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Browne's Irish Marketplace to celebrate 138th St. Patrick's Day in Kansas City

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Browne's Irish Marketplace to celebrate 138th St. Patrick's Day in Kansas City


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Browne’s Irish Marketplace in Kansas City’s Midtown sits less than half a mile from the start of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. The shop’s celebrations can be traced back 138 years.

Browne’s Irish Marketplace to celebrate 138th St. Patrick’s Day in Kansas City

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Ed and Mary Flavin, immigrants of County Kerry, Ireland, first established Flavin’s Market inside their family home at 27th and Jefferson streets in 1887. The Flavins moved the store to its current location at 33rd Street and Pennsylvania in 1901.

“It was outside of town, so it was really brave, and they built the building we’re sitting in,” said Kerry Browne, great-granddaughter of the Flavins and current co-owner.

Jake Weller/KSHB

Browne’s Irish Marketplace

Now, located in a part of Kansas City that isn’t considered the outside of town, Browne’s offers St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Festivities begin with Irish rolls at 9 a.m. and continue until “at least” 4 p.m.

“You can just walk up the street and watch the parade and then walk back afterwards and have lunch and a pint and keep the day going,” Browne said.

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The couple sold eggs, local goods and imports their relatives from Ireland shipped to them.

“I can’t imagine shipping at that time,” Browne said.

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Kerry Browne

When Margaret, daughter of the Flavins, married Jim Browne, they began operating the store in 1915, according to the shop’s website.

“We are so fortunate that they kept going during World Wars and the Depression and all that they went through to get here,” Browne said.

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Their eldest son, Bob, and his wife, Marjorie, took on the store’s operations in 1955. Twenty-six years later in 1981, Browne and her husband, John McClain, took over ownership.

“We lost my dad, and it was a way of holding onto him, and it’s so true because he’s here all of the time,” Browne said. “He was a cigar smoker, and we sometimes get a whiff of his cigar, so we know he’s here and keeping an eye on us all the time.”

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Jake Weller/KSHB

Browne’s Irish Marketplace located at 3300 Pennsylvania Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.

Continuing the store’s legacy is part of what Browne said makes her proud to be Irish.

“I love how they (the Irish) hang onto their heritage, the people who came before them really matter, they want to pay tribute to them, and that matters to me a lot,” she said.

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Browne and her husband have operated the market longer than any of her other family members. They go to Ireland a couple of times a year to source the store’s authentic goods.

She said during COVID, the Irish government reached out and told them Browne’s Irish Marketplace is the oldest Irish business outside of Ireland.

“When you talk about what it means to keep going, that’s a lot of pressure,” she said. “Like, OK, now we really have to keep going.”

Browne said her college-age son, Rory, is all about continuing the story of Browne’s Irish Marketplace.

“It’s all he wants to do,” she said. “So, it’s exciting, there’s a future for Browne’s. He’ll be the fifth generation to run it.”

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The business often offers events like live music and bingo in addition to its deli, full bar and Irish goods. The marketplace is looking to expand its operations to include private whiskey tastings and a speakeasy, Browne said.

“When people are here, they, throughout life, want to share their big moments at Browne’s, and that’s so meaningful,” she said.

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Jake Weller/KSHB

Shea McEnerney, left, and his dad Jim McEnerney, right, enjoy a drink at Browne’s Irish Marketplace on March 16, 2025.

Jim McEnerney, a regular, brings his family to Browne’s often. He enjoyed a pint with his son, Shea, at the market on Sunday.

“We’re very proud Americans because of our Irish heritage, and when you walk into Browne’s, you feel like you’re in the heart of Ireland,” he said.

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McEnerney said it’s easy to make friends at Browne’s. He said his family has started signing traditional Irish music at the store, and the “next thing you know, the whole place is singing while they’re drinking their beers and having conversations.”

“If you’ve been here, no explanation necessary; if you haven’t, no explanation possible,” he said.

Browne said St. Patrick’s Day is a day to celebrate what it means to be Irish with all of Kansas City.

“Obviously, we’re Irish year-round, but we’re proud to share that Irishness with people of every descent,” she said.

Four generations — and one day, five generations — later, the story of Browne’s continues.

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“Even my great-grandparents, when they opened this little thing in 1887, they never would have imagined we’d still be here, but I hope we’re doing them proud, I hope they look down and are grateful,” Browne said.

KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.





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Free rides offered for Kansas Mobility Week including Election Day

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Free rides offered for Kansas Mobility Week including Election Day


OCCK Transportation is offering free rides on Election Day, Nov. 4, as part of Kansas Mobility Week.

The free rides will be available on Salina CityGo, regional paratransit, GoAbilene, GoConcordia, 81 Connection and KanConnect, according to a community announcement. However, OCCK OnDemand services in Salina are not included.

Kansas Mobility Week, which runs from Nov. 2-8, is a statewide initiative aimed at promoting efficient and safe transportation choices. Public transportation providers, mobility managers, the Kansas Department of Transportation and other partners will host events throughout the week to encourage the use of multimodal transportation options and introduce new initiatives and policies.

OCCK normally offers free rides on Election Day each year to help increase voter turnout.

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“We are excited to provide free rides again for Election Day and as a way to celebrate Mobility Week,” said Trell Grinter, transportation director for OCCK. “It’s a great opportunity for people to experience public transit and increase their mobility choices.”

For more information about OCCK, visit occk.com. For more information about CityGo and OCCK Transportation, visit salinacitygo.com or contact the OCCK Transportation Center at 785-826-1583.

More information on how to participate in this year’s Mobility Week is available at ksrides.org/mobility-week.

More information about the state’s Mobility Managers can be found at ksrides.org/our-team.

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This story was created by reporter Charles Rankin, crankin@salina.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.



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The North Kansas City stadium site might just be the best one

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The North Kansas City stadium site might just be the best one


A lot has happened since John Sherman, principal owner of the Kansas City Royals franchise, first floated the idea of a new stadium in November of 2021. The road since then has been winding and frustrating, and four years and one failed vote later and we don’t know where the stadium is going or what it will look like.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The Royals’ lease with the Truman Sports Complex ends after the 2030 season, which means they have to start on construction relatively soon to be ready by the 2031 season. Missouri and Kansas have both passed state-level funding. And the Royals had planned on announcing their final plan earlier this year, which implies they are close to an answer themselves.

Lately, there has been a lot of smoke surrounding the North Kansas City option. The office of NKC mayor Jesse Smith put out a press release on October 16 stating that:

The City of North Kansas City continues to have conversations with the Kansas City Royals regarding the possibility of a stadium and related development in North Kansas City. These discussions are substantial and will ultimately involve collaboration among the State of Missouri, Clay County, and the City in any final framework.

Additionally, the Missouri legislature had previously passed a bill that allows Clay County to create a sports complex authority that would govern the stadium. And we can’t forget that North Kansas City was one of two initial proposed sites by the Royals back in August 2023.

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Like many folks, my reaction to the proposed Clay County site was one of skepticism. What was the point? To just leave a suburban area to go to another suburban area? Why not just stay in Kauffman Stadium?

I have since come around, and not because I am being paid off by the Royals. I have no idea what they’re doing and they have declined to comment on media requests about the stadium for a while now. No; I genuinely think that the North Kansas City site is the best one outside the East Village site, which seems dead. Let’s dig into why.

The Royals’ new stadium goals

So much has happened that it’s worth re-visiting the first real piece of official communication the Royals put into the world: an open letter from Sherman about what the Royals wanted to accomplish.

There are two things that stand out as clear benchmarks for what the Royals wanted the stadium to be from the very start of this project. First, though downtown was the primary goal, the Royals were cognizant that there were other sites that could work. They were pursuing sites “both in downtown Kansas City and close to it.”

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Second, and most importantly, the Royals wanted to build a ballpark district, with “residential, commercial, and community components.” As Sherman wrote, their version was to construct “a new ballpark district and all that comes with it – one that is woven into the fabric of our city, can host events and concerts, and boosts our local economy.”

Why North Kansas City works

Kauffman Stadium is a beautiful park that exists within an ugly car dystopia that sucks the life out of the entire area. It’s surrounded by acres and acres of useless concrete. It’s cut off from goods, services, housing, and lodging. It is an unwalkable island wasteland.

Contrast that with walkable areas, where you don’t have to drive a car to get to where you want to go. More importantly, there are people already there. People live in walkable areas in multiunit apartments and condos, and walkable areas have narrower streets, more public transit, and a significantly higher density of resources and services than car-centric areas.

Downtowns are usually the only areas in American cities that have walkability and density. But suburbs can be walkable, too. Consider the area around Johnson Drive and Lamar in Mission, Kansas, versus the area around 119th Street and Strang Line Road in Olathe. Both Kansas City suburbs, but one is significantly prettier, more lively, and livable than the other.

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North Kansas City is one of the only areas in the metro that has the ingredients for significant walkability. Indeed, the Armour Road area is already walkable and bikeable.

The above screenshot of Google Maps shows roughly where the Royals have proposed their site: bordered by Armour Road on the north and 16th Avenue on the south, and from Erie Street on the west to Howell Street on the east. North of Armour Road, there are rows and rows of houses, a public library, North Kansas City High School, and multiple new apartment complexes.

Add the streetcar into the equation, and the area quickly becomes an opportunity to transform into the type of urban neighborhood that is a destination. RideKC has already created an extensive and recent study of what an extension would look like up to North Kansas City, and their plan is to extend the line over the Heart of America Bridge and then up Swift Street.

And though walkability is key, car access is still easy. I-35 is immediately to the east, and there’s access to I-29, I-635, and Highway 169—along with access to downtown and I-70 via Highway 9.

So why wasn’t NKC the first choice?

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No site is perfect, which I’m sure the Royals have grappled with significantly.

At the same time, there are some pretty big reasons why downtown is a better option than North Kansas City. One is population; the downtown KC population is about 32,000 people, compared to under 5,000 people in NKC as of the 2020 census. Furthermore, Jackson County has over two and a half times as many residents as Clay County, which is a significant difference when it comes to tax revenue and the inevitable “public” part of the “public-private partnership” that the Royals want.

And, of course, that streetcar thing? It’s already downtown.

But at this point in the juncture, North Kansas City is also the only place that fulfills all of the Royals’ initial desires for the project. The Washington Square Park site downtown is tiny and there is not space for a “ballpark village.” No site in Johnson County or Wyandotte County makes much sense for that, either, and a Legends site would end up as Kauffman Stadium West (derogatory).

If the Royals aren’t going to pull the trigger on the East Village site—which has always been the best choice—for whatever reason, North Kansas City provides a way to catalyze some public transit investment and transform the area into something the Royals can be proud of.

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At least, if the public isn’t on the hook for too much money. But that, as they say, is a whole different ball game.



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Additional Light Shed on Simmons Timeline, Past and Future

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Additional Light Shed on Simmons Timeline, Past and Future


KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Chiefs pulled away in the second half to secure an impressive Monday night win over the Commanders. But their prior Monday night game actually began the Josh Simmons timeline.

According to SI insider Albert Breer, the deeply personal family issues with which the rookie is currently navigating first surfaced just before the Oct. 6 Monday night loss in Jacksonville. Shortly before kickoff in that game and after pregame warmups, the Chiefs announced that Simmons had been added to the injury report as questionable with an illness.

josh simmon

Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Josh Simmons (71) and running back Kareem Hunt (29) line up against the Baltimore Ravens during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

A 6-5, 310-pound rookie, Simmons wound up starting and playing the full game, a 31-28 loss to the Jaguars. He didn’t appear on the team’s injury report the following week until five hours prior to kickoff in the Sunday night victory over Detroit on Oct. 12.

That’s when the Chiefs announced Simmons – the final choice in the first round of April’s draft — as questionable for personal reasons. Kansas City ruled him out before kickoff, and Jaylon Moore has started each of the last three games, all Chiefs wins.

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NFL Kansas City Chiefs offensive line Jaylon Moore / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Money well spent

“For now,” Breer wrote Tuesday, “the first thing to know is the two-year, $30 million deal the Chiefs gave Jaylon Moore in the offseason, even if he’s not the starting left tackle they paid him to be, is money well spent.

“The Chiefs have depth at those positions that they didn’t before. Last year, a black hole at left tackle forced the team to move Joe Thuney there, setting off a cascade that blew up in the team’s Super Bowl loss. They’ll likely have no such problem this year.”

joe thuney, patrick mahome

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs guard Joe Thuney (62) blocks for quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt addressed the Simmons situation prior to Monday’s win over the Commanders.

“It’s not something I can go into but it is a private family matter,” Hunt said Monday, noting he has a high level of confidence Simmons will return. “And we’ve had good communication with him, and there’s an understanding by both parties where he is. And we’re hopeful to have him back with the team sometime in the future.”

clark hun

Sep 24, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs chief executive officer Clark Hunt on field against the Chicago Bears prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

A good sign

Breer also noted that if Brett Veach and Andy Reid expected a long-term absence, they had the option to place the rookie on a reserve list, shelving him for at least four games. But the team is not believed to be considering that choice.

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While Moore played well his first two starts in place of Simmons, the veteran tackle struggled against the Commanders. Reid said after Monday’s game that Washington has an elite defensive front. Edge rusher Jacob Martin sacked Patrick Mahomes twice, one allowed by Moore.

josh simmons, travis kelc

Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Josh Simmons (71) and tight end Travis Kelce (87) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“They’re better with the wildly talented Simmons in there,” Breer wrote. “What I know is that the issue first arose just before the Jaguars game. Simmons ended up playing in that matchup, then left right before the Lions game. The cited family aspect of his absence is real, and that was a part of the background that teams had to work through when he was coming out.”

The Chiefs (5-3) have to travel to Buffalo (5-2) on a short week, then get a midseason bye.

Chiefs Kingdom, keep that browser right here for your best in-depth news and info, totally free; the best way to get it is to follow @KCChiefsOnSI, @ZakSGilbert and @Domminchella on X (Twitter). And tell us your thoughts on the Chiefs’ offensive line by visiting our Facebook page (here).



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