The second annual Sly’s Rock the Block event, scheduled for August 17th at Union Station, will feature two special guests. The Sequel, featuring members from national recording artists Lo-Key, will provide live entertainment and former NBA player and current coach, Sam Cassell, will be on hand to sign autographs and take pictures with Rock the Block guests. This free event, produced by the Mayor’s Office of Civic and Community Engagement, Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department, and the Kansas City Police Department, will feature family-friendly activities from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. with free food from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m for the first 2000 attendees. Parking is free at the Union Station garage.
At 8 p.m. DJ Fresh will kick off the final night Club KC for middle and high school students. Club KC will continue until midnight, at which time the City’s curfew ordinance will be in effect.
Attendance at the Mayor’s Nights events, including Night Kicks, Night Hoops and Night Nets, in addition to Club KC has reached over 12,000 with over 9,000 in attendance at Club KC events alone. The program has provided Kansas City youth with safe summer activities that included an educational component through appearances by KCPD DARE Officers, youth financial advisors and military officials.
“I am proud of what we, as a community, have been able to do for Kansas City’s young people this summer,” said Mayor James. “Good things happen when you talk to youth and find out what they want to do when they aren’t in school. The fact that so many of our young people showed up for Mayor’s Nights activities this summer shows that our community is full of young people who make responsible decisions.”
Mayor James will also ask the community for its support in making the academic year ahead as successful as the summer. According to Attendance Works, a national and state initiative that focuses on the importance of school attendance, good attendance matters as early as pre-kindergarten and throughout elementary school. By middle and high school, poor attendance is a leading indicator of dropout and can dramatically hinder future career success.
“I want our young people to show the same commitment to the classroom as they did to Mayor’s Nights,” said Mayor James. “Students can’t learn if they don’t go to class. As a community, we must continue to look at school attendance, share data and determine what we can do to combat chronic absences and therefore, help raise achievement.”
For more information on Attendance Works, visit www.attendanceworks.org. For additional information on Sly’s Rock the Block, visit kcmayor.org/mayorsnights or contact Roosevelt Lyons, Senior Advisor for Civic & Community Engagement, at .
