Fairy Princess - Shelley Beatty

Kansas City Tradition Fairy Princess

January 20, 2016 by shelley

Fairy Princess at Kansas City Museum

I think Kansas City is the only place that a Christmas tradition includes a visit to the fairy princess.

Kansas City Fairy Princess tradition

For those few who are unfamiliar with the Fairy Princess tradition: each December, children from throughout the Kansas City area make the short pilgrimage to the Kansas City Museum to share their holiday hopes with the princess, as well as to enjoy stories, performances, and hands-on activities that have added to this uniquely Kansas City annual event. It is an experience today’s children share with their parents and grandparents, who in their turn, visited the Princess and made their own childhood wishes known.

From her beginning in 1935 at the Kline’s Department Store’s Toyland through the late 1960s, the Fairy Princess was a holiday highlight for Kansas City families. When Kline’s closed its doors in 1970, the princess disappeared from Kansas City’s holiday traditions.

For 16 years she lived only in the fond memories of those who had experienced her enchanting charm. Then in 1987, the Kansas City Museum gave the Fairy Princess a new home, reviving this treasured annual experience for current and future generations. Since 2006 she has also appeared annually at Zona Rosa Town Center, which, in partnership with the museum, has brought the Fairy Princess back to her retail beginnings.

During the first three Saturdays and Sundays in December, the Fairy Princess will hold court at the Kansas City Museum, just as she has done for the past three decades. And of course, we had to visit the Fairy Princess.

Kansas City Fairy Princess: Front: Carolyn, Second Row: Henry, Becca; Third Row: Collins, Becca, Emily, Jen, Shelley, Bob

Bob and Emily at Kansas City Fairy Princess

Kansas City Fairy Princess

Kansas City Fairy Princess: Jen, Emily, Henry, Becca L., Fairy Princess, Carolyn, Becca H. and Collins

Becca and Kansas City Fairy Princess

Carolyn Kansas City Fairy Princess

Henry Kansas City Fairy Princess

Henry getting treasure at Kansas City Fairy Princess

Becca and Carolyn at Kansas City Fairy Princess

Becca and Collins at Kansas City Fairy Princess

Henry Kansas City Fairy Princess

Kansas City Fairy Princess

Becca at Kansas City Fairy Princess

Carolyn at Kansas City Fairy Princess

Henry Kansas City Fairy Princess

Kansas City Fairy Princess

Emily at Kansas City Fairy Princess

Collins at Kansas City Fairy Princess

Doing Crafts at Kansas City Fairy Princess

Kansas City Fairy Princess

The Kansas City Museum is under going renovation and is starting to regain its former beauty!

Kansas City Museum after renovation

Fairy Princess an unique Kansas City tradition

January 27, 2015 by shelley

Fairy Princess an unique Kansas City tradition**

Our holidays this year started with a trip to the Fairy Princess. It is an unique Kansas City Tradition. She is at the Kansas City Museum. We have gone in years past but this year (for us) it was the first time the Kansas City Museum had completed enough remodeling that the princess throne room was actually inside the museum. (In years past it was in the stables of the Long Mansion.)

Kansas City Princess throne room

The visit seemed a little more involved this year inasmuch as we were greeted by other fairies that told the story of the fairies. It certainly had our group entranced.

Fairies telling the story at the Kansas City Museum’s Fairy Princess

Meeting the Fairy Princess and receiving a gift.

Caroline and the Fairy Princess

Meeting the Fairy Princess

Caroline and the Fairy Princess

Jack and the Fairy Princess

Becca and the Fairy Princess

A not so happy Henry and the Fairy Princess

The magic of opening the present box

Jack entertaining the Fairy Princess

And making a craft after the visit.

Craft time after

**To past generations of Kansas City children, the holidays meant a visit with the fabulous Fairy Princess at Kline’s Department Store, 1113 Main Street. There, in Kline’s wondrous Toyland, yesterday’s youngsters told their fondest holiday hopes to the Fairy Princess. But the beautiful Fairy Princess did much more than listen. Being magical, she waved her wand to make a surprise gift appear for each child. This gift was a delightful prelude to the holidays when children received toys on their wish list.

1949 Klines Fairy Princess Kansas City Missouri

The Fairy Princess tradition began in 1935 when Kline’s first opened its Toyland. The brand new toy department incorporated the latest trends in child development. As Kline’s officials informed the “modern mother and fathers” of 1935, “we consulted child psychologists and child experts” because “we wanted toys that would help your child develop a more alert mind, a healthier body and a happier disposition.” And, as an additional incentive to lure modern parents to Kline’s, they presented the Fairy Princess. A child could visit Santa at any department store, but only Kline’s featured the unique Fairy Princess.

In the following decades, the white-gowned, lovely Fairy Princess continued to fascinate children as some aspects of the presentation changed. Yet, it mattered little whether the surprise package slid down a chute, revolved on a turntable, appeared behind doors in a fairyland tree or lie in a festively decorated trunk because the Fairy Princess’ magic remained the same. Amazingly, so did the 25 cent fee Kline’s charged for a visit with the Fairy Princess from the 1930s through the 1960s.

The 1960s brought more and more children to this popular holiday attraction. Kline’s new branch store in the Ward Parkway and Antioch Shopping Centers increased the number of children this retailer could delight. To reach even more children, Kline’s sent the Fairy Princess to pediatric wards in area hospitals and to some public schools. Kline’s kept making the holidays special with the Fairy Princess until the late 1960s, shortly before the business closed in 1970.

To re-create one of the treasured traditions of downtown Christmas, the Kansas City Museum brought back the Fairy Princess tradition in 1987. The mission of the Fairy Princess event is to recreate this Kansas City historic event with an air of wonder and excitement. The event is part of local history and something children and adults of today enjoy.

Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall is Kansas City’s oldest and largest museum of local and regional history. The Museum opened in 1940, located in the former home of Kansas City lumber entrepreneur and philanthropist Robert A. Long.

The home was completed in 1910, and the Long family lived here until the death of Mr. Long in 1934. Mrs. Long had passed away in 1928, and the two Long daughters were married and living elsewhere. After a two-day auction, the house sat empty until late 1939 when the Kansas City Museum Association formed and opened the Museum the following May.

Pre-Christmas Activities…fun! fun! fun!

February 16, 2013 by shelley

Prior to Christmas we kept busy with lots of activities:

We did Build a Bear at Oak Park Mall…

Becca taking oath at Build a Bear to love her creation. Both Becca and Henry did build-a-“puppy” instead of bears.

Henry watching Becca taking her oath.

Henry and Becca.

We took a carriage ride on the plaza…

We took our ride in a Cinderella Carriage like this one:

Our Carriage awaits….

Becca in front of our Cinderella carriage.

Jen and Bec.

Becca and Jen.

Henry and Grandpa.

Enjoying the KC Plaza Christmas lights.

We went to the Fairy Princess…

An old Kansas City Tradition. The Fairy Princess first appeared in Kansas City, Mo. in 1935 in the toy department at Kline’s Department Store, one of the many department stores located within the downtown shopping district. Kline’s Fairy Princess delighted children for as many as 30 years until the closing of Kline’s in the 1970s.

Twenty years ago, The Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall revived the Fairy Princess tradition. Thousands of area children have whispered holiday wishes in the Princess’ ear, and experienced the magic and splendor of the season at Corinthian Hall.

It us a very unique Christmas tradition and I think it is a Christmas tradition uniquely found only in Kansas City.

Henry waiting to see the Princess.

Princess magic; Henry, Caroline and Becca with the Fairy Princess.

Magic trunk opens.

Becca receiving her tiara.

Making crafts.

Becca making a craft.

A new Beatty family tradition.

We started a new tradition this year. Each Wednesday we visited grandpa at work. We all got to see where grandpa worked and then we had lunch in the hospital cafe.

Henry and Becca learning about what grandpa does each day at work…at least on office day.

Of course we had to do a repeat of the train restaurant in the Crown Center,

Fritz’s cafe…toot…toot…

Becca.

Adam and Jen.

Food being delivered.

Henry at Fritz’s restaurant at the Crown Center, Kansas City Missouri.

To see the train/food delivery system in action, watch this video:

Of course we had to visit Santa-land at the Crown Center and

A visit to Santa…

Becca in Santa-land at Crown Center, Kansas City, Missouri.

Henry in Santa-land.

KOOKIEDOODLE…

We visited a new place in downtown Overland Park called Kookiedoodle. Kookiedoodle Crafts is a family owned and operated arts and crafts studio for children ages 3 to 12. It is an interactive, hands on, creative experiences that get kids imaginations going. It is a fun, unique place created completely and totally for kids.

It is located :

7924 Santa Fe, Overland Park KS 66204, Phone: (913) 387-4065 www.kookiedoodlecrafts.com

Kookiedoodle fun…

Becca at Kookiedoodle.

Nativity and the Paul Mesner Puppets.

Another very unique Kansas City experience is Paul Mesner Puppets.

Paul Mesner, puppeteer, author and performer became interested in puppetry at an early age. As a teenager he studied with Lee Ridge in Lincoln, Nebraska before starting his own puppet theater in Omaha. He toured his shows throughout Minnesota before studying at the prestigious International Institute of Puppetry in Charleville-Mezier, France. He moved to Kansas City where in 1987 he founded the Paul Mesner Puppets. His lively performances present classic stories recast in contemporary terms. Audiences across the United States have delighted in the precise craftsmanship, dynamic presentation and joyful blending of humor and education in all his productions. Paul Mesner believes wholeheartedly in entertaining his audiences and doesn’t mind including deeper meanings and life-lessons when no one is looking.

We all made our way to Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral to see the Paul Mesner Puppets in “The Nativity.” They were wonderful.

Are they puppets or marionettes? We wondered. But they seem like something unto themselves to me. Greater than full size … taller than tall … eyes of unusual size. The arms and fabric billow. The heads bobble ever so gently. The bodies sway in the space above the audience as they walk down the aisle. And for humor the sheep poke their heads into the crowd and go “baaaaaa” and the camels lean over and spit. “Putoey!”

When not being funny, the larger than life characters are mostly surreal and other worldly towering over us like figures in a dream. A good dream. In fact if I could hire the Paul Mesner Puppets troupe to star in my dreams every night and portray the contents of my subconscious, I think I would.

To watch go to:

Afterwards, learning how the puppets are operated.

Liberty Memorial

National World War I Museum in Kansas City was another fun activity we did pre-Christmas. In 2004 the Museum was designated by Congress as the United States’ official World War I Museum, opening to the public on December 2, 2006, as the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial. The Museum presents a comprehensive interpretation of World War I (1914-1919) and its lasting consequences, providing a vivid and memorable experience for all.

World War I Museum Liberty Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri

World War I Museum Liberty Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri. Look carefully, you can see the rat in the trenches.

Poppies…World War I Museum Liberty Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri

Henry, Adam, Becca, Jen
World War I Museum Liberty Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri

Caroline at World War I Museum Liberty Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri

World War I Museum Liberty Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri

Fun making cookies with the Bennion family…

Quinn Bennion, Kacee Bennion (behind), Becca Long, and Liberty Bennion.

Parker and Logan Bennion.

Kacee Bennion, Becca Long, Liberty Bennion.

Henry Long.

Quinn and Heidi Bennion. Bob Beatty.

Kacee Bennion, Becca Long, Liberty Bennion, Henry Long.

Heidi Bennion, Kacee Bennion, Henry Long and Logan Bennion behind Henry.

Becca Long, Kacee and Heidi Bennion.

Becca Long and Kacee Bennion.

Becca Long, Kacee Bennion holding Caroline Long.

Becca’s version of the Nativity…

Becca before baby Jesus is born.

and…

Becca after baby Jesus is born!

December 17 And It Is Time To Visit the Fairy Princess

January 7, 2012 by shelley

One week until Christmas and it was time to visit the Fairy Princess. A visit to the Fairy Princess right before Christmas is a long standing tradition in Kansas City. The Fairy Princess first appeared in Kansas City, Mo. in 1935 in the toy department at Kline’s Department Store, one of the many department stores located within the downtown shopping district. At Kline’s the princess wore an elaborate gown complete with magic wand. Each child would share their Christmas wishes, get their photo taken with the princess and as a treat for the child, the Princess would wave her magical wand and a small gift would slide down a chute. Kline’s Fairy Princess delighted children for as many as 30 years until the closing of Kline’s in the 1970’s. Twenty years ago, The Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall revived the Fairy Princess tradition.