Mrs. Minkley\’s fourth grade class joined busloads of other students in the darkened auditorium at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City. Waving at kids I knew from 4-H and my Brownie troop, I waited with my classmates. For what, we weren\’t quite sure.

Then the curtains parted, music began playing from somewhere backstage, and women from the Junior League of Wyandotte & Johnson Counties began performing one of my favorite fairy tales, \”Cinderella.\” It was the first time I\’d witnessed live theater. I was smitten.

That childhood enlightenment may very well be the reason my desk drawer is stuffed with playbills from the Kansas City Rep, Musical Theater Heritage, Kansas City Actors Theatre and others. And the painting classes I took at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art the next year most likely are the source of my adult appreciation for fine art. Without a doubt, my Aunt Gini\’s extra ticket to the Kansas City Philharmonic (precursor to the modern-day Symphony) in junior high helped instill a lifelong passion for music.

It has never been a more thrilling time in our city for lovers of the arts. From the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Kansas City Ballet\’s new home, the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity this month to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts\’ grand opening schedule beginning September 16, it\’s a season of celebration and community pride.

Just as when I was nine, I\’ll be jumping up to say hi to friends across the aisles.

Another event taking place this month may not be changing the lives of area youths, but it certainly will have my attention. Blending the visual and performing arts then serving them up with a twist, the fifth annual Greater Kansas City Bartending Competition founded by Ryan Maybee and Doug Frost is expanding. This year, the event will be a multi-day festival that will culminate in the spirits smackdown, August 21 at Uptown Theater.

Excited? I\’m positively shaking.