Happy Hour at The Zoo - Libations for Conservation by KCMB Kansas City News

Cool Caribbean Fun at The Kansas City Zoo - KCMB Kansas City News

This Wednesday evening, leave your work clothes on and drive over to the Kansas City Zoo where they are having a happy hour party with a Caribbean theme. Featuring LIVE MUSIC from Kansas City's best reggae band Az One, produced in part by Adam Blue Productions, the weather is perfect for a nice evening outside at the zoo with a few cocktails, live music and good friends.

More details from The Kansas City Zoo and Friends of The Zoo:

Cool Caribbean Fun

Libations for Conservation on Wednesday, August 15th from 5pm - 7:30pm. Tropical style fun with a run tasting, flavorful appetizers, cool icy treats and joyful Caribbean vibes - all in support of the animals from the Tropics.

Caribbean eats from Deco Street Eats Food Truck, musical entertainment by reggae band Az One, rum provided by Major Brands and icy treats by Tropicana. And for more animal-sized entertainment, join the Zoo Keepers for chats by the sea lions at 5:30pm and in the Tropics at 6:30pm.

Libations for Conservation is a happy hour event in support of conservation efforts for adults ages 21 and older. Register at The Kansas City Zoo - Friends of the Zoo Members - $20.00, Jackson County and Clay County Non Friends of the Zoo Members $25.00, Regular Non Friends of the Zoo Members $30.00

Libations for Conservation Caribbean night at the Kansas City Zoo by KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Chiefs-Cardinals Game Recap

Football is back, and the Chiefs got their preseason schedule off to a great start with a 27-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Kansas City scored touchdowns twice in the first quarter, using a balanced attack to put the Cardinals away early.

The biggest thing Chiefs fans can take away from this game is that Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry and Tony Moeaki all played and looked like their old selves. The team lost this trio to injuries last year, which was a big part in Kansas City’s failure to reach the postseason. Charles took a hit to his surgically-repaired knee on the first play of the game, but appeared fine as he rushed for 12 yards on three carries.

Offensively, the team’s first-string offense looked very good in the first quarter. Kansas City got a huge boost from new running back Peyton Hillis, who broke a long run and continuously found good yardage on his inside runs. Hillis also scored the game’s first touchdown, catching a wheel-route pass from Matt Cassel for an 11 yard touchdown. It appears the Hillis may be able to return to his 2010 form and provide a nice complement to Charles, while keeping the team's feature back fresh. The Chiefs’ offensive line looked great early on, opening up holes for Charles and Hillis while giving Cassel time to find receivers open downfield.

Defensively, Kansas City did not allow a touchdown until after halftime and made a few big plays as well. Newly-signed safety Abram Elam intercepted Arizona’s John Skelton and returned it 37 yards, which lead to a Ryan Succop field goal. The Chiefs also got points following a great special teams play, as rookie Devon Wylie had a long punt return to set up another short Succop kick.

The team has struggled mightily in the past during preseason play, which led to a lot of criticism from the media and fans of former head coach Todd Haley. It was refreshing to see the team look sharp early-on in this one and defeat a weak team at home.

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Royals Win Third Straight Game

The Royals have been playing some pretty good baseball lately, winning their third straight game last night with a dominating 8-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Kansas City has now won seven out of its past 10 games, and has improved its record to 48-63 on the season.

One big reason the team is winning games is due to a suddenly hot offense, led by Billy Butler and Alex Gordon. Both players homered in the first inning last night, giving the Royals a commanding 4-0 lead early on. Butler has three homers in the past week, and has raised his average to .303 for the season with 23 home runs and 72 RBI. Gordon has also cranked up the offensive production, raising his season average to .294. Gordon is batting .347 since the All-Star break, and while he has failed to provide the Royals’ offense with power, his ability to get on base in front of players like Butler has been very valuable, as has his defense in the outfield.

The Royals have also gotten some strong pitching performances recently, only giving up five total runs over the past three games. The biggest surprise was the recently-acquired Jeremy Guthrie, who was dominate in an eight-inning performance against the White Sox. Guthrie was acquired when Kansas City traded Jonathan Sanchez, and it appeared as if the team had merely swapped one struggling pitcher for another. If Guthrie can turn things around and continue to pitch well, he could find a permanent spot in Kansas City’s rotation entering next season.

The Royals will be back in action tonight, facing the Orioles in game two of the teams’ four-game series. Luke Hochevar (7-9) will start for Kansas City, while Miguel Gonzalez (3-2) will start for Baltimore. The game will begin at 6:05 p.m.

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Chiefs Scrimmage Cardinals In Joint Practice

The Kansas City Chiefs hosted the Arizona Cardinals for a joint team practice yesterday, competing with their upcoming preseason opponent in a variety of drills and competitions. There were almost 200 players practicing at one time on the fields of Missouri Western State University, and nearly 3,000 fans were in attendance.

This was the first time in three years that either team had held a training camp scrimmage or joint practice. The Chiefs scrimmaged the Vikings in 2008 when the team still held camp in River Falls, Wisconsin while the Cardinals participated in a joint practice with the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. Many teams had decided to eliminate joint scrimmages due to fights breaking out between the opposing players; luckily there were no scuffles between any Kansas City or Arizona players in yesterday’s practice.

After working individually during walkthroughs and stretching, the two teams went at it in a series of individual drills, 7-on-9, 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 scenarios. The scrimmage wrapped up with both teams’ first-string offenses competing in a two minute drill situation. Matt Cassel and John Skelton were both able to lead their offenses to a field goal in the competition.

The idea for a joint practice came in response to the Cardinal’s travel schedule. The team recently played the Saints in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio and is scheduled to play the Chiefs on Friday. Rather than take extra flights to Phoenix, the team decided to stop in the Midwest for a unique practice opportunity and avoid some extra travel.

Both teams plan on practicing separately for the remainder of the Cardinal’s stay in Kansas City; however Chief head coach Romeo Crennel said he would be open to joint practices/scrimmages in the future, should the right opportunity present itself.

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Chiefs Release First Depth Chart

With the 2012 NFL regular season only a few weeks away, the Chiefs have announced their first unofficial depth chart. While most positions were already etched in stone, there were a few surprises on this first chart.

The biggest surprise may be at nose tackle, where journeyman Anthony Toribio is listed as the starter over first round pick Dontari Poe. Toribio has had a terrific camp, and Poe is still learning the ropes, so perhaps this is simply a motivational tool for Poe. Another interesting note is that Steve Breaston is listed as a starting receiver. Dwayne Bowe is still in the midst of a holdout, which means Breaston is the de facto starter opposite of second-year man Jonathan Baldwin. Also, despite a reputation of being one of the most dynamic running backs in football, this is the first Chiefs depth chart that actually features Jamaal Charles in the starter’s role.

While most expected Brady Quinn to win the job as Matt Cassel’s backup, he has been in a battle with Ricky Stanzi for the position. The first chart lists Quinn ahead of Stanzi, while rookie Alex Tanney is the fourth quarterback on the roster. It is hard to imagine the Chiefs keeping four healthy QBs when the season starts, which means Tanney will have to beat out Stanzi if he wants to avoid a spot on the practice squad.

The first unofficial depth chart is below. The starters are listed first.

Offense

WR: Steve Breaston, Dexter McCluster, Josh Bellamy, Devon Wylie, Aaron Weaver, Zeke Markshausen

LT: Branden Albert, Donald Stephenson

LG: Ryan Lilja, Jeff Allen, Rich Ranglin

C: Rodney Hudson, Lucas Patterson, Rob Bruggeman, Cam Holland

RG: Jon Asamoah, Darryl Harris, Justin Cheadle

RT: Eric Winston, David Mims, Ray Willis

TE: Kevin Boss, Tony Moeaki, Steve Maneri, Jake O'Connell, Tim Biere

WR: Jon Baldwin, Terrance Copper, Jamar Newsome, Jeremy Horne, Brandon Kinnie, Junior Hemingway,

QB: Matt Cassel, Brady Quinn, Ricky Stanzi, Alex Tanney

FB: Shane Bannon, Patrick DiMarco

RB: Jamaal Charles, Peyton Hillis, Shaun Draughn, Cyrus Gray, Nate Eachus


Defense

RDE: Glenn Dorsey, Amon Gordon, Brandon Bair, Ethan Johnson

NT: Anthony Toribio, Dontari Poe, Jerrell Powe

LDE: Tyson Jackson, Ropati Pitoitua, Allen Bailey, Jerome Long

ROLB: Tamba Hali, Cameron Sheffield, Edgar Jones

RILB: Derrick Johnson, Cory Greenwood, Leon Williams

LILB: Jovan Belcher, Brandon Siler, Caleb Campbell, Dexter Heyman

LOLB: Justin Houston, Andy Studebaker, Gabe Miller

RCB: Stanford Routt, Javier Arenas, De'Quan Menzie, Neiko Thorpe, Mikail Baker

LCB: Brandon Flowers, Jalil Brown, Jacques Reeves, Chandler Fenner

FS: Kendrick Lewis, Travis Daniels, Donald Washington, Tysyn Hartman, Dominique Ellis

SS: Eric Berry, Abram Elam, Jean Fanor, Terrance Parks


Special Teams

P: Dustin Colquitt, Matt Szymanski

K: Ryan Succop, Matt Szymanski

Long Snapper: Thomas Gafford, Cory Greenwood, Andy Studebaker

Holder: Dustin Colquitt, Brady Quinn, Ricky Stanzi

PR: Javier Arenas, Dexter McCluster, Devon Wylie

KR: Javier Arenas, Dexter McCluster, Devon Wylie

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