'Raw' is Bliss in Parkville

What is the key to a long, healthy, and happy life? This is a question many people ask on a regular basis. Sometimes people find the answer to this question isn’t the same for each person.

This past weekend’s Bliss Fest held at English Landing Park in Parkville provided some alternatives to the traditional approaches to healthy diets and lifestyles. The day-long “Conscious Lifestyle Celebration” was the second year in what organizers are hoping will become an annual event. There are already plans in the works for next year’s celebration which will include additional and unique aspects.

Last year’s event, which was held on a private piece of land in the Bluffs of Parkville, had a turnout of over 300 people. Prior to that, potlucks and luncheons had created increasing momentum and interest in the Kansas City area. Over the last year, word spread throughout the region through the internet about the buzz surrounding Bliss Fest. There were so many inquiries, event organizers were worried the previous year’s venue would not be sustainable for the much larger crowd that turned out this year. With only weeks to spare, the city of Parkville voted unanimously to reserve English Landing Park as the new location. The Main Street Parkville Association along with local businesses provided sponsorships to help provide financial support.

Bliss Fest promotes, among other things, a raw lifestyle. One involving a diet made up mostly of natural living plant food like those grown in your garden. Event organizer Maureen Veto-Slater says it can be effective even if a person only applies fifty percent of his or her daily diet to “fresh, full food, not boiled or fried, but real food that we grow off a tree or from the ground.” Creative food vendors with vegetarian fare, consultation sessions from eco-educators and health practitioners, yoga workshops, vibrant music, and speakers from around the country were on hand to tell their dramatic stories about how a raw lifestyle changed their life for the better.

The idea behind the festival is that ‘going raw’, as many call it, isn’t supposed to be a fad diet, but a lifestyle change. It’s an approach similar to the one vegetarians follow, but focuses less on being classified into a specific category with strict dietary rules and more on a natural lifestyle. There are only broad guidelines, so most diet decisions are left up to the individual. Many of the participants and speakers at the festival made the decision to ‘go raw’ to cure medical and health problems by trading in their prescription medications, which were causing negative side-effects, for the raw lifestyle.

“For me, high-vibe and a positive outlook is the key,” said Veto-Slater, who also has her own personal story and motivation.

As a corporate advertising director, several years ago she saw her life become increasingly hectic with the balance of family and work causing stress and anxiety. She sought medical help, but medication only caused more side-effects and health problems. After a gain in weight and trip to the hospital, Maureen decided it was time for a change. She ‘went raw’ and exchanged her medications for a powerful, healthy diet and began to spiritually and physically return to health.

“Too many people spend their entire lives stressed in jobs they hate with the goal of building financial freedom, only to spend their later years, using all their money trying to get back their health. It's not a religion, it's about being liberated.”

Tuileries Plaza

Several years ago, few people would have looked at the 50 acres located a half mile west of I-29 on 64th Street and imagined that it would look the way it does today. The brush-filled, rocky terrain the may not have caught the eye of someone interested in developing a retail center.

That was not the case with George and Pam Gunter, the couple who envisioned the site as the future home of Tuileries Plaza. Development began in 2003 with over a year devoted to site work involving the removal of brush, trees, and large amounts of rock. This was just to have the ground level and ready to grade, which was necessary before any buildings could be constructed. Then, another nine months was needed to complete the first buildings. All together, it took about two years from when the construction started to the opening of the first business in 2005. With brick paved streets, rock waterfalls, and slated building rooftops, this area has a very different image now.

George gives credit to his wife, Pam, for the inspiration behind the Tuileries theme.

“We started out with a couple hundred names and keep whittling it down until we came to about twenty or thirty. Then, Pam kind of took us down the path towards Tuileries, a European development.”

With the European architecture and designs of the historic Tuileries Garden in Paris coming to mind, the theme was chosen.

“We like the old timeless look of the buildings and paved streets,” Pam goes on to say.

All of the buildings in Tuileries Plaza are consistent with a European, Old World design with the exteriors featuring either brick or stone veneer. With a unique style, the Gunters also wanted to offer a variety of businesses and shops for consumers to choose from. You will find many locally-owned small businesses such as Em Chamas Brazilian Grill, La-De-Da Fine Furnishings, along with new tenants Fringe Salon and All Star Pizza & Pub. Although a national chain, the Bonefish Grill is one of two locations in the Kansas City area, but the only one in Missouri.

The plaza also features many of the same kind of tenants you see at other shopping centers. Many of these tenants include Quizno’s, Scottrade, SportsClips, and a non-traditionally designed Taco Bell. Since Taco Bell’s standard building design didn’t fit the Tuileries theme, a deal was made so that the exterior matched the rest of the buildings.

“They came to us and wanted to put a location here, so we had to compromise between their standard retail look and something more compatible with our development,” George says.

You also can’t forget about the Haagen Dazs, which at the time it first opened for business was the only Haagen Dazs with a drive-thru window in the entire country.

Tuileries offers a free summer concert series in the courtyard on Thursday nights where people bring their own lawn chairs. The concert series features local artists and bands that vary in music genre. Jazz icon Ida McBeth kicked off the concert series this year on June 11th. Most recently, Private Stock offered an exciting array of classic music hits from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. Both young and old can come enjoy a cool, relaxing evening, with the shade from the buildings reaching the courtyard as if on cue for show time. An occasional Congo line or slow dance is sure to add to the entertainment.

With the concert series in mind, the courtyard was designed to provide a relaxing atmosphere. It provides a more intimate setting for smaller crowds and performances. With the expansion of future events in mind, the stone parking lot adjacent to the courtyard can serve as a venue for larger concerts to accommodate bigger crowds. In fact, it will be used to conclude the summer concert series in August, as The Elder’s perform in the series finale on August 13th. Although, Tuileries calendar includes events throughout the year, the concert series is quickly becoming a local favorite.

Yes, George and Pam Gunter have taken Tuileries Plaza a long ways in the past five years. From a brush-filled, rocky piece of land to a European inspired retail development, with a mix of tenants sure to attract consumers of all kinds.

When asked what makes Tuileries stand out from other retail destinations in the area, George said “Everyone thinks they have unique tenants and we believe that too, but I think it’s the look of the buildings and being able to walk on the brick streets and sideways that gives someone a unique feeling about being here.”

Who Will Follow Shields?

Senator Shields’ Successor Still In the Shadows
Potential candidates weigh options

As summer starts to heat up at a rapid pace, potential candidates looking to replace Charlie Shields as the next State Senator of the 34th district are beginning to weigh decisions on whether or not to run for what will be an open seat in 2010. Shields, a Republican from St. Joseph and currently President Pro Tem of the Missouri Senate, will be term-limited. The district includes both Platte and Buchanan Counties in their entirety. In what is traditionally a moderate district, leaning half Republican/half Democrat, this race could prove to be one of the hottest contested races of the next election cycle in the state of Missouri. So far several candidates from both parties have toyed with the idea of starting campaigns.

On the Republican side, it appears that State Rep. Rob Schaaf of St. Joseph and State Rep. Jason Brown of Platte City will be facing off in an August 2010 primary. Both are serving their last terms in the Missouri House due to term limits. Schaaf is currently the only candidate to have officially announced his candidacy. He has had a campaign committee in place since last year. Schaaf’s 28th House district represents all of Andrew and parts of Buchanan Counties, of which only a small portion is represented by the 34th district senate seat he is seeking to hold. On the other hand, Brown’s House district includes a large portion of Platte County, all of which is part of the 34th senate district. As members of a powerful majority in the House, look for each to try to distinguish themselves during the 2010 legislative session.

The Democratic field is not as clear as their counterparts from across the aisle. Several candidates have been heavily weighing decisions to run. They include State Rep. Martin Rucker from St. Joseph, State Rep. Ed Wildberger of St. Joseph, and State Rep. Jason Grill of Kansas City. Wildberger could be considering a run for a position within Buchanan County government because of current office holders deciding not to seek re-election, but has not yet made any clear indications.

If either one of the two state representatives from St. Joseph were to announce their candidacy for the State Senate, they would be considered early favorites over Rep. Jason Grill of Kansas City in southern Platte County because of Buchanan County’s stronger Democratic base compared to Platte County. Grill has a reputation for being more of a moderate Democrat compared to Rucker and Wildberger, which would be a strong advantage to him should he win a potential primary and be a candidate in the general election.

If both of the Democrats from St. Joseph were to run for the seat, it would almost be certain that Grill would toss his hat into the ring as well, expecting to reap the benefits of a split Buchanan County vote. With all three potential candidates heavily weighing the decision, each candidate appears to have their respective electoral and demographical advantages.

Keep in mind that August primary elections are also popular times for municipal and county ballot initiatives to be voted on. This could change the outlook of the race by encouraging a higher voter turnout in certain parts of the district, particularly if it were to be in St. Joseph or Kansas City. Look for either a gentlemen’s compromise or primary battle to be established by early this fall.

Nonetheless, you can expect candidates to start criss-crossing the district over the next 16 months trying to cover as much ground as they can in order to meet as many people as possible. Areas they won’t be able to reach personally will be contacted through direct mail pieces and television/radio advertisements, which will all be paid for by donations that could equal up to $500,000. Folks, get ready because it’s almost campaign season again…