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Kansas City Today

On your mark, get set, pancakes!

By Nomin Ujiyediin,
Trevor Grandin
Published March 1, 2024 at 4:00 AM CST
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For 75 years, spectators have gathered in Liberal, Kansas, to watch racers run a quarter mile with a single pancake. How unorthodox traditions like the pancake race bring tangible benefits to small towns. Plus: Why comedian Mia Mercado wants KC to reconsider being "Midwestern nice."

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Pancake Day Races in the southwest Kansas town of Liberal. Racers don aprons, skirts and headscarves to run with a frying pan and a single pancake. The Kansas News Service's Calen Moore explains why the community keeps this international tradition alive.

Kansas City is a pretty "nice" place. But comedy writer and Midwest native Mia Mercado is wary of the adjective. KCUR's Anna Kniggendorf spoke with Mercado about what it means to be "Midwestern nice."

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Trevor Grandin and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox and Gabe Rosenberg.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

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Kansas City Today KansastraditionsFestivalKansas City Kansas (KCK)Kansas City Missouri (KCMO)authorBooksMidwestMidwestern
Nomin Ujiyediin
As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
See stories by Nomin Ujiyediin
Trevor Grandin
Trevor Grandin is a contributing producer for KCUR Studios.
See stories by Trevor Grandin
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