People Met = 26+
Our hostess Lorene belongs to the Country Club Congregational Church. Every year around this time they have a Kristkindl Markt, which is sort of a Christmas version of Oktoberfest. The inside of the church is decorated as a German village. The dining area has a stage where entertainment from an accordion player to the church choir performs throughout the day, while people sit down with their bratwurst, German potato salad, gluhwein (spiced wine) and other German fare.
Lunch time at the Kristkindl Markt
Lorene and Gretchen Davis were former public schoolteachers who actually came together because of their daughters being friends, Karen and Sara respectively. We joined Sara’s family and Karen for lunch. I also recorded a Christmas song by the choir later on and took plenty of pictures for a podcast. I foresee a Christmas special coming to this site.
Sara's family, with Karen (wearing scarf)
There’s an area where you custom make your own Gingerbread house and several areas where vendors set up as in a crafts fair. Karen was involved in organizing the event and informed us that a few vendors did not show up for that rainy Saturday. We were allowed to set up a table in their place with our items (book, CD, shirt) for sale.
Cindy and Lorene in a "German village"
This gave us the opportunity to meet people, have some nice conversations and make possible connections for down the road. I had a conversation with Brian Dooley, a transportation engineer who moved out here from Princeton, New Jersey. He clued me in on the “kindness” legislation once proposed by a congressman from the area, Reverend Emanuel Cleaver.
Eleanor, Owen, Emily and Brian Dooley with Gingerbread houses
Next to us was Mary, another vendor who we chatted with us throughout the afternoon. She used her iPhone to look up contact info for Reverend Cleaver. I don’t know if anything will come of it, but I’m going to pursue that lead.
Our vendor neighbor Mary
We also were introduced to Jeff Whitman, conference minister for the UCC in Missouri. He encouraged me to use him as a reference for UCC churches we encountered along out next state, along with being a potential home base for us in St. Louis.
UCC conference minister Jeff Whitman
Phil and Heather Gudgel hosted us that evening, inviting over as well their good friends Ray and Kathy, their daughter Whitney, and Whitney’s coworker Amy Gray. Whitney and Amy work at the Kansas City Free Health Clinic. If you think that interviewing Amy would make for a good podcast you would be right; except that I don’t have pictures of the health clinic. I’ll save the podcast for the Missouri newsletter. That reminds me, the Kansas newsletter should be out by the end of the week.
Kathy, Cindy, Heather, Ky, Amy, Whitney, Ray and Phil
The two families were very close and often vacationed together. One thing for certain: they all loved to laugh! That made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
Kathy and Whitney laughing it up
Other Photos
An ironic sign
You could tell Manuel was a favorite
