Class Of 1972
Our Hometown
Page Updated
April 22, 2016
Shawnee, Kansas
Kansas City
This page was created with the idea of sharing information about “Our Hometown” …. Shawnee, Kansas! As you scroll down you will notice that our idea grew to sharing of the sights and sounds of the entire Kansas City Metropolitan area. Throughout this page you will find a number of links to a number of websites and stories that we covered either it be a sports team, amusement parks, museums and any other attraction that can be found in or around our great city. Some of the information that was used was from their "History” section or articles from their websites and the Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Hopefully during your visit that you will find the information helpful, interesting, enjoyable and educational and most importantly... fun!
Nothing's better than "Home Sweet Home"!
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Click on underscored & blue highlighted for Links and Additional Information about our Hometown... Shawnee, Kansas!
Hands of Freedom Monument 
Shawnee Mission Park 
Growing up in Shawnee meant you spent time at Shawnee Mission Park. You may have laid in the sun, paddled a paddle boat, sailed or just watched the sail boats on the lake, swam, hiked on the Mill Creek Streamway Trail and had a picnic with your family or enjoyed a company sponsored picnic. Additionally, you might have even played or watched a baseball game at the 3&2 Ball Park or celebrated our country's Independence Day by watching the fireworks over the park or rented horses from the nearby stable and explored the park on horseback with your friends and even fished in the lake.
Sunset on the Lake Wildlife in the Park
Shawnee Mission Park Lake
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Shawnee Then & Now 
Old Cornerstone (Commerce Bank) Johnson Drive & Nieman Road
Shops at Johnson Drive and Nieman
Chief Charles Bluejacket Fountain
Shawnee History
Shawnee was founded in 1855. The county of Johnson County which the city of Shawnee is located was named in honor of Rev. Thomas Johnson and is among the first counties to be established in the Kansas Territory in 1855. When the doors of Shawnee Mission Northwest High School first opened in December 1969 the Population of Shawnee was 21,085, thirty years later the city doubled in 2000 to 49,996 and with the new census for 2010 it climbed to 62,209, three times since our days at Northwest. The Shawnee Mission School District (Kansas Unified School District 512) is one of the major school districts in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Located in northeast Johnson County, Kansas, the school district enrolled approximately 40,000 students in the 2009-2010 school years. As of 2011, the district comprises of 5 high schools, 5 middle schools, 38 elementary schools, and 6 instructional centers. Its headquarters are in Overland Park. In 2008, Shawnee became the 39th best place to live in USA, according to the Money Magazine.
City Hall Shawnee, Kansas
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Old Shawnee Town/Old Shawnee Days 
Like any other city, towns or communities in our country an annual event occurs... A Parade! The parade kicks off the annual celebration each June which began in 1966... The Old Shawnee Days Parade is one of the largest in the state of Kansas. The parade route takes a journey through the heart of Shawnee until it finishes in front of the Old Shawnee Town. A weekend-long community celebration featuring live music and entertainment, national and local bands, special events and attractions, carnival and parade, kid’s games and contests, historical re-enactors, vendors and crafts. Experiencing Old Shawnee Town will allow visitors to experience a typical day in and around the 1920s farm community, through authentic, exhibits, programs and events.
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old Pizza Shoppe 
There's always that special place, we all have it! We've all experienced it! That extraordinary place during those youthful days. A place that you would call it your "favorite", a place better than any other. Sometimes you would be driving down the road and the next thing you knew, you were pulling into the parking lot. Especially during those days in high school, going to college or just growing up in your hometown. That memorable place for many of us was the old Pizza Shoppe! A place to meet friends, take your date, after the game, eat a little Pizza or just hang out. Located in an old converted house, the McAnany house on Nieman Road in Shawnee, our unique restaurant first opened for us in 1969, you couldn't beat the atmosphere of the old Pizza Shoppe!
The original owners and a family owned business closed the old Pizza Shoppe that we all knew and loved for a bigger building. After many successful years, at the old location it was decided that the restaurant needed a bigger place to improve their business. A year later a newer version opened and renamed...... Old Shawnee Pizza!
Can you smell that special aroma of your favorite Pizza baking?
Do you remember your Special & Memorable place?
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Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun 
Worlds of Fun is a traditional amusement park themed around Jules Verne's adventure book Around the World in Eighty Days. The park offers its guests more than 100 rides and attractions, including seven world-class roller coasters, thrill rides, and award-winning live entertainment.
Oceans of Fun is one of the largest water parks in the Midwest. The park offers a wide variety of attractions for guests of all ages, including a four-story interactive water playhouse, a giant wave pool, a large water slide raft ride, several children's activity areas, and more. A separate charge is required for Oceans of Fun, which is operated seasonally from May to September.
Covering more than 235 acres of land, Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun make up the number one tourist attraction in the Kansas City area.
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Kansas City Chiefs 
The rich tradition of pro football and the Kansas City Chiefs began with Lamar Hunt, founder of the old American Football League. Mr. Hunt began a new league in 1961 with his Dallas Texans and seven other teams, Boston, Buffalo, Denver, Houston, New York, Oakland and San Diego. In 1962 the Texans won the AFL Championship under the leadership of Head Coach Hank Stram (Coach of the Year) and RB Curtis McClinton (Kansas) was named the ' 62 AFL Rookie of the Year. The following season in 1963, Owner Lamar Hunt decided to move his team to... Kansas City.
Goin' To Kansas City 
Despite the Texans championship season in '62, the Dallas market simply could not sustain two professional football franchises. In early '63, Hunt had taken scouting trips to cities such as Atlanta and Miami. Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle learned of Hunt's interest in a new home for the Texans and extended an invitation for Hunt and Jack Steadman to move the franchise to Mid-America. After the duo visited Kansas City on an incognito basis, an ambitious campaign took shape to deliver on Bartle's guarantee to Hunt of tripling the season-ticket base the Texans had enjoyed in Dallas. Kansas City's mayor, nicknamed "Chief," also promised to add 3,000 permanent seats to Municipal Stadium, as well as 11,000 temporary bleacher seats. Along with Bartle, a number of other prominent Kansas Citians stepped forward to aid in the efforts, putting together more than 1,000 workers to sell season tickets. On May 22nd, Hunt announced he was moving the franchise to Kansas City. Hunt and Stram initially planned on calling the relocated team the Kansas City Texans, but thanks to the insistence of Steadman, the team was officially christened the Chiefs on May 26th, in part to honor the efforts of Bartle. During their inaugural season in Kansas City, the Chiefs charged $7 for box seats and $6 for reserved seats at Municipal Stadium.
1970 Super Bowl Champions!!
Super Bowl IV
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Head Coach Hank Stram Super Bowl IV MVP QB Len Dawson
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1968
The Athletics left Kansas City for Oakland after the 1967 season. Major League Baseball, looking to expand to 24 teams, grants Kansas City one of its four expansion teams which would begin play in 1969. The team, which is owned by Ewing M. Kauffman, would be named the Royals.
Kansas City Municipal Stadium The "K" Kauffman Stadium
Opened in 1923 and closed after the 1972 season Opened in 1973
1969
Playing their very first game in old Municipal Stadium, the Royals rally from a 3-1 deficit to win in extra innings against the eventual Western Division Champion Minnesota Twins. The club finished with a 69-93 record in its initial season. The mark was the best of the four expansion teams debuting in 1969. A young and fiery outfielder named Lou Piniella was selected as the Rookie of the Year.
1985 World Champions
George Brett (left) and Bret Saberhagen celebrate the Royals' first World Series title in 1985. (AP)
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Harry S. Truman Sports Complex
Arrowhead Stadium & The "K" Kauffman Stadium
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American League 2014 & 2015 CHAMPIONS!!
2015 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!
LET'S GO ROYALS!!
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Sporting Kansas City
Sporting Kansas City enters the organization’s 16th year in Major League Soccer riding a wave of development on and off the field. Two changes heading into the 2011 season represent perhaps the most momentous in the club’s history.
The organization is currently putting the finishing touches on its new $200 million dollar, world-class soccer stadium, opening in June 2011 near Village West in Kansas City, Kansas. After 15 seasons without a permanent home, including 12 seasons at a stadium built for football and three seasons at a stadium built for baseball, the team will now call America’s finest soccer facility home.
Livestrong
Sporting Park
Along with the new stadium, the team is taking on a new name. In November, the Kansas City Wizards became known as Sporting Kansas City, reflecting their desire to become a dynamic organization focused on creating opportunities for social, cultural and athletic connections.
The club’s commitment to Kansas City had its first physical manifestation in June 2007 when a new, world-class training center opened in Swope Park. That commitment was further cemented three years later, as construction began on the team’s new home stadium in the Village West area of Kansas City, Kansas.
New Home of the Sporting Kansas City
Soccer Club
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The Country Club Plaza (often referred to as The Plaza) is an upscale shopping district and residential neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. It was the first shopping center in the world designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by automobile. The 55 acre site is about four miles south of downtown, between 45th and 51st streets to the north and south and between Broadway and Madison Street to the east and west. The Kansas state line is one mile to the west. Established in 1922 by J. C. Nichols and designed architecturally after Seville, Spain, the Plaza comprises high-end retail establishments, restaurants, and entertainment venues, as well as offices. The neighborhoods surrounding the Plaza consist of apartment buildings and upscale houses, especially those of the Country Club District built along Ward Parkway on the Plaza's southern and southwestern side. The Country Club Plaza is named in the Project for Public Spaces' list 60 of the World's Great Places.
The Country Club Plaza during the holiday season Shops along Ward Parkway
The Kansas City's Country Club Plaza
Giralda Tower, inspired by the original at the Cathedral of Seville
Crown Center Square Fountain
City of Fountains
Did you know that Kansas City is known as the city of fountains? Kansas City ranks second in the world in number of fountains erected in the city. Only Rome, Italy, has more. Some of the statues located in Kansas City's fountains are 300 years old.
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American Royal .jpg)
The American Royal began as a cattle show in 1899 in the Kansas City Stockyards. The name "American Royal" was inspired by a 1901 editorial in beef industry publication Kansas City Drovers Telegram entitled "Call It The American Royal." The editorial noted the Royal Agricultural Society in England has a similar event called the Royal Show.
The first American Royal horse show was added in 1907, and has grown to include five shows (Quarter Horse, Hunter-Jumper Horse, Arabian Horses, American Saddlebred and a 4-H show).
In 1926, the American Royal invited vocational agriculture students to judge livestock. During the 1928 American Royal, 33 of the students meeting at the Baltimore Hotel in downtown Kansas City formed the Future Farmers of America. The group proceeded to hold a convention every year during the Royal in Kansas City until 1998.
The original home of the American Royal was destroyed by fire on Valentines Day in 1925. The structure was rebuilt in time for the event that year and served as the center for events until the American Royal complex was built across from Kemper Arena in 1992. During World War II, the Royal complex was converted into a glider factory.
The American Royal is an annual eight-week season of barbecue competition, rodeos, livestock shows, equestrian events and agricultural activities benefiting youth and education.
The barbecue contest is divided into several categories: brisket, pork ribs, pork shoulder, chicken, sausage, side dishes and dessert.
The American Royal, one of Kansas City’s premier fall events with annual economic impact of more than $62 million, hosts the world’s largest barbecue contest, one of the Midwest’s largest livestock exhibitions, one of the top five ranked rodeos in the nation and is home of the national championship horse competition.
Our First Parade!
Mr. Harrington "The Leader of the Band" and the SMNW Marching Band in our very First American Royal Parade in 1969.
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Other things to do
Top Attractions in Kansas City ….
Famous for its jazz and barbecue, the top Kansas City attractions are sure to entertain residents and tourists alike, from top-notch museums to good old-fashioned theme parks.
National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial
President Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
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Attractions - Bars & Nightclubs - Events - Leisure Activitives - Restaurants
