We love the Kansas City Streetcar, but watch out for the tracks!

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KC StreetcarMy name is Stan Lucas and I am the installation manager for Kenton Brothers. My wife and I have recently taken up the sport of bicycling as a way for both of us to get in shape and spend time together. Though I haven’t been doing it for long, I’ve learned some tricks of the trade, and I have one piece of advice for anyone taking up this sport in the Kansas City metro area…

Watch out for the streetcar tracks.

One night my wife and I were exploring the Crossroads and City Market area and having what I thought would be a normal evening bike ride. Don’t tell my wife this, but as usual, I was fairly far ahead of her. So I turned my head to check on her and see where she was… and I slightly turned my front wheel and it fell right into the streetcar track. I’m not a graceful guy, so as you can imagine, I toppled over the handlebars and came crashing down into the street.

I quickly picked myself and my bike up, expecting my wife to be rushing over to make sure I was okay… only to realize she was actually stopped at a nearby restaurant looking over their menu.

If you’re planning on riding in the downtown area of Kansas City, make sure you look for the streetcar track signs… and have a good biking partner!

First Fridays – Dinosaurs on Parade!

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It’s 4:00pm on Friday. The sun is shining. The office has a buzz about it. It’s that electric feeling of excitement – It’s just about time to start the weekend! Outside the large windows in the office we see artisans and food carts starting to set up for selling wares of all kinds.  You see, It’s not only Friday, it’s first Friday and the Kenton Brothers offices are located in the Crossroads.

Kansas City has a lot to offer, especially First Friday’s in the Crossroads area.

Dinosaurs on ParadeThe Crossroads is an exciting, eclectic place full of artists, architects, restaurants, marketing firms and of course Kenton Brothers… Kansas City’s best security company. Every first Friday, this creative area explodes with activity. This family friendly hot spot goes to a whole new level when the calendar hits the first Friday of the month.

At 4:30pm, our team members start leaving for the weekend. As they pass the vendors and food stops, they see a rainbow of colors and a cornucopia of smells. Fresh squeezed lemonade being sold to support Ronald Mcdonald House charities, or hot Hamburgers off on of KC’s famous food trucks. The street is already starting to fill up with people.

It’s now 6:30pm and it looks like most of Kansas City is enjoying a warm summer night with family and friends walking the sidewalks and parking lots throughout the Crossroads area. If you like to people watch – this is the place to do it. There are all types of characters around.  People are breathing fire, singing like they are going to be discovered by X-Factor, creating live art with paint and dance, and kids having an ice cream eating contest.

At Kenton Brothers we have the added benefit of having our surveillance cameras all over the building.  So even if we are not able to make the festivities we can watch from our smart phones or iPads.

Dinosaurs!

Once in a while you see something that really grabs your attention. This happened to me last month. While reviewing the footage from our security cameras, I saw a lot of normal fun… but then…out of the crowd comes… Dinosaurs… yes Dinosaurs! And they were dancing. They came into view at the corner of 18th and Baltimore – a sea of people came with them.

The dinosaurs were 8 feet tall, looked like Tyrannosaurus Rex, and had a head full of teeth. Weaving and bobbing in and out of the crowd, shaking their tales and even dabbing with their little underdeveloped arms. This was bringing pure joy to everyone around and I was laughing out loud watching the spectacle. Dinosaurs on Parade will make you smile from ear to ear!!

To know the Crossroads area is to love it – Come see us on a First Friday!

Pop Tab Pandemonium at Ronald McDonald House KC!

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Kenton Brothers believes in supporting our community.  One of the ways in which we support Kansas City is through one of our favorite charities, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City.  As you may know, Kenton Brothers collects old keys to donate to Ronald McDonald House.  The keys are sold as scrap metal.  What you may not know is that you can collect scrap metal for Ronald McDonald House KC every day, even if you don’t have old keys!

Collecting pop tabs, the tabs that assist you in opening a can of soda, beer, water, juice, etc., and returning them to the Ronald McDonald House allows RMHCKC collect thousands of dollars each year in scarp metal money.  Consider a collection box for your house, church, school, community center, or, if you have a soda addiction like KB salesman Steve Scharff, your desk! Email Alan Lubert at Ronald McDonald House if you need collection boxes.  Or you can pick them up this Saturday at RMHCKC’s Pop Tab Pandemonium Event!

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Kenton Brothers Unlock Hope Program and WaterOne of Lenexa joined forces to help Ronald McDonald House of Kansas City

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left to right: Mandy Cawby, Mike Armstrong, Sean McGraw, & Paul Dunham from WaterOne; Alan Lubert from Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City, Gina Stuelke of Kenton Brothers, and Tami Greenberg of RMHC KC

WaterOne Makes “Key” Donation To Ronald McDonald House

Kansas City, MO – WaterOne today confirmed a unique donation of $1,068.96 to support Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City (RMHC-KC) using scrap metal as its currency. WaterOne is upgrading metal locks and keys at its facilities with the help of contractor Kenton Brothers. The old keys and locks from the project added up to 816 lbs. of brass, which Kenton Brothers recommended donating to RMHC-KC through its Unlock Hope program.

“Kenton Brothers introduced the idea of a donation to Ronald McDonald House of Kansas City,” said Sean McGraw, Safety & Security Manager for WaterOne. “They could have kept the scrap for their profit margin, but they saw an opportunity to serve a greater good and get WaterOne involved.”

RMHC-KC keeps families close to their sick children and provides a place of respite, taking care of the family’s basic needs with warm meals, laundry facilities, a rejuvenating shower and comfortable beds at little or no cost to the families.

“This donation will cover 14 nights for a family,” said Alan Lubert, Community Relations Manager for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City. “We rely on support and contributions like this gift from WaterOne thanks to Kenton Brothers’ Unlock Hope partnership.”

WaterOne is an independent non-profit water utility serving the Johnson County, Kansas area. Kenton Brothers is a Kansas City-based security integrator, offering commercial grade security products and customer security solutions since 1897.

To learn more about Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City services or make a personal donation, visit www.rmhckc.org.

For more information on the Unlock Hope program, please click here to download our information sheet.