This week, Kansas City is host to an extraordinary variety of cultural, historical and art exhibits and performances, as well as one of the area’s most enjoyable festivals.

With this week marking the 70th anniversary of the surrender of Japan in World War II, it’s a fitting time to visit the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, where Emperor Hirohito’s Rescript (the order he gave to the Japanese people and military to lay down their arms and surrender to the Allies) is on display through Sept. 11.

The rescript is part of the larger exhibit “Till We Meet Again,” which uses artifacts, video clips and documents to recount the tumultuous events of 1945, including Harry Truman’s elevation to the presidency, the surrender of Germany, founding of the United Stations, the Potsdam Conference and the decision to drop the atomic bomb.

While the Emperor’s rescript is only on display for a short time, “Till We Meet Again” is open to the public through Jan. 3, 2016.

The Harry S. Truman Library is at 500 W. U.S. Highway 24 in Independence and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8 for adults and $3 for children ages 6 to 15.

At the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center and Museum on 3700 Blue Parkway, the exhibit “Kansas City: Mecca of the New Negro,” looks at the achievements of African-Americans in Kansas City through the first four decades of the 20th century, using photographs, artifacts and research from the book of the same name by historian Sonny Gibson.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free to the exhibit, which runs through Aug. 31.

From now through Sept. 5, the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall presents “Mexican American Fast Pitch Softball Leagues: Connecting Communities Across State Lines.”

The exhibition features a documentary film based on interviews of former players and includes photographs, uniforms, league documents, trophies, and other artifacts that brought these Mexican-American communities together in Missouri and Kansas.

Tours are free and will be available at the Kansas City Museum on the hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Corinthian Hall is located at 3218 Gladstone Blvd. in the historic Northeast.

Ethnic Enrichment Festival

At the 36th annual Ethnic Enrichment Festival this weekend, over 50 different countries and nationalities will be represented in colorful food, drink and craft booths.

A handful of cash is your ticket to take a culinary tour that would otherwise take thousands of dollars and miles of travel to complete. Quench your thirst at the biergarten in the middle of the festival grounds.

The festival’s center is the iconic park shelter near the park entrance at Meyer Boulevard and Swope Parkway. The shelter is also a stage that features dance, music and costume displays from different cultures.

It’s a colorful, musical, fun event in which Kansas City’s diverse international communities are given a stage to share their history, traditions and culture.

The festival runs from 6-10 p.m. Friday, continuing from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $3 for those 12 and up, and parking is free. ATMs are available on site, but bring cash and a hearty appetite. A full list of attendees is online at eeckc.net.

‘Let It Fall’

For the next two Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. (Aug. 21, 22, 28 and 29), choreographers Jane Gotch and Kameron Saunders are presenting “Let It Fall,” an eclectic evening of dance and music featuring “abstracted bodylines, break-dance styling and operatic song.”

The event features four talented dancers, with opening music provided by a different performer each night.

“Let It Fall” will be held at St. Mark’s Church on 38th and Troost. Tickets cost $15 at letitfall.bpt.me. Fans of modern dance won’t want to miss this performance.

Kansas City Air Show

The annual Kansas City Air Show takes place at Wheeler Downtown Airport (and the skies above) on Saturday and Sunday.

This year’s show features the Navy’s famous Blue Angels, among other aerial-stunt performers, and airplane exhibits and displays. Doors open each day at 9 p.m., with general admission tickets $20 a piece. Children 12 and under are free.

The aviation expo is only reachable by bus, so visit kcairshow.com for bus routes and more information.

— 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.