Kansas City Connection: Plains Indians come to the Nelson, and get your fill of apple cider

If you’re driving around the Plaza or the Volker neighborhoods of Kansas City and see several giant teepees, don’t worry — you’re not hallucinating. The temporary teepees are in place to promote Nelson-Atkins Museum’s newly opened exhibit, “Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky,” which runs through Jan. 11, 2015.

The Plains Indians exhibit ranges in scope from a 2,000-year-old human effigy stone pipe to a pair of shoes made in 2011 out of thousands of glass and gold beads. Many of the exhibit’s 140 works are on loan from European and Canadian museums to be exhibited in the United States for the first time.

Teepees on the lawn at the Nelson-Atkins Museum promote the newly opened exhibit “Plains Indians: Artists of Earth and Sky,” which runs through Jan. 11, 2015.

Cider doughnuts roll off the conveyor at Louisburg Cider Mill.

The exhibit, which was first on display in Paris and will move on to New York in the spring, should be a powerful presentation of Native American history, art and cultural change.

“Plains Indians” also includes a series of video installations commissioned by the museum, several of them by Native American artist Dylan McLaughlin. These videos include narratives of the Plains Indians’ heritage and will also be viewable on the museum’s website.

Tickets to the exhibit cost $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $6 for students and are free to members and children under 12. To see a list of special programs, tours, artist discussions and a Native American film series, visit nelson-atkins.org.

‘Our Town’

This week is the last chance to check out the Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s staging of “Our Town,” the 1938 play that earned Thornton Wilder a Pulitzer Prize for drama.

The three-act play deals with everything from life and romance in a small town to eternity and the nature of human suffering. The KC Rep’s performance runs at the Spencer Theatre (4949 Cherry St.) at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Visit kcrep.org to purchase tickets, which start at $20 for students and $35 for adults.

Overland Park Fall Festival

In Old Overland Park, situated mostly along Santa Fe Drive between 79th and 80th streets, the 54th annual Fall Festival will take place on Saturday featuring food, arts and crafts, a 10 a.m. parade and live music including a concert by the Elders at 3 p.m.

The festival is free and will take place rain or shine.

While you’re in the neighborhood, stop by the friendly Clock Tower Bakery & Cafe, which serves delicious scones, cinnamon rolls, croissants, muffins and fruit tarts as well as pizzas and sandwiches.

And if you’re looking for a good spot to watch the game, pop into the Other Place, a sports-themed bar and grill with a collegiate (and kid-friendly) atmosphere and over 50 televisions broadcasting games from across the country.

Louisburg Cider Mill

South of Kansas City, the Louisburg Cider Mill is a great place to stuff your face with cider donuts, apple cider and the mill’s signature Lost Trail root beer.

The next two weekends are Ciderfest, which also includes hayrides, a corn maze, bluegrass music, pumpkin patch, petting zoo, crafts and more.

Ciderfest takes place the next two Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information visitlouisburgcidermill.com.

Concerts

Concert wise, highlights this week include Sebadoh, the legendary lo-fi outfit formed in 1986 by then (and now) Dinosaur Jr. bassist Lou Barlow. Sebadoh will be playing at the Record Bar at 10 p.m. Monday. Tickets are $15 and the show is 18 and over.

Wednesday night, Seattle’s “The Head and the Heart” will headline an all-ages concert at the Midland Theatre that also includes Glass Animals and The Belle Brigade. Tickets start at $30 for the 8 p.m. show.

— Lucas Wetzel is a writer and editor from Kansas City, Mo. Know of an upcoming event in Kansas City you’d like to see featured in Kansas City Connection? Email us about it at kcconnection@ljworld.com.