Rincon Tarasco is the newest addition to Mexican dinning in Raytown and is an excellent addition. The food is not Tex-Mex, it hails from the Michoacan region. Two of my favorite dishes are on the menu, tacos al pastor and chicken mole. The tacos al pastor I ordered were excellent. Next visit I will try the chicken mole. The chips served as an appetizer we homemade from flour, not corn and were fresh and warm.The mild dipping sauce was mild and very nice, but as there was not a hint of tomato in it, I call it a sauce and not salsa. Be warned that the hot salsa choice is red and at the top range of my palate’s heat comfort, and I eat jalapenos like candy.
While delicious, the tacos al pastor and the mixed fajitas my wife ordered were very mild and may need to be enhanced for those who prefer a few beads of sweat on the forehead to feel satisfied. Bottom line is this new addition is worth a try if you want to go beyond hamburger tacos.
Insulation professional, David de la Fuente of Star Companies, Inc. in Raytown, Mo. secured the title and $10,000 grand prize at the 15thannual America’s Best Installer competition on Oct. 14. De la Fuente competed against 26 insulation installers from across the country in the skill-based competition at the EXDO Event Center in Denver.
De la Fuente exceeded the performance of his competitors in the fast-paced competition which consisted of installing JM formaldehyde-free insulation batts into mock home structures. Expert judges evaluated each competitor based on real job site criteria, including workmanship and install quality, speed, material use, and reaction to different obstacles, such as pipes, vaulted ceilings and electrical outlets.
The competition also recognized second-place winner, Noe Castillo of Denver-based Rocky Mountain Insulation, with a $5,000 cash prize. A third-place $3,500 cash prize was awarded to Shawn Elliot of Charlotte, N.C.-based Standard Insulating Companies and a fourth-place $2,500 cash prize was awarded to Jose Varela-Garcia of Olathe, Kan.-based Henges Insulation
Additional cash prizes were awarded to the following competitors from the preliminary rounds of competition:
Diego Campana-Baquero of A+ Insulation, Edwardsville, Kan. ($1,000)
Leonel Lora of American Residential Products, Orlando, Fla. ($1,000)
Doel Vazquez of Wisconsin Insulation Services, Menomonee Falls, Wis. ($1,000)
Travis Vandenbogart of Comfort Pro Insulators, Little Suamico, Wis. ($1,000)
Jake Milner of G5 / Insul USA, Nixa, Mo. ($500)
Rafael Rodriguez-Loya of Nelligan Insulation, Lynchburg, Va. ($500)
Alex Franco of Homeowner’s Insulation, Colorado Springs, Colo. ($500)
Justin McCabe of Northwind Insulation, Orchard Park, N.C. ($500)
March 8, half of all fundraiser sales from Kansas City Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants will benefit the KC Pet Project, the largest no-kill animal shelter in Kansas City, caring for almost 10,000 pets a year.
Between 10:45 a.m. and 10 p.m., 30 restaurants across Kansas City will donate 50% of all participant proceeds to the KC Pet Project. There are three ways to make sure half of your readers’ lunch/dinner benefits KCPP:
• Bring in the flyer
• Show the social media posts
• Mention the fundraiser at checkout
Sutherlands has a huge sale on fruit every year right before Christmas. Apples, pears, and oranges are $0.69 a pound and bananas are $0.39 a pound. The also have low prices on nuts. This is always a great deal
Clark’s Appliances caught fire Thursday night at around 10 PM. Damages were significant and will result in the business being closed for at least a couple days. There were no injuries.
For more on this click HERE to see the KSHB 41 story on the fire.
City of Raytown and RH Johnson Company announce three new businesses coming to Raytown. AT&T is scheduled to open at 350 Highway and Gregory in late July. Great Clips and Dominos are scheduled for an early August opening.
RH Johnson Company is the owner and developer of the property. The property was formerly a mattress company but before that was a gas station. The property had to have some environmental work done because of the later owner before it could be developed. That work was completed and work to get a building for tenants was begun.
“We are pleased that these three organizations are coming to our city.” said Tom Cole, Economic Development Administrator. “We continue to build the strength of 350 Highway with a good assortment of businesses.”
Dominos has become more than a pizza restaurant. The new store design aims to put pizza front and center with a “Pizza Theater” format that will have pizza-making artists’ hand tossing dough and creating custom-made pies in front of seated guests. Their new menu also offers sandwiches, pastas, chicken wings, desserts and other appetizers.
Great Clips, a Minneapolis-based haircare company is the world’s largest salon brand creating more than 80 million haircuts each year. The salons are locally owned and operated. Great Clips offers many services and are open evenings and weekends. For convenience they also offer online check in.
AT&T mission is to connect people with their world. They provide products and services to make this happen.
Tutera’s Westridge Gardens Rehabilitation & Health Care Center Recognized on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Nursing Homes 2015” List
120-Bed Skilled Nursing Facility Earns 5-Star Rating for Third Consecutive Year
Westridge Gardens Rehabilitation & Health Care Center — owned and operated by Tutera Senior Living & Health Care — has been recognized byU.S. News & World Report on its annual “Best Nursing Homes 2015” list. The prestigious recognition marks the community’s third consecutive year to earn a five-star rating for its consistently high standard of quality care. Westridge Gardens is a 120-bed skilled nursing facility located in Raytown, a suburb of Kansas City, Mo.
To qualify, Westridge Gardens Rehabilitation & Health Care Center had to earn an overall five-star quality rating from Nursing Home Compare, a program run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the federal agency that sets and enforces standards for nursing homes. Each year, U.S. News & World Report awards a “Best Nursing Homes” designation to facilities that earned the agency’s highest overall rating of five stars for performance in three categories: state-conducted health inspections, how much time nurses spend with residents, and the quality of medical care.
“This national recognition is a tremendous honor,” said Joe Tutera, CEO of Tutera Group. “It reflects the intensive, daily dedication of the entire staff at Westridge Gardens. They continue to raise the bar in delivering Tutera’s commitment to consistent, quality care that meets the individualized needs of our residents and their families.”
Westridge Gardens’ profile on the US News & World Report website now displays a “Best Nursing Homes” badge to recognize their status as one of America’s best nursing homes. Only 22 percent of all nursing homes in Missouri earned an overall five-star rating. Westridge Gardens’ record of success also includes being recognized locally as the “Business of the Year” by the Raytown Chamber of Commerce in 2013. For more than 20 years, Westridge Gardens Rehabilitation & Health Care Center has provided a safe, residential environment offering a range of services including 24-hour skilled nursing care; physical, occupational and speech therapy, and short and long-term rehabilitation.
As one of the nation’s premier senior care providers, Tutera Senior Living & Health Care operates 47 senior living communities in 13 states.
Now in its seventh year, the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Nursing Homes 2015 highlights the top nursing homes in every state and nearly 100 major metropolitan areas. It is designed to help the several million Americans who will spend at least some time in a nursing home in 2015 rehabbing after a hospital stay or as long-term residents. On a given day, 1.4 million people, most of them 65 and older, live in nursing homes, according to U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News & World Report evaluated nearly 16,000 facilities across the country for its annual report.
Best Nursing Homes provides data and information on care, safety, health inspections, staffing and more for virtually all U.S. nursing homes. A searchable database lets users find highly rated nursing homes by distance as well as by location. Each facility’s profile displays health and fire safety violations, performance in important clinical categories and how much time nursing staff spends with residents.
About Tutera Senior Living & Health Care
Tutera Senior Living & Health Care is a locally-owned diversified post-acute senior health care provider operating 47 senior living communities in 13 states throughout the United States. As one of the nation’s premier senior care providers, Tutera Senior Living & Health Care offers its residents independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, post-surgery rehabilitation, memory care and home health and hospice care. In 1983, Dominic F. Tutera MD founded Tutera to provide compassionate patient care with the uncompromising values of integrity, accountability and commitment. Tutera Senior Living & Health Care still embodies those values today. Tutera is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of its residents and their families through senior living and health care experts who inspire and promote individuality and personal happiness. For more information, visit www.Tutera.com.
Kansas City Xtreme Wrestling (KCXW) and the Xtreme Wrestling Center (XWC), a professional wrestling training school serving the entire Kansas City metro area, will present their first double show on May 9 at the Pierson Community Center in Kansas City, Kansas.
“Since launching in August, the Xtreme Wrestling Center has become quite the hub for professional wrestling in Kansas City. Students such as The Riegel Twins and Derek Philips will be joining industry veterans like Angel Medina and Kyle King on the same stage,” said Jordan Rogers “It’s been a privilege to work with these talented performers, and we can’t wait for the rest of Kansas City to see them, too.”
Shows start at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. The community center is located at 1800 South 55th Street, Kansas City, Kansas 66106. Tickets are $10 General Admission and $15 Ringside. Kids 10 and under are half-price, as are active duty military and Veterans.
Featured performers include: Angel Medina, The Riegel Twins, Darrien Sanders, “Smooth as Satin” David Cattin, Kyle King, JD Blak, Tommy Snow, Lady Pride, Captain Shabam and more.
KCXW is seeking to bring the family tradition of Pro Wrestling back to Kansas City by providing affordable wrestling entertainment in the KC area. Sponsored by the Xtreme Wrestling Center and run by Marine Veteran President Jordan ‘Smiley’ Rogers, KCXW is blazing a new trail in Kansas City Pro Wrestling.
About Kansas City Xtreme Wrestling
Kansas City Xtreme Wrestling (KCXW) has an office at 11513 E 63rd St., Raytown, MO which is co-located with the Xtreme Wrestling Center. KCXW is a Pro Wrestling promotion which is now running events out of Kansas City. For more information, visit www.KCwrestling.com and www.prowrestling.training, email us at booking@KCwrestling.com or call President Jordan Rogers at (816) 286-8579
At the Raytown Chamber’s annual Chamber Celebration luncheon held on Wednesday, January 28, the 2014 Past Chair Loretha Hayden (Lutfi’s Fried Fish), handed out awards to the following.
Business of the Year – Hy-Vee #1542
Small Business of the Year – Rok’it Advertising
Chamber Person of the Year – Rene Purtee
Volunteer of the Year – Charlotte Melson
Loretha also recognized outgoing board members Patrick Searcy, Power On Technologies, Andy Powelson, PBI Industries and At Large Members Meshelle Bishop, Cornerstone Home Improvement, Jeff Hirst, Holiday Inn CoCo Key Water Resort and Chris Payne, Monopoly Acquisitions.
The 2015 Chair of the Board, Mark Smith (Dick Smith Ford) talked about continuing with the current programs and events along with adding a Community Health Fair on August 8. CareSpot has reached out to the Chamber to partner with them on the health fair. It will be free to attend and open to the public. Be watching for more details to come out in the coming months. The Chamber will also research the possibility of having a young professionals group in Raytown.
All photos courtesy of the Raytown Chamber of Commerce
Business of the Year – Hy-Vee #1542 Pictured: Marty Streit, Store Director
Small Business of the Year – Rok’it Advertising Pictured: Kaylie Baker
Chamber Person of the Year – Rene Purtee
Volunteer of the Year – Charlotte Melson
The next luncheon is the State of the City Address which will be held on Wednesday, February 25 and will be held at First Baptist Church Raytown. Reservations are required before Monday, February 23 and can be obtained by calling the Chamber office at 816-353-8500. The cost is $21.00 per person.
Attorney General Chris Koster was the featured speaker at this years Raytown Chamber of Commerce Luncheon. Most of his speech was non-partisan in nature, except when it came to health care. Koster repeatedly hammered his position that it makes no sense to refuse to accept the $2 billion in federal funds that Missourians have actually paid $1.8 billion in taxes towards. That we get our money back, create health care jobs with it, and if the terms change in the future we can drop out of it.
AG Koster was an animated speaker, as the video below will show. Regretfully many times RaytownOnline did not follow his movements well enough to keep him inside the video frame.
The turnout may have been a little low due to events at the stadium, but those that were able to fight their way through the traffic enjoyed excellent food and drink at the Four Points by Sheraton. The Raytown Chamber of Commerce holds monthly after-hours networking events and this was one of the tastiest this year.
This months Raytown Chamber of Commerce Coffee was held at the Center 63 Boutique.
Pictured here is Chamber President Vicki Turnbow
Police Chief Jim Lynch and Alderman Pat Ertz
Since the last time RaytownOnline.com visited Center 63, they have added a men’s clothing rack and the inventory has changed. Center 63 is essentially an upscale used clothing store with other items like jewelry and decorative items. Most of the inventory ranges from nice to very nice. There is a major change coming, they are adding a used furniture store, located a few doors North of the clothes store. The official opening for the furniture store is about two weeks away. Below is a sneak preview of some of the items already in inventory.
Want a GREAT hotdog? From 11:00 am to 2:00 pm this Saturday and Sunday, you get a great Hebrew National hotdog and a soda for a donation to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The location is Westlake Ace Hardware, just East of Raytown Road on 350 Highway.
I bite into one and noticed that it was way above the average frank, so I ask the griller what was the brand and he showed me the package. Hebrew Nationals ranks up in the top 4 or 5 premium hotdogs in the country in my opinion. They are ALL beef, and on the level of Nathans, Vienna, or Sabretts in quality and number of devotees. I am going back to eat a couple more.
The Raytown Chamber of Commerce had their morning coffee at Planet Fitness last week. I was impressed, clean and a huge number of machines at a price that is a lot less than my old YMCA monthly dues. Huge may be an understatement. Take a look at a one minute video and get an idea of how small the chance is that you will ever wait for a machine to be available. Planet Fitness is located just East of Price Chopper on 63rd Street in the Brywood Shopping Center.
Editors note: The “last Thursday” refered to was not yesterday, but a week before.
The Raytown Farmers’ Market opened this past Thursday at 6210 Raytown Road across from the green space. There were over 50 people who attended the opening. Due to the weather the past several months, the produce was limited but was of high quality. There were several types of lettuce as well as onions and radishes. There were a large number of potted vegetables and herbs that were ready for planting. The chocolate mint thyme was a big hit.
Saturday was another great day for the Market. There were over 100 people who visited the Market and purchased produce (vegetables and herbs) and other items.
Both days, the vendors sold produce as well as plants, baked goods, table accessories, aprons, blankets and flowers. They included Stony Crest Urban Farm, Sister Friends Specialties, Emmanuel Kip’s Garden, Apron Strings and Other Things.
There were downpours both days which didn’t last too long, just enough to make everyone hurry under the tents.
The market has a children’s area each market day
On Thursday, the Butterfly Lady, Terry Shepherd from the Butterfly Fields Nursery taught in the children’s area. She showed the children the caterpillar she was growing amidst ferns and other plants and explained the cycle of growth. Each child received a prismatic butterfly to take home.
On Saturday, the librarians for the Raytown Mid-Continent Library showed the children how to make tie-dyed flowers. Each child decorated their flowers using their imagination.
On Thursday, Frank Rardon entertained the crowd with his music from the 60s and 70s.
On Saturday, Daryl Jones’ salad making demonstration produced a wonderful salad from produce purchased at the market.
As the weather gets warmer, there will be many more vendors and a much larger selection for the people attending the Market.
There were many positive comments. The people were very pleased that Raytown residents now had their own Farmers’ Market.
The Raytown Farmers’ Market is a grower/producer only market. All food is grown locally (within a 120 mile radius of the center of Raytown), and the person they are purchasing the produce or product from is the person who grew or made.
Eat local, eat fresh and support your local economy.
This years Raytown Chamber of Commerce Legislative Forum was much more lively than previous forums. The elected officials (or in the case of Claire McCaskill her representative) were ask questions about recent legislation.
The recent tax cuts on business and income and the proposed sales tax and gasoline tax increases were supported by the Republican panel members. County Legislator Bob Spence) and State Representative Mike Cierpoit took the position that the tax cuts would stimulate growth in the economy and create jobs. State Representatives Bonnaye Mims and Tom McDonald maintained that the cuts favored business and the wealthy, would cause major budget shortfalls that would hurt education. The two Democratic Representatives also maintained that the increased sales and gasoline taxes would cost the middle class and the poor more than the cuts would save them.
The forum ended on a high note, with Representative Mims thanking Representative Cierpoit for his help in obtaining funding to restore the Jackson County Courthouse.
The Bordner Event Center 11950 E State Route 350 Raytown, MO 64138
MAY MEMBERSHIP LUNCHEON – Networking begins at 11:00am, Lunch at 11:30am
~Legislative Update~
The Government Relations Committee has invited
County, State, Federal officials to give updates on legislative issues.
The officials confirmed to attend are:
State Rep Tom McDonald, Dist. 28
State Rep Noel Torpey, Dist. 29
State Rep Mike Cierpoit, Dist. 30
Bob Spence, Jackson County 6th Dist.
KC Mayor ProTem, Cindy Circo
Cory Dillon, Senior Regional Director for US Senator Claire McCaskill
Show-Me Quilting does it all, at least when it comes to quilts. It is located in the Raytown Plaza, just North of 63rd Street on Blue Ridge Blvd, on the East side of both the road and the Raytown Plaza Shopping Center.
At Show-Me Quilting you can buy a quilt or you can buy materials and equipment to make a quilt. The store also offers classes in quilt making and will rent time on various sized quilt making machines if you want to make your own quilt, but do not have the money or space required to own your own machine. The machines range from something that looks like a sewing machine on steroids to ten or twelve feet long giants that look more like something more fitting in a factory than a living room.
Here are the results of a competition for the most beautiful baby sponsored by the Raytown Main Street Association and the prizes that were awarded. It should be noted that the winner is only for those entered in the competition. I am sure there are many children and grand-children out there in Raytown that are equally as beautiful.
1st place, Andrew David Hagen, parents Nathan Hagen and Bridget Venable, Great Grandfather Larry Mock
2nd place Scarlett and Archer Shaw, parents Karen and Aaron Shaw, Grandparents David and Janet Fiebig.
3rd place Jasmine Camile Hernandez, parents Damaris and Francisco Hernandez.
1st place winner receives $100, large lamb stuffed animal and basket of donated items from Raytown merchants.
2nd and 3rd place basket of donated items from Raytown merchants.
The Raytown Plaza Laundry is located in the Northwest corner of the Raytown Plaza (6121 Blue Ridge Blvd.). It boast a huge selection of Maytag machines of all types and sizes. The equipment is new and the laundromat is very clean. It is best suited for someone who wants to get the laundry done quickly, It is a little weak on the lounging area, so if you want a laundry to kick back and hangout in, this is not the place. The only distraction to perfection is the ratio of prep areas to machines could be better, but Manager Ray McDaniels stated that there are plans to increase the number of preparation stations. The existing preparation stations are very nice.
Raytown SummerFest has taken on several changes the past few years and with those changes, the Raytown Chamber felt 2013 was going to be a banner year. For various reasons, the event did not evolve the way we thought and when Mother Nature came in on Saturday, the event was a wash.
Immediately following the event, Chamber Staff and the Board of Directors reviewed the income and expenses, the year-long commitment to the organization of the event, the number of volunteers needed, the community’s participation and, of course, the amount of space needed for the event itself. Chamber Staff took the time to visit with some of the larger sponsors, the volunteers who worked the entire weekend and some of the vendors who had been a part of the event for several years. The Board of Directors took all of the recommendations into consideration and also discussed the option of continuing the event since it was making budget but without the support of the community, it would not be considered a true success. So after a long and hard process, it was decided to take a year off from planning festivals. So, a festival sponsored by the Raytown Chamber is not planned for 2014.
Over the next year, the Chamber will meet with various organizations to assess what amount of time will be put towards community events whether the Chamber is the one in charge or partnering with another group or helping other events within the community succeed. The Raytown Chamber will continue to be an advocate for the businesses in this community and to help promote the City of Raytown.
* The Chamber released this a while back, but I missed it due to covering the election.
Raytown Main Street Association would like to announce that it is postponing the opening of Raytown Farmers’ Market until Thursday, May 29. In order to ensure a quality market we have decided to move the date to allow more growing time since many of our vendors do not have sufficient cool weather crops to bring to market.
We would also like to announce our new Community tents These will allow for multiple small farmers to share a space under one tent for a nominal fee. We have listened to feedback from smaller farmers and have taken their input into consideration. We hope to see many more applications for these spots. They are available on a first come first serve basis.
We are always looking for more vendors, volunteers and entertainers, to fill the market season schedule. We hope the extra time will allow those interested to contact us at RaytownFarmersmarket @gmail.com
Thank you for your support of the Raytown Farmers Market as we continue to grow.
The Raytown Farmers’ Market opened this past Thursday at 6210 Raytown Road across from the green space. There were over 50 people who attended the opening. Due to the weather the past several months, the produce was limited but was of high quality. There were several types of lettuce as well as onions and radishes. There were a large number of potted vegetables and herbs that were ready for planting. The chocolate mint 
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