December 14 Weekend Preview

Well, again there a plenty of Christmas activities this weekend. First off there is Union Station. Back for its twelfth annual run, the Kansas City Southern Holiday Express train is unlike any other train in the world, with its smiling engine “Rudy”, gingerbread boxcar, flatcar carrying Santa's sleigh, reindeer and a miniature village, snow covered stall filled with model train displays, the elves’ workshop and even a little red caboose. Visit Santa, the train lover way, this holiday season!
Hours of operation are:
Friday, December 14          9:30 am - 7:00 pm
Saturday, December 15     9:30 am - 7:00 pm
Sunday, December 16        9:30 am - 6:00 pm  
Tickets are free, but reservations are encouraged! Reserve tickets here
For a video of the train lit up with Christmas lights follow this link.
After you are done with “Rudy” you can head on over to Crown Center Shops Showplace and take in Santa's Crayola Christmas Land and Santa's Gingerbread Village. More info is available on their website or by calling 816-274-8444
There is also the Christmas classic ‘A Christmas Carol’ at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre. Tickets are $25 to $75 at KC Rep or by calling 816.235.2700
For an extensive list of things to do checkout Explore Kansas City. The site has tons of information on all the happenings in the KC area.
Also the much anticipated The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens this weekend. I want to again to suggest you catch this flick at the Alamo Drafthouse. This is a great place to watch a movie and they have a great list of events this week. If you need a Tarantino fix before the rise of Django on Christmas Day, Well, then they have you covered! This Friday, join them for a blood bath of awesomeness with Kill Bill Volumes One and Two! Not only will they be showing the classic on the big screen, but they will be showing it the format Tarantino intended; 35MM!!
This Sunday they are serving a dinner worthy of Christmas! This feast will include Duck braised in red wine and stock with parsnips, Peppercorn and thyme crust prime rib and roast potatoes, and pumpkin mousse! All of this is paired with one of the best Christmas films ever made; Scrooged!!!  See Bill Murray at his best and enjoy food worthy of his talents on December 16th at 8:30pm!
It wouldn’t be news about the Drafthouse without a giveaway and this week They’ve got a great one! Just click here to win tickets to their 35mm presentation of Truck Turner hosted by Fox 4's own Shawn Edwards!
At the Sprint Center comedian Katt Williams will be having everyone rolling with laughter on Friday night while Carrie Underwood will be singing up a storm on Saturday night.
The Mavericks stay home this week and will host a pair of games this weekend on Friday, Dec. 14 and Saturday, Dec. 15 at Independence Events Center.  On Friday, the Mavericks battle the Arizona Sundogs and the team will wear specialty “Give M Hell” jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game. Arrive early for the pre-game Happy Hour hanks to Blue Springs Harley-Davidson and IEC. Come early to the game for great food and drink specials from 5:30-6:30 (for a 7:05 game start)! Saturday they take on the Bloomington Blaze, it is the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Mazuma Credit Union. So be sure to bring a new teddy bear to the game and throw it on the ice after the Mavs score their first goal of the game. The bears will then be donated to charity.
Also, clean out your closets and bring your donation for Savers Holiday Clothing Drive at December home games on the concourse. Each person who donates receives a 20% off Savers coupon and entry to win a FREE Suite Night and Autographed Team Jersey.  Donate today and help Savers reach their donation goal for the holiday season.
The Comets are out of town this weekend with games in Syracuse on Friday and Baltimore on Saturday. Both games are set to begin at 6:30pm and can be viewed at http://uslnation.com/misl/
The Missouri Rhythm will also be in action this weekend. they host the Shizouka Gymrats on Saturday (7:00 p.m.) and Sunday ( 3:00 p.m.) at Grandview Christian School.
The Topeka RoadRunners host a two game series at the Kansas Expocentre against the Amarillo Bulls. This has turned into a very intense rivalry so if you want to take in some very good Junior Hockey action head to Topeka and catch a game. There will be a special ornament (created by the RoadRunners) auction to benefit the United Way of Topeka both nights, and a Teddy Bear Toss on Saturday. Also, when there grab a bite to eat at Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant before or after the game. They have good food and great brews.
Everbody have a great weekend.

Renovated Mainstreet Theater Wants To Be Movie-Lover Oasis

By Brenna Hawley

With the swipe of a saber, the Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet movie theater reopened Thursday after more than a month of renovations.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema founder and CEO Tim League celebrated his first Kansas City movie theater, which is at 14th and Main streets in Downtown, by helping local officials use a saber to open champagne bottles.

The renovations to the theater, formerly run by AMC Entertainment Inc., included eliminating the front ticketing desk, installing dine-in seats for all six screens and expanding the kitchen. The expanded food service also increased the number of employees to 90.

“We’re thrilled that you’ve been breathing life into this fabulous building,” said Mike Hurt, marketing director of the Downtown Council of Kansas City.

The renovations reduced the number of seats, but League said he prefers to make the whole theater uniform by offering food at all screens. The largest theater, No. 1, lost 100 seats, dropping to 197. But the renovations are meant to improve the viewing experience.

“We want this to be an oasis for movie-lovers,” he said.

Alamo’s signature is pairing interesting menu items with its movies; it’s hosting a spaghetti western night with a spaghetti feast. With the December release of the Hobbit, the kitchen will prepare an 11-course Shire-themed menu.

It also hosts a number of events besides showing mainstream movies, such as quote-alongs, action packs and girlie nights. “Old School,” “Bridget Jones’ Diary” and “R. Kelly’s Trapped in the Closet” are on tap for the next week at the theater.

The response to the Drafthouse so far has been good, League said. People still are curious about the new brand, so for the grand opening, it will be “a bright shiny penny” for new patrons.

The upstairs theaters, Nos. 4-6, seat far fewer moviegoers and align with the theater’s mission to cater to private events. Also fitting into that plan is the Chesterfield, the movie theater’s bar space, as well as its mezzanine area.

How those areas fare will determine whether and when Alamo proceeds on a second renovation phase. Possibilities for that phase include renovating the former concessions area to offer more beers and making changes to the Chesterfield and mezzanine. The theater has a number of holiday parties already scheduled, so how those work in the space will show League what needs to stay the same or be changed.

At this point, League has no concrete plans for expanding Alamo’s presence in Kansas City. First, the Mainstreet theater must prove itself financially viable. Then, the real estate must be available. But League said if things pan out, he’d be interested in more local theaters.

The Mainstreet theater originally operated under the AMC brand in partnership with Kansas City Power & Light District manager The Cordish Co. AMC left the venture in June, and Alamo signed a lease with Cordish.

Be First To See New Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Mainstreet

Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet is back! Doors re-open, today, November 15th! Enjoy our Twilight Marathon and stay for the midnight screening of Breaking Dawn Part 2.  Experience a showcase of our signature programming including:
• Free Family Fun; IRON GIANT November 25th @ 12p;
• Food and Film; THE GOOD THE BAD THE UGLY ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT SPAGHETTI  
 DINNER November 27th @ 7p
• Girlie Night; DIRTY DANCING November 27th @ 8p
• Boulevard Brewing STRANGE BREW BEER DINNER November 28th @ 7
• Action Pack; ANCHORMAN QUOTE-ALONG November 28th@ 8p
• Only at the Alamo; THE MASTER November 29th @ 7:30p and much more!
Plus, we have special opening giveaways! Click here for tickets http://drafthouse.com/kansas_city/mainstreet

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema‏ Mainstreet Getting Set For Grand Opening

For those of you who have been waiting for the reopening of the Alamo Drafthouse Mainstreet. Their official Grand Opening date is November 15th, but you can get an early look. They are having a soft open from November 12-14th. Be the first to see what the new Alamo Drafthouse looks and feels like! They will be showing a select group of films including GHOSTBUSTERS in 35MM and JURASSIC PARK with their brand new seat rumblers kicked up to 11! The best part is, it will only cost you $2 to see any of theses great films! Their brand new, even bigger menu will be in full swing, and in addition to the $2 ticket price, you'll get 50% off your entire meal and any non-alcoholic drinks, as well as a $10 food & drink voucher for a future visit after the Grand Opening! It doesn't get much better than that!

Here's the list of films we'll be showing:

    JURASSIC PARK

    November 12: 1:20pm, 4:25pm, 7:30pm

    November 13: 1:20pm, 4:25pm, 7:30pm, 10:30pm

    November 14: 1:20pm, 4:25pm, 10:30pm

    BRAVE 3D

    Pixar's latest film in digital 3D.

    November 12: 1:10pm, 4:05pm

    November 13: 1:10pm, 4:05pm, 10:20pm

    November 14: 1:10pm, 4:05pm, 10:20pm

    KILLER JOE

    Matthew McConaughey in his best and most vicious role yet.

    November 12: 1:20pm, 4:20pm, 7:00pm

    November 13: 1:20pm, 4:20pm, 7:00pm, 10:00pm

    November 14: 1:20pm, 4:20pm, 7:00pm, 10:00pm

    Action Pack: THE BIG LEBOWSKI (Quote Along)

    The cult classic of all cult classics get's ADC's famous quote along

    experience with plenty of in theater props. The Dude abides!

    November 12: 7:15pm

    November 13: 7:15pm

    November 14: 7:15pm

    Big Screen Classics: GHOSTBUSTERS in 35mm

    The classic returns in 35mm!

    November 12: 1:00pm, 3:45pm, 6:30pm

    November 13: 1:00pm, 3:45pm, 6:30pm, 9:30pm

    November 14: 1:00pm, 3:45pm, 6:30pm, 9:30pm

    SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED

    Imagine if Wes Anderson directed Back To The Future.

    November 12: 1:15pm, 4:00pm, 6:40pm

    November 13: 1:15pm, 4:00pm, 6:40pm, 9:30pm

    November 14: 1:15pm, 4:00pm, 6:40pm, 9:20pm

    MAGIC MIKE

    November 12: 12:45pm, 3:50pm, 6:50pm

    November 13: 12:45pm, 3:50pm, 6:50pm, 9:55pm

    November 14: 12:45pm, 3:50, 6:50pm, 9:55pm