel laser-cut wood ornament: $15
Set of 3 cut-paper trees with 3 LED tea lights: $15
Raffle tickets: $1.00/each

Food/Drinks:
MEALS
Roasted Pork Loin Meal (pork loin, choice of 2 sides, roll): $10
Grilled Bratwurst Meal (brat, choice of 2 sides, roll): $10
Pork Loin & roll or Brat & roll: $7
Kids' Meal (hotdog, chips and juice box): $4

SIDES/EXTRAS
Hot German Potato Salad: $3
Sauerkraut or Red Cabbage: $3
Traditional German Spaetzle: $3
Hot Bavarian Pretzel: $3

DESSERT
Hot German Apple Strudel: $3/slice
Whole German Apple Strudel: $15

DRINKS
German-style Dunkel (KC Bier Co): $4
Gluhwein (hot spiced wine): $4
Bottled Water: $1.00
Soft Drinks: $1.00
Coffee: $1.00 

As I mentioned, Blue, Neal and I will be attending on Friday night so I'll post a quick update with photos and any additional helpful hints I picked up along the way. Just looking at this menu is making me drool. Does anyone know where I can get red cabbage at 2:06 AM?

I hope to see you there! If you need Facebook to tell your phone to remind you (it's the only way I am on time to anything), there are 2 upcoming events listed on the left side of the Facebook event page, one for Friday and one for Saturday. Click "going" on the day you want to attend and you're all set!

*Many thanks to Karen Plummer for spending her Tuesday night answering all of my Kristkindl Markt questions!

 

Friday, November 6, 2015

Treated Like Royal-ty



Unless you have been living under a rock (or running for political office), then you know the Kansas City Royals baseball team brought home the World Series trophy on Sunday. After a week of long nights and extra innings for most of them, they shut down the NY Mets, 4-1. 

And now I have a confession.

We only saw about 30 minutes of the entire World Series...and that was just because the University of Kentucky vs University of Tennessee game had become too painful watch. Baseball is simply not my thing...and really hasn't been since the MLB players' strike in 1994. It was all quite complicated but it essentially boiled down to money (which it almost always does) and I didn't think dollar signs should be strong enough to cancel America's past time. So, yes...for 20 years I've been a bit bitter about baseball.

Also, I'm a die-hard, true blue University of Kentucky basketball fan and that has proven to be quite fulfilling, from a sports standpoint. From the night on March 30, 1998, when I stumbled down to the corner of Euclid and Woodland to join the crowd after another NCAA Championship win...
Yes, I'm in this photo. I found me once...across the street beside the blue awning. 
to the time my cousin called me in Georgia to say, "Oh my goodness, they are going to win this  SEC semi-final game! We HAVE to get tickets to the Finals in Atlanta." And then 20 minutes later, I had 3 tickets to the game (thank you, Stub Hub)...
to the time Nana Anna had pity on me and my fractured radius and sent me to the UK vs Auburn game in her place...
...I bleed blue, through and through. Also, I gave thousands of dollars to that school and about 6 years of my life (to say nothing of the hundreds of dollars in apparel I now own). And the crazy part? I'm not alone. University of Kentucky basketball fans are rowdy, faithful and proud (bordering on arrogant). We drive hundreds of miles for games and fill Rupp Arena to capacity, an intimidating sea of blue for any opponent. Well, maybe it's best explained by this t-shirt I wore to announce Blue's impending arrival on the night UK won its most recent title in 2012:
So, yes...it's like that. And I used to think we were alone in our crazy...an entirely separate dimension of fanaticism.

However, as it turns out, Royals fans may have us beat.

I didn't hear the fireworks downtown, bursting with the news of a Royals victory. And I forgot to pick up a paper on Monday morning; the full-color, printed details of a long-awaited and hard-fought World Series title. I didn't even own a single thing to wear when, at last minute and after learning that every local school would be closed for the day, we decided to join the confetti parade downtown. At 5:30 on Monday night, I found myself huddled around folding tables strategically placed through Dick's Sporting Goods, rummaging through piles of mixed sizes and 20 different t-shirt designs. I found one that looked like it would fit and featured the distinctive Royals crown with a proclamation of a World Series win splashed across the front. After adding a subtle baseball cap to match, I was on my way. But I was the only person in the store not already wearing some kind of Royals apparel. Sorry...I'm not from 'round here. I own loads of royal blue that represents a "K" team, but wrong blue, wrong K.

At 6:30 Tuesday morning, I completed my bootcamp workout in hopes that my new shirt wouldn't be too snug. At 9:30 that morning, we were barreling south on I-29, riding the Kansas state line and trying to avoid the absolute gridlock that had clenched around the city. As we parked near the Kansas City, Kansas police department and started walking toward the shuttle stop, we were met with agitated Royals fans walking briskly back to their cars.

That is not a good sign.

We went on because maybe they forgot to leave their Zombie Apocalypse Kit in the car. Or they wanted to pee in the privacy of a gas station. Who knows. But rounding the corner of the police department lawn, we saw a crisscross of lines with no visible end. The longer we walked, the more the line seemed to grow...like trying to find the end of 13 strands of Christmas lights hastily tossed in a bin the year before. City buses arrived one at a time, slowly filling, slowly departing, slowly arriving for the next load. The three moms with the 7 kids, all under the age of 10, quickly decided the shuttle would get us to Grand Boulevard sometime around 11:30..3 days later. Time for plan B.

My biggest fear, as the only parent of a toddler in a party of 700,000, is getting trampled. I'm not sure why I have this fear. I didn't have it before Blue was born. I attended swarming, chaotic events in stadiums, in fields, in the middle of the street. Not once did my heart race with the idea that this calm but cheerful crowd could turn into a deadly mob within seconds of a threat. Maybe it's 9/11. Maybe it's the Boston Marathon Bombing. Maybe it's becoming a mom. I just hate crowds now and it is physically taxing to be in one with a 3 year old in tow, especially by myself. We headed south anyway.

What happened next is something straight out of The Road. As we exited off of I-29, we noticed cars parked everywhere. People were seemingly just pulling off the interstate and parking...in medians, in ditches. One Nissan SUV was almost vertical on an exit ramp embankment.

Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

We made a plan to find a patch of grass somewhere between here and there, just wide enough for one mini-van and one SUV. We hopped a drainage ditch, leaving a mud track from squalling tires over the curb of a sidewalk, and found a parking space in a lot that was technically closed. Cars behind us followed and the lot began to fill. They can't tow everybody. At least we didn't abandon it in the emergency lane of I-29. That's something, right?

Snacks? Check.
Water? Check.
Diapers? Check. Wipes? Check.
Jacket? Check.
Cell phones? Check.
Cash? Check.
7 kids? Check.
3 moms? Check.

OK, let's go. We were actually doing this. A collapsible wagon full of toddlers and 4 more double-timing to keep up, we headed to 9th and Oak, the turning point for the parade. 25 minutes to spare. We followed the crowd, thick with families and students and Royals fans, blue from holding their breath for 30 years, to the courthouse. Looking up, we saw people on the roofs, leaning over with sunglasses dangling. I calculated how far a pair of sunglasses would have to fall in order to kill upon impact. We played Spot the Sniper, 3 military moms who were only half-joking. And we let the kids eat lunch in the wagon while the spaces filled in around us and people pressed through, trying to get to the front row 10 minutes before it started. We promised shoulder seats to the smaller kids, but not until the first sign of a parade. I began to regret that 6:30 workout.

The oldest of our 7 began a round of "Let's go, Royals" (clapclap clapclapclap) and the chanting soon spread up the courthouse stairs and into the park beside us. I smiled at the idea of this child leading hundreds of adults in a Royals rallying cry. No one seemed to know that it started with him and if they did, they didn't care. Blue, atop my shoulders at that point for a better look, joined in the chant. Stubby toddler hands were cupped enthusiastically around his mouth, in perfect imitation of this older, wiser boy he has come to adore since becoming neighbors 3 months ago. He couldn't tell you what a Royal was if you drew it, colored it in and tacked it on his bedroom wall, but there he was, cheering them on with admirable energy. My UK Wildcat heart died a little inside because he refuses to recite our rallying cry, which happens every Saturday in the fall and at least twice a week during the winter and spring. (Cheering on UK means learning how to spell CATS, which would also look impressive among my homeschooling peers.)

As a news helicopter circled twice and then came to a hover overhead and the motorcycle police chirped their sirens to clear the path, the first band marched up the hill. I felt the cadence in my feet before I heard the melody of winds and horns. Blue, who was squatted on the pavement, picking up found bits of confetti to toss in the air, clamored back up my shoulders and enjoyed the best view. All around us, adults sacrificed their peek at the parade so that the kids could ride high and take it all in. We held up cell phones and blindly tapped, hoping that something important would pass through the frame. But the best indicator of the parade's progress was the roar of applause from those in front and above. Swells of screaming and clapping, always accompanied by (what we called in college) the "Woo-Hoo Girls". Wooooo-hoooooo!!!!! It sounds ridiculous. It sounds like Parliament on a good day. I wish Americans had a more dignified way to show their approval.

But this is not my team. I could correctly identify one player and that's because his nickname is "Moose" and he rode through the parade in a jeep with giant antlers. Also the crowd moaned "Mooooooooooooose" which, initially, always sounds like booing. When they started this at the Royals vs. Cubs game we attended in September, I thought they were booing the opposing team. Nope, just greeting one of their faves. I guess it's distinctive, even if it sounds overwhelmingly negative to an outsider.

As the last of the most popular players passed by, those near the front began to press their way back out. Much has been said on social media since Tuesday about how gracious and polite Royals fans are. Even at an event with 700,000 people, most squeezed through a crowd saying, "Excuse me, please" and "Thank you". And only a handful of arrests that day. No reports of rioting or looting or burning living room furniture. The Kansas City Star boasted, Royals fans don't burn it down, they shut it down. As someone who has witnessed delirious and drunk fans overturning and torching cars, uprooting and carrying off street signs and smashing storefronts, all in the name of Victory, it's refreshing to not have a repair bill when the hangover wears off.

We, too, decided it was time to head home. Our only objective, to live the hype for a single day and not lose a child in the process, was accomplished. Bucket list item 549: To attend the ticker-tape parade for a World Series Champion Team. Check. But still...these were not my boys in blue. They are certainly loved and respected, both for their successes on the field and the lives they lead off of it. This town loves their team and this team loves them right back. It's hard to not climb on the bandwagon as it rolls by, especially as Royals fans are extending a hand to help you aboard. This is their moment in the spotlight and the more, the merrier. We were joking with one very tall gentleman standing behind us, asking him what he could see since he towered over even the totem toddlers. I asked him who was passing by and he said, "I don't know. I'm not really a Royals fan. I'm from Cincinnati but came to play for Mizzou and I just wanted to see this." I bet he woke up on Wednesday morning feeling just a little more Royal. I certainly did.

The next morning, Blue scrambled down the front steps, Jake the Pirate pajamas askew and carrying a plastic sword from Neal's Halloween props box, to retrieve the paper. As we unfolded it, the front and back page became a panoramic view of Union Station and the World War I Museum, the epicenter of the rally following the parade. A sea of blue with pinpoint heads filled the page. Final attendance estimates topped 800,000. And inside, a few of the stories told about the families who braved the crowds to become part of history. But I like our story the best.

Once upon a time, a boy and his mom went to a parade in the big city. There were a lot of people and his mom looked nervous, but as the boy sat on top of the world and rested his hands in the feathery nest of his mom's hair, everything was perfect. Legs wrapped around neck, hands wrapped around ankles, holding tight to one another. We are a team.

Since my photos of the parade are mostly the backs of heads, I will share with you images captured by local media, as well as my pastor's son who was lucky enough to be in the front row of the parade route. It was a good day to be Royal.

Sluggerrr, the lovable lion (and Blue's most favorite mascot ever...we have to get him to a game where the Wildcat is wearing patch-work overalls. That's pretty lovable...)
 Photo Credit: Julian Peeples

Eric "Hoz" Hosmer...one of the favorites.
 
Moooooooooooooose.
 
Ned Yost, the Royals' manager, with the World Series trophy. 
 
The floating baseball. A highlight for Blue.
Photo Credit: Julian Peeples 
 
The view of Union Station from the top of the World War I tower observation deck. 
 
Photo Credit: Julian Peeples 
 
Salvador "Salvy" Perez...another crowd favorite.
 Photo Credit: Julian Peeples
 

 The Country Club Plaza Fountain in Kansas City, MO illuminated in blue for the win.
 These kinds of signs are everywhere. 
Union Station lit up in blue and bustling as news crews and event staff prepared for the parade and rally the next day. 
One of the city's most distinctive landmarks: the gigantic shuttlecocks on the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, glowing blue for one night. 

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is #ForeverRoyal.

Thank you for a great memory, Kansas City Royals!
We now return to our regularly scheduled basketball season.