Northeast News
August 3, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Kansas City Public Schools plans to give away 6,500 backpacks at their first annual Summerfest back to school festival this weekend.

The event is scheduled on Saturday, August 6, with backpacks and other amenities available for those enrolled in KCPS public schools and attending the event.

“The goal of the event is, first and foremost, to prepare families and get them excited for the start of the school year,” said Ray Weikal, Public Relations Director of KCPS. “We wanted to prepare an event where there are a lot of different practical things that families can do.”

The other two big goals for this event are to welcome the central office to their new building at 2901 Troost, and also welcoming the new superintendent, Dr. Mark Bedell, to the community. KC Summerfest will have free food, live music, choirs, dance groups and a DJ. The Kansas City Health Department and the Kansas City Parks Department have also stepped up to partner with the district. The health department will provide immunizations to those in need. Families can also check on school transportation status, language services, and win uniform giveaways. There will be games such as basketball and kickball for the kids to play, as well as an art area and book nooks.

“We’re hoping it becomes an annual thing. That is our intention,” said Weikal. “The biggest thing is that we want to serve families; that’s our top priority.”

Parents will be able to prepare enrollment for their kid(s) and look into before-and-after-school programs. There will also be a stage set up with student-centric performances. The event will take place at 2901 Troost Avenue on August 6th, from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. To pre-register, you can go to kcpublicschools.org/summerfest. The district will set aside backpacks for those who are registered.