K.C. A-to-Z-- Part 2

I is for INVENTIONS--

McDonald's Happy Meals, Wishbone salad dressing, jazz jam sessions, Chicken Spiedini (?), modern-day bumper sticker, Rival crock pots, multi-screen theater concept and M&M's candy coating.

J is for JESSE JAMES--

He grew up in nearby Kearney, Mo., where they hold a festival each year in his honor. You can also visit the Jesse James Bank Museum in Liberty, site of an 11866 James gang bank robbery.

K is for KANSAS CITY ZOO--

In Swope Park. More than 1,000 animals.

M is for MICKEY MOUSE--

The man behind the Mouse called KC home, attending the Kansas City Art Institute in the early 1920s and opened his first animation studio in KC, Laugh-O-Gram Studios. Legend has it that Walt befriended and fed a small mouse in the building, later saying it was the inspiration for Mickey Mouse.

P is for "PARIS OF THE PLAINS"--

Jazz flourished in KC in the 1920s and 1930s when political boss Tom Pendergast went against Prohibition and allowed alcohol to flow in KC. Kansas City's 12th Street became nationally known for jazz clubs, gambling parlors and brothels, earning the street the name "Paris of the Plains." At its height, home to more than 50 jazz clubs and over 100 nightclubs, dance halls and vaudeville houses.

Obviously More to Come. What Is Chicken Spiedini? --RoadDog