Bluegrass/Folk Music Event

Bill Graham & the Bluegrass Tornadoes

Saturday, June 18th Join us at Historic Pharis Farm for an evening of music, a blend of traditional, bluegrass & folk with Bill Graham & the Bluegrass Tornadoes, Patti Nance of the Hootin' Annies & other Kansas City area folk & bluegrass performers. The bands will be warming up from 5:30 to 6:30 & will play from 7:00 to 9:00. Seating is BYO (bring your own) lawn chairs or picnic blankets. Questions? Call (816)736-8500.

Patti Nance of the Hootin' Annies

Clay County Tourism Employees Visit New Attractions

On Thursday, May 12th, 2011, Employees from Clay County's tourist attractions visited the County's 3 newest attractions. The goal was to send staff from different attractions throughout the County to learn about the newest attractions so that they can in turn educate their fellow staff members & visitors to their attractions about the newest things to do & see in the area. They started the day at The Elms with a presentation about why tourism is important to Clay County. Then they had lunch at Belvoir Winery in Liberty while listening to a presentation from a member of the Kansas City Convention & Visitors Association about the economic impact of tourism in Clay County, then toured the facility. The next stop was the Mormon temple, north of Pleasant Valley Rd., west of 435. The building is under construction, so the group gathered at the Police Training Academy across the street from the Temple to hear a presentation from Elder Adams about the facility. The final stop was The Atkins-Johnson Farm in Gladstone which is still under renovation & open to the public only for special events. It certainly was an educational day!

Summer Deals

Times are tough. But the kids don't know that money's tight. They just know that summer is so close they can practically taste it. Soon they'll be itching to get out of the house to see & do & experience summer (probably you are too). That's why we're offering 2-for-1 deals on admission. Here's 2 ways to save some $$ at the Jesse James Farm & Jesse James Bank Museums...

Print your 2-for-1 admission coupon at visitkc.com.

You can also access their website with your smart phone & show us the coupon on your phone when you arrive at The Jesse James Farm & Museum, or the Jesse James Bank Museum.

Bring your McDonald's coupon to The Jesse James Farm & Museum, or the Jesse James Bank Museum & we'll give you the 2-for-1 admission deal. Check out roadtriprewards.com to learn more.

Happy savings!

James Farm Employee Receives Gold Star

Liz Murphy, historic interpreter and archive librarian at the Jesse James Farm & Museum received the Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) Gold Star Award at the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association's annual business meeting on Tuesday, May 10th. Liz is probably our most knowledgeable staff person regarding local history, Civil War history, the genealogy of Jesse James and the history of the James Farm. When we're asked an obscure question we can’t answer, our standard reply is “Let’s ask Liz!” She goes above and beyond to thoroughly explain visitors’ questions, providing ample background and context, sometimes pulling out maps and documents. Liz is very dedicated to our museum and every aspect of her work here, giving tours, doing research, helping others do research, providing a broad range of information to our visitors (local history, local events, local attractions) and making recommendations based on their interests. She is genuinely passionate about what she does. This is more than a job to her. Anyone who met Liz would quickly realize that she lives and breathes history and lives to share it with others. She is an outstanding representative of our museum, the County’s Historic Sites Department and our local community. Her knowledge and interaction with visitors makes her a shining example of a CTA.