Bark at the Park

Bark at the Park Registration at Kauffman Stadium for the Kansas City Royals game against the Seattle Mariners on June 22, 2014.

Balls and dogs definitely go together.

At Bark at the Park, scores of dogs and their people had a great time at Kaufman Stadium on July 22, 2014 at the Kansas City Royals-Seattle Mariners baseball game.

Bark at the Park at Kauffman Stadium during the Kansas City Royals-Seattle Mariners on June 22, 2014.

At the event in Kansas City, Missouri,  dogs and their people had a special section, pre-game parade, games, wading pools, tickets to seats at the game, vendors and special activities.  Part of the ticket price benefited Wayside Waifs, a no-kill animal shelter where I volunteer as a photographer of available cats for the website. (I don’t think we’re going to be seeing any Purr at the Park events.)

What a treat to see so many dogs!  Click on any thumbnail to see a full-size photo and to start the slideshow.

 

Dog and human cool off at Bark at the Park at Kauffman Stadium when the Kansas City Royals played the Seattle Mariners on June 22, 2014.

Dogs and their people relax at Bark at the Park during the game on June 22, 2014. The Kansas City Royals played the Seattle Mariners.

The Seattle Mariners hustle to catch a ball as a Royals player runs the bases on June 22, 2014.

What dog wouldn’t enjoy a hot dog race. Here relish, mustard and ketchup race at the Kansas City Royals game on June 22, 2014, during the Bark at the Park event.

Flags fly and fountains play at Kauffman Stadium when the Kansas City Royals played the Seattle Mariners on June 22, 2014.

There were plenty of wading pools for dogs to enjoy at Bark at the Park at Kaufman Stadium on June 22, 2014.

Visitors stop at the Wayside Waifs booth at Bark at the Park during the Kansas City Royals game on June 22, 2014.

Bark at the Park Registration at Kauffman Stadium for the Kansas City Royals game against the Seattle Mariners on June 22, 2014.

Bark at the Park Registration at Kauffman Stadium for the Kansas City Royals game against the Seattle Mariners on June 22, 2014.

Bark at the Park Registration at Kauffman Stadium for the Kansas City Royals game against the Seattle Mariners on June 22, 2014.

Bark at the Park Registration at Kauffman Stadium for the Kansas City Royals game against the Seattle Mariners on June 22, 2014.

Bark at the Park Registration at Kauffman Stadium for the Kansas City Royals game against the Seattle Mariners on June 22, 2014.

There are Bark at the Park events at many Major League baseball stadiums.

Bark at the Park Dog Events at Major League baseball stadiums.

Kansas City Royals Bark at the Park.

Wayside Waifs Website.

 

Dragon Boat Races in Kansas City

This dragon boat crew paddle hard as they reach the finish in the International Dragon Boat Festival on June 14, 2014, on Brush Creek in the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri.

Dragon boats full of hard-working crews raced on Brush Creek at the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri,  today (June 14, 2014).  I enjoyed the race loafing on the banks.  It looked like hard work, especially turning the boat to return to the starting point, which was also the finish line, but I’m sure it was a lot of fun, too.  Two boats raced each other in each race.  Whichever boat got around the pink buoy at the turn first was hard to beat.

Dragon Boat races are a 2,000-year-old tradition in China that arrived in Kansas City ten years ago.

The two dragon boats make the turn in their race in the International Dragon Boat Festival on June 14, 2014, on Brush Creek in the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. Whoever is able to make the turn first has a great advantage.

The annual International Chinese Dragon Boat Festival in Kansas City was founded by Mr. Robert S. Chien with the Society for Friendship with China.  The crews debuted the four new fiberglass boats that were made for the event in China, part of a fleet commemorating of the death of Qu Yuan in 278 B.C.  The dragon boat tradition began, according to Chinese legend, because friends and admirers of the statesman and poet used boats, noise and food to scare away hungry fish after Qu Yuan drowned after throwing himself into a river.  Qu Wanshen, a 71st generation descendant of Qu Yuan, was on the schedule to attend. That’s some genealogy chart!

During the festival, sticky rice rice dumplings are eaten in honor of the rice dumplings thrown in the way two millennia ago. The rice dumplings, called Zongzi in Chinese, are sticky rice wrapped in bamboo/lotus/banana leaves. I, unfortunately, didn’t stumble across the food tent so I missed out on those.  Next year, that will be my first stop!

Chinese lanterns blow in the breeze on a footbridge over Brush Creek in Kansas City, Missouri.

Qu Yuan was the earliest great patriotic poet as well as a great statesman, ideologist, diplomat and reformer in ancient China.  He lived in the latter part of the Warring States Period (476 BC – 221 BC). According to the Society for Friendship with China,  Qu Yuan was a minister to the Zhou emperor during the Warring States Period (475 – 221 BC). He was a wise man who was strongly opposed to the corruption of the imperial court.

Because of Qu Yuan’s success, he aroused jealousy in his fellow ministers. They plotted against him and convinced the emperor that Qu Yuan was a traitor. Qu Yuan was banished, and returned to his home town. During his years of banishment, Qu Yuan collected legends and folk tales, and wrote poetry. He never lost his patriotic love for his emperor, and was greatly concerned about the future of the Zhou dynasty.

Eventually the Qin warriors overthrew the Zhou rulers and proceeded to plunder the country. On the 5th day of May, 278 BC, Qu Yuan learned about the fall of his capital city, and in a fit of despair, committed suicide by throwing himself into the Miluo River. The townspeople, hearing of Qu Yuan’s fate, rushed to their boats to try to save him. Since he was much loved, they tried to prevent the fish from eating his body by throwing rice dumplings into the water. They beat drums to keep evil spirits away.

To this day, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month is celebrated by eating rice dumplings (zong zi) and racing dragon boats. It is also a day for wearing talismans to keep away evil spirits. Adults drink Xiong Huang wine, and children wear fragrant silk pouches to guard against evil.

In Chinese culture, Dragon boat festival has been an important holiday for centuries, but in recent years dragon boat racing has become an international sport.

Four dragon boats are tied up at the dock, awaiting their races. These boats were built in China for the Kansas City race.

 

Spectators have fun while waiting for the next dragon boat race to begin on Brush Creek in Kansas City.

Click on a thumbnail to see a full-size photo and a caption.

Brush Creek on the Country Club Plaza is decked out with red lanterns for the 10th annual International Dragon Boat Festival, held in Kansas City on Saturday June 14th, 2014. The Kansas City festival was founded by Mr. Robert S. Chien with the Society for Friendship with China

The Blazing Paddles dragon boat crew waits at the dock on Brush Creek.

Members of the University of Kansas Jayhawk Dragon Boat Team wait for their race.

The two dragon boats nearly collide as they race to the buoy where they make the turn to the starting point.

Blazing Paddles dragon boat crew begins its race in the International Dragon Boat Festival on June 14, 2014, on Brush Creek in the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Blazing Paddles dragon boat team starts to make the turn in the International Dragon Boat Festival on June 14, 2014, on Brush Creek in the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Blazing Paddles Dragon Boat team is in the lead.

The second boat to make the turn has to paddle hard to beat the first boat in the International Dragon Boat Festival on June 14, 2014, on Brush Creek in the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri.

About the Society for Friendship with China.

 

 

Post Rock Fences in Kansas

I saw these limestone fence posts, called post rocks, on a recent drive to western Kansas.

I’ve lived in Kansas most of my life, but I hadn’t seen more than a few limestone fence posts until this past weekend when I saw miles of them as I drove west in a section of the state I’d never visited before.  It has been estimated that at the peak of their use, there were about 40,000 miles of these stone post fences in central Kansas.  In the last  quarter of the 19th century, ranchers and farmers needed fences to keep the cattle from wandering onto cropland, but wood was scarce. Providentially, there is a bed of limestone buried only a few inches beneath the top soil, which is about about 18 inches in thickness, the perfect dimension for fence posts. It was easy to shape the soft stone, which hardened, enabling the posts to resist weathering in the elements.

About Post Rocks in Kansas.

More about Post Rock Fences and Where to Find Them.