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.