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Late For The Parade

Well, I blew it today on the job.

I was going to get an audio postcard and some great photos as the circus came to town.

Sadly, when I got downtown where the parade was to begin, all I saw was the short train, the recognizable "Greatest Show On Earth" insignia on each car.  The doors were wide open, obviously empty. No animals. No giddy kids.

I'd missed the parade by several hours.

But I did meet one friendly circus worker who was pitching hay from the rail cars that had carried the elephants, bears and lions to Kansas City.

He wanted me to identify him only as Ilyia, from Russia.

I said, “Where are the animals? The parade?”

He told me the animals were, by now, in “other building,” swiping the air several times toward the east, “over there.”  He made an elliptical shape with his large hands.

“The Sprint Center,” I said.

“Yes, yes, yes, Sprint Center,” he said.

As Kansas City grows and diversifies, journalists need to listen to the people, to your challenges and successes..As engagement and solutions editor, I’ll make sure we’re framing stories based on what we hear from you, and we’ll partner with communities so our stories help us understand and connect to one another. Email me at lauraz@kcur.org.
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