Okt-ing Out More Oktoberfests than one month can contain.
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rünauer Restaurant (101 West 22nd Street) presents an early Oktoberfest celebration Friday, September 28, and Saturday, September 29, sponsored by the beermaker Hofbrau, in two tents outside the historic freight house. Expect traditional German food and drink, 4 p.m.-midnight both days, and a variety of live entertainment (including polka dancing). Admission costs $10 and includes a Hofbrau draft. Another early Oktoberfest is held in downtown Lee’s Summit Friday, September 28 (5–11 p.m.), and Saturday, September 29 (9 a.m.–11 p.m.) featuring a biergarten, arts and crafts booths, and a carnival. Three stages feature live entertainment. Admission is free. Shawnee’s German-American Club presents its Oktoberfest Friday, October 5 (5:30–11 p.m.), at the Shawnee Civic Centre (13817 Johnson Drive) featuring
the Alpen Spielers German Polka Band and the Blautaler Schuhplatter Dancers. Food and beverages will be sold and admission is free. Parkville puts on its annual Parktoberfest Saturday, October 6 (noon–9 p.m.). Festivities in English Landing Park (the most scenic Oktoberfest site in the metro) include an early morning pet parade, food vendors, a beer garden, and live music. The Elders take the stage at 7 p.m. About three hours outside KC is 175-year-old Hermann, Missouri, the quaint river town where it’s all about the wine. The hamlet puts on Oktoberfest activities every Saturday and Sunday in October, with area vineyards offering wine tastings, and plenty of entertainment and food besides. The town’s Arts & Crafts Festival kicks the month off October 5 and 6 (at Hermann Middle School). “The Artists of Wine Country Walks and Talks” follow on October 13 and 14, and Deutsch Country Days at Luxenhaus Farm (near Marthasville) happen October 20 and 21. — CHARLES FERRUZZA
S A B R I N A S TA I R E S
Annette Pinter and co-sponsor Randall Schneck
City Girl Annette Pinter brings Fashion’s Night Out back to KC.
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ew York City style is about to hit 13th Street and Main. But don’t expect a harsh East Coast vibe. This block party — with a designer meet-and-greet, silhouettes strutting behind screens, swag bags and plenty of bubbly — aims for the warmth of a community festival. The pairing of big-city ambition and Midwestern heart is the work of Annette Pinter, a Kansas City woman with a flair for Big Apple fashion. It’s Pinter who has crafted this scene for the Power & Light District’s Fashion’s Night
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Club MONDAY @ 6 THE SONWRITERS SCENE HOSTED BY THE CLEMINTINES BRING YOUR ACOUSTIC & THROWDOWN!
Out event. She’s also the reason that Fashion’s Night Out exists here. Pinter attended New York City’s Fashion Institute of Technology and, after graduation, landed a stage-manager role with that city’s Fashion Week. “My dilemmas were, do we cast Naomi Campbell for this show? What about Gisele Bundchen?” Pinter recalls. “It was unreal.” The Kansas City-area native spent seven years in the thick of New York City’s fashion scene. With her 20s drawing to a close, though, she longed for the comforts of home. So she found work at the Garment District, a 10-boutiques-in-one collective launched by
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the P&L two years ago as the district’s retail anchor, at 1350 Main. She manages it alongside Tommy Hilfiger transplant Randall Schneck. First on Pinter’s to-do list: Add Kansas City to the list of cities involved in Fashion’s Night Out. The annual global event began in New York City in 2009 as a Fashion Week kickoff at various shopping destinations. The intention was to create excitement for shopping, thus bolstering consumer confidence. Starting the event locally was no easy feat. It meant shopping centers collaborating rather than competing, not to mention finding sponsors — and tireless planning. After several meetings, three shopping centers — the P&L, the Country Club Plaza and Zona Rosa — committed, and the first Kansas City Fashion’s Night Out, last September, drew strong crowds. The three shopping districts are poised for round two, on September 6. Pinter has other aspirations for local fashion. People can be judgmental when it comes to fashion, she says, which can stifle innovation. On days when she misses the energy of New York City, she can be cheered by a surprise outside the shop’s vast Main Street windows. “I love it when I look out and see a girl who has thrown on something that’s very, Oh, she put on that with that!” she says. “You expect to see that in New York City. Those people are imitating a trend. But you don’t expect to see that in Kansas City. When you do see it, you’re seeing a trendsetter right here on the street. And that’s exciting to me.” — NANCY HULL RIGDON
Buy the Buy A few other noteworthy fall sales Hallmarket, September 29
Hallmark artists, photographers, sculptors and designers sell what they’ve made off the clock, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. today in front of the Hallmark Visitors Center (2450 Grand, 816-274-5745, crowncenter.com/events).
Wings of Hope, November 10–11
Shop an eclectic selection of artists’ work — from rings to rugs — while supporting breastcancer awareness and research during this open house. Head to Stuff (316 West 63rd Street, 816-361-8222, pursuegoodstuff.com).
Black Friday Wine Sale, November 23
Flee the battles at big-box stores for wine discounts in the country, from 11 a.m.– 5 p.m. today at Jowler Creek Vineyard & Winery (16905 Jowler Creed Road) in Platte City. See jowlercreek.com or call 816-858-5528.
West Bottoms Resale Shops December Sale, December 7–9
Repurposed home décor for gifts and decorations. Among the dozen-plus shops are Good Ju Ju (1420 West 13th Terrace, 816-421-1930, goodjujukc.com) and Restoration Emporium (1300 West 13th Street, 913-915-2124; search “Restoration Emporium” on Facebook).— NANCY HULL RIGDON continued on page 14
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