LCCA Wrap-Up

Friday was the last day for Anders and me at the LCCA convention. Before driving back to Minneapolis, we took our final tour of the week. The bus we were supposed to ride that day was one frequently used to drive fans to Royals baseball games. Unfortunately, while the bus sat idling, waiting for us to board, it stopped and could not be restarted. So, even though I had some fun getting pictures of Anders by the bus, we didn't get to ride on it.

There were two stops on the tour. First, we went to an area called 18th & Vine, which in the history of Kansas City had become a black community surrounded by the rest of the metropolitan area. Rich with its own history, the community became a hot spot for jazz, with numerous clubs and legendary musicians, like Charlie Parker, a native of the city. The community also originated the Negro Leagues in baseball. These leagues and the teams that were a part of them are at the same time a sad story in our American history and a proud one. Sad in the sense that major league baseball refused to integrate, and proud in the sense that the Negro Leagues arose in spite of that and gave opportunity to numerous, talented players. Some of these players eventually joined major league baseball, starting with Jackie Robinson.

Two museums are co-located near the 18th & Vine intersection, the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

This wonderful and entertaining museum guide really took a shine to Anders, who was the only young person in our group of otherwise seventy-somethings. She involved him in her comments and really helped to make him a part of the tour.

Anders wanted me to take this shot of him.

There were at one time numerous clubs near 18th & Vine, and some are still operating. I'd love to go there again to hear the music some evening. Displays in the museum featured numerous, famous, black jazz artists, and you could hear samples of their music, see memorabilia such as original compositions, and see old film clips of performances.

Then just across the entry hall was the NLBM.

The Kansas City Monarchs were one of the teams in the Negro Leagues. Other teams were scattered around other major U.S. cities. I have long been the proud owner of a Black Yankees baseball jersey.

There is a mock baseball field surrounded by other types of displays and with statues of some of the more famous players. Anders wanted to pose with Satchel Paige, who was an outstanding pitcher and one of the more famous players to break the color barrier and play with the Cleveland Indians.

The second stop on our tour was at the Kansas City Royals baseball stadium (Kauffman Stadium), where Anders and I had seen a game on Tuesday night. This time we were going to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the ball park. The tour began with some time in their own Hall of Fame, where the history of the club, its parks, and its players were on display. One of the more famous Kansas City players was, of course, George Brett, whose number is among three retired player numbers.

Anders and I got to pose with the World Series Trophy that Kansas City won in 2015. (They aren't playing nearly so well this year though!)

We got to see the visiting players locker room, which was quite fancy, though we were told the Royals' locker room is just a bit fancier. The guide pointed out to Anders a special file cabinet that is filled with every kind of bubblegum and other chewing gum imaginable. These "supplies" are made available throughout Major League Baseball to all players--we were told that if they insist on using chewing tobacco, they have to supply their own, however. (I wish MLB would outlaw chewing tobacco.)

We saw the press room too, which is where the Royals' coach and players are obligated after every game to meet with members of the press and answer questions. The tour guide, again at this location taking a shine to Anders, invited him to sit at the front table where the coach and players are at the microphones after games.

We were able to be in the Royals' dugout too, though we were instructed not to step onto the field. I don't know what Anders was thinking about when he stood up and took this pose, but of course, I couldn't resist capturing the moment. Maybe he was cheering for some imaginary fellow player who had just hit a home run.

Here we are together in the dugout.

We also saw the special room where sports writers sit to watch the game and prepare their stories. Pretty good view of the game from here!

After our tours, we immediately packed up and drove back to Minneapolis. Later, when I got back to the lake, Anders texted this selfie to me to show me the Pony Express Museum T-shirt I had gotten him earlier in the week. A fitting ending to a great trip with my grandson. Lots of electric train and real train experiences, lots of other interesting museum experiences, and lots of great time together.

LCCA Day 4

Today we visited Independence, Missouri. We started with a quick stop at the Truman home for photos and a little explanation of his time there. I have a photograph at home of Mr. Truman in his later years sitting on this porch in a rocking chair, and I've promised Anders that I'll send him a copy of it. Anders seemed to be quite interested in being in places where an actual U.S. President had once been.

Before going on to the Truman Library, we did a quick drive-by of several areas in the vicinity of the home and the library. One was the Vaile Mansion. Between St. Joseph, Kansas City, and Independence, we have seen numerous beautiful old mansions. Having been major stopping points during the migration of our citizens to the west, fortunes were made and elaborate homes were built.

I had not been to the Truman Library for probably 30 years, but I remembered enjoying my first visit here. Mr. Truman is one of the Presidents I find most interesting. Maybe a little of that interest derives from the fact that he became President nearly one year after I was born, and I do recall him as President right up to my 9th year. Since then, I've read quite a bit about him, though I want to read David McCullough's Truman yet this year.

After some basic introduction, we visited Mr. Truman's and Bess Truman's graves  which are in the courtyard of the library.

Anders liked seeing the mockup of the Truman's oval office.

I had to help Anders understand this famous sign. There were numerous children-oriented displays in the library, and he later had a chance to make one of these for himself from paper (one of the numerous souvenirs he will be taking home).

Another of the children's features was under this poster.

Anders read the poster and immediately grabbed one of the papers to write his letter.

Here is what the letter said:

Dear President Harry S. Truman, 
You have done good at beeing Presadint.
Anders

Next, we stopped to see the oldest remaining train depot in Missouri. This Chicago and Alton Railway station from Independence has been fully restored.

I couldn't resist photographing this wood engine model, not unlike the one I made recently, as some of you may recall from my April 1 blog posting.

We then traveled next door to see the National Frontier Trails Museum. I didn't take any photos there for some reason, but you can see more about it here. After that, we went just up the hill for lunch and to tour the Bingham-Waggoner Estate, about which you can learn more here. This huge mansion, which sits on nearly 20 acres in Independence has been restored. Nearly everything in it, furniture and all, belonged to the Waggoner family, which last owned the home. So it is in essentially the same condition as when they were last there.

Two of the things Anders and I enjoyed seeing most were this incredible music box, which we got to hear,

and this 1893 Zimmer's Base Ball board game. Only ten of these are known still to exist.

On the way back to the hotel we were driven through Subtropolis. No stops were made, so I didn't get any pictures, but this is without doubt one of the strangest commercial spaces I've ever seen. You can read about it here and see a couple of pictures as well. It is a man-made 1,100 acre cave in the limestone cliffs, where businesses have storage and other facilities. There was quite a bit of traffic on the many roads inside this cave--very strange to see.

This afternoon, Anders and I spent quite a bit of time viewing model train layouts at the hotel and visiting with other folks at the convention. Tomorrow we will tour a couple more sites (Negro Leagues Museum and Jazz Museum) and get a behind-the-scenes tour of the Royals' baseball stadium (dugouts, dressing rooms, scoreboard, etc.). After that, we'll drive back to Minneapolis.

LCCA Day 3

Yesterday was day three at the LCCA convention and time for another tour. Many of America's larger cities once had amazing train stations. This Union Station at Kansas City is no exception. Unfortunately, with the demise of most rail travel, these stations have fallen into neglectful states. Some have been destroyed, but a few have been restored and turned into useful facilities for community events, locations for new businesses, and showpieces. Fortunately, Union Station has been saved, and it is magnificent.

Tiled ceilings with impressive chandeliers are in good condition.

The arrival hall is enormous with a seven-story ceiling.

For us though, the fact that Union Station is host to area model train layouts may have been the cherry on the cake. There were maybe ten different layouts in all gauges (O, HO, N, Z, and G) and with varying types of scenes. The trains were all running too.

They knew LCCA was coming!

Our next stop was at the Arabia Steamboat Museum, one of the most popular stops in Kansas City. Here is the link for the museum, and here's a link to the Wikipedia page on the history of the boat and museum. This was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. Anders enjoyed it too. He has a current fascination with ships and sinkings, starting with learning about the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The short story is that the steamboat Arabia sank in 1856 on the Missouri River north of Kansas City. The only casualty was a mule, that its owner failed to untie from its berth aboard ship. The boat was so quickly overcome by silt and the rapid current that it became lost in the mud. Beginning in 1987, members of the Hawley family became interested in finding it, and they succeeded. Because the river had changed course, the boat was 45' deep in a farmer's field. Their original goal had been to locate the cargo and to sell it, but once they saw what they had found, they decided instead to share it with the world (and of course make a profit on museum fees).

They brought up very little of the actual vessel. Only this portion of the stern was brought up. The wood is preserved when buried, but exposure to air makes it destabilize very quickly and to disintegrate. They treated this portion to restabilize it.

The most amazing thing in the museum is the display of recovered cargo--mostly items that would have been sold to pioneers upriver who were building new homes and traveling further west. The thing is that they are all still new. That is, none of these items were ever used. The china is perhaps most interesting.

There is a display of tin cooking items of all kinds...

and lots and lots of unblemished, undamaged china and glassware...

clothing of all kinds was found and preserved, even bolts of cloth and leather...

and all kinds of hardware and building items--hinges, locks, nails, and tools.

One of the two wheel mechanisms was also recovered, as well as parts of the boilers and engines.

After lunch at the Crown Center, our last stop was the World War I museum and monument, now part of the Smithsonian Institution (hats off to my former boss, David Skorton, now Secretary of the Smithsonian). Anders wanted to take the elevator to the top of the monument plus the 47 steps above that to the viewing platform.

Up there, we could see Union Station just across the way and many, many things in and around Kansas City for miles and miles in every direction. Anders thought it was a little spooky up there though--a long way down!

Another fun day with my grandson, with lots of interesting things to see and to learn. I recommend both Kansas City and St. Joseph as places one could have a very fun vacation.

LCCA Day 2

Day two at the convention was somewhat of a day off from actual convention activities. We started the day with breakfast at a Waffle House, a place I always enjoy when I am far enough south to find one. Anders is a convert, I think. He loves their waffles, eggs, and other goodies--doesn't care for the grits, however.

After breakfast, we went to a 24 theater cineplex to see The Secret Life of Pets in 3D. We laughed together quite a lot. Anders liked the glasses and the 3D effects.

Next, we went for a swim in the hotel pool. My camera is waterproof, so underwater photos are possible. Anders was fascinated with that idea and had me take a couple of him, after which he took one of me--possibly the most unflattering photo of me I have ever seen.

In the evening, we went to see the Kansas City Royals play the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals, in spite of being the 2015 World Series champions, couldn't pitch or hit last night. The score was 5-0 when we decided to leave after eight innings. I told Anders this morning that we didn't miss anything. The final score was 13-0!