This year has been an eventful one for the Lee’s Summit Symphony, which is celebrating its 10th season in grand style by hosting a “Celebration at the Kauffman” event in June at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City.

Gina Seibel loves Lee’s Summit.

Visitors Council members wondered what they’d do during the coming year.

The Cultural Arts Center at Metropolitan Community College-Longview is a growing gathering place, a hub to celebrate some of the finest artists, writers and performers in not only the area, but the country and from around the world as well.

Nothing is easy when it comes to selling, but the prospects of retaining or attracting business developers and homeowners to relocate to Lee’s Summit is quite the sale.

900 NE Columbus Rd.

18 SW Third Street

The title seems counter intuitive but the economic impact and the social impacts reveal the nexus: jobs, tax base, and interpersonal synergies creating new companies. According the Arts Council of Kansas City, in Jackson County, there are 143 not for profits and art related organizations whose activities generate annually $252 million of expenditures! In the metro area, the combined arts groups employ more than either Sprint or Cerner! Arts and culture add to communities’ bottom lines while growing the top line as well by attracting the creative class seeing as 24/7, high energy, crowd whose interactions yield new ideas and new companies! Their activities create a common bond for participants across demographic and generational lines. They are likely to be highly engaged in community activities. It is no accident that brand name places like Austin, New York City, the Bay Area are homes serial entrepreneurs, artists and venture capitalists. And public/private collaborations are emerging. For example, according to the National Governors’ Association publication “Arts and the Economy-Using arts to stimulate state economic development,” The University of California Santa Cruz partnered with local industry to combine artists, designer and product engineers to stimulate new product development. Here again, leveraging creativity with business resources. And, right here in Lee’s Summit, fast growing Legacy Touch combines biometric science with art to create one of a kind, individualized memorial jewelry, rings and pendants of loved ones.

Lee’s Summit is a place where real people come together to help make life just a little bit better for everyone in our community. That’s what makes us one of the finest communities for those who live, work and play.

From the beginning our goal was to propel our fine city into the public consciousness.

Tina Garrett’s artistic journey doesn’t limit her to working her craft just locally in Lee’s Summit or Kansas City. Like many devoted artists, Garrett looks for inspiration and instruction in many areas. The following is a small snapshot of her creative journey, in her own words.

Lee’s Summit’s branding effort is racing ahead with groups joining forces to tell residents and visitors how great a place the city is to live, work and raise a family.

In more than a decade, the Lee’s Summit Arts Council has helped shape the community’s direction in entertainment and cultural offerings, complimenting fast growth of housing and shopping centers, all the pieces which made Lee’s Summit one of the region’s booming cities.

James Wright has spent the last 30 years in show business.

This past year was filled with a number of accomplishments for Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, from recording-breaking attendance and participation at nearly all of its annual events, to increased engagement from volunteers, merchants and investors, to the establishment of new committees, new endeavors and new collaborations.