August 2026

More Than a Trophy: Pleasant Hill Dancers Bring Home National Titles — and an Award for Kindness (more photos added)

31 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: All News, August 2026, Issues

By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor

1st place trophy (photo/Connie Whitlock)

Nestled in a strip mall on the north side of Pleasant Hill is a dance school that most people who frequent El Puerto or Pizza Hut might notice is busy with dancers coming and going. Teaching inside is a dance instructor with a seasoned career, a passion for dance, and a desire to share her skills. Her name is Richelle Sauceda-Lyon, and she owns Pleasant Hill Dance Academy and recently, she led her students to victory.

PHDA Production Number 1st Overall National Champions
Pictured Top Row: Myla Neuhauser, Ava Hustad, Katelyn Leyda, Ela Martinez, Riley Grace, Rylee Corder, Addison Sims, Olivia Schroer, Campbell Huke, Lauren Logan
Second Row: Hafley Morgan, Lennon Walter, Kayla Massey, Laikyn Grimmett, Parker Polletta, Falon Tyler, Lucca McMullen, Sophia Hansen, Dawson Welch
Third Row: Brinley Crume, Carlee Tinoco, Sophia Slaughter, Lillian Sims
Bottom Row: Evie Dechman, Mae Morgan, Haddie Milburn, Charleigh Tschanz, Isla McMullen, Kenzie Dettman, Kayden Rieder, Willa Brooks, Lorelai Casey, Ellie Devine
(photo/Courtesy of PHDA)

All thirty-four of the schools competitive dancers traveled to Lawrence, Kansas over the summer for the P3 Talent Competition Nationals, and they didn’t come home empty-handed. The Tiny Team, Mini Team, Large Group, and Production Team all took first place, making them national champions.

Along with the trophies and banners, however, came another award. It wasn’t for technique, choreography, or a first-place finish. The entire studio was recognized with the Kindness and Entertainment Award. That award also included an opportunity for the dancers to travel to Disney, perform in a parade, and take dance classes.

We’ll come back to that award, because to understand why a dance studio would be recognized for kindness at a national competition, you first have to know a little bit about the woman teaching inside it.

Sauceda-Lyon’s dance story began when she was five years old, when her mother, Debbie Sauceda, put her in dance class. She had a teacher with high expectations, and by the time Richelle was around 12, she had already made a pretty big life decision, dancing was going to be her profession.

She remembers her instructor being strict, but this Pleasant Hill dance teacher said one of the best lessons her dance instructor taught her had very little to do with dance steps. Her instructor taught her how to hear the word “no.” That’s an important lesson for a child who plans to make a living in the arts. Sauceda-Lyon learned early that auditions don’t always result in jobs, that talent doesn’t guarantee a yes, and that rejection is simply part of the business. Her teacher even encouraged students to audition when they were young so they could learn how to handle it.

There was another obstacle in Sauceda-Lyon’s way that had nothing to do with talent. For part of Richelle’s childhood, her mother was a single mother, and paying for dance lessons wasn’t always easy. The teacher knew the family’s circumstances and apparently also saw something worth nurturing in the young dancer. She offered Debbie a deal: if she would clean the dance studio, her daughter could continue taking lessons.

So her mother cleaned and the little girl whose mother cleaned a dance studio to keep her dancing eventually became good enough that job opportunities started arriving before she had even finished high school. Richelle Sauceda-Lyon was ready to go. Her mother wasn’t.

Richelle’s mother insisted that she finish high school before taking off to pursue a professional dancing career. The rising dancer wasn’t particularly happy about the decision at the time, but her mother figured that if someone wanted to hire her then, someone would still want to hire her six months later. Mom turned out to be right.

After graduating from high school, this talented dancer began the dancing career she had planned since her youth. She danced professionally on cruise ships and worked in Las Vegas, and learned that finding the right jobs sometimes meant knowing when to say no herself.

Las Vegas presented some interesting choices. Richelle wanted to dance professionally, but she also wanted to be comfortable with the shows. She recalled turning down an opportunity because she wanted to dance in shows that she was comfortable her family attending.

Some of you might remember the Shoji Tabuchi shows in Branson. If you saw one, you might have been watching Pleasant Hill’s future dance teacher on stage. She also performed at Dixie Stampede. But the cruise ships kept drawing her back. Eventually, she became a dance captain with her own cabin and porthole and traveled to six continents while dancing for Celebrity and Princess Cruises. 

Debbie Sauceda and Richelle Sauceda-Lyon (photo/Connie Whitlock)

Time to settle down

By the time she was about 27, Sauceda-Lyon was ready to settle down. She was living in Branson, getting married, and knew her years of traveling and performing professionally were coming to an end. She was also ready to do something she had wanted to do for a long time, open her own dance school.

Sauceda-Lyon had grown up around North Kansas City, and her husband was originally from Nebraska. After returning to the Kansas City area, she taught at a dance studio in Lee’s Summit while the couple began looking for a house. Then their Realtor suggested Pleasant Hill. They really didn’t know much about the city. They came out anyway, found a house and, as Sauceda-Lyon put it, “fell in love with the town.”

The timing also seemed right for opening her studio. She had heard the existing dance studio in Pleasant Hill was being sold and thought it was closing. She soon discovered after opening her dance school that it had simply changed hands. Instead of one replacing the other, both remained, and both have continued to thrive.

Once this Pleasant Hill dance instructor decided to open Pleasant Hill Dance Academy, she called her mother, who was still living in Branson. It was time. Debbie Sauceda came back to help her daughter get the studio started.

Sauceda-Lyon said she intentionally tries to keep dance affordable because she knows firsthand that a child can have talent, determination and a desire to dance without necessarily having a family budget that makes it easy.

Maybe that’s also part of why the word “family” comes up so often when mother and daughter, Richelle and Debbie, talk about Pleasant Hill Dance Academy. Take the Tiny Team. These were some of the academy’s youngest dancers, and for some, it was their first year of dance. They went to nationals and came home champions. But this dance teacher was just as quick to talk about what happened away from the stage.

The children became friends. There were play dates. The parents became close. Families began watching out for one another’s children, and the kids began watching out for each other. “Everybody looks after each other,” Sauceda-Lyon said. That attitude doesn’t stop when they walk into a competition, either.

Competitive dance is exactly what the name implies. Everyone wants to do well. There are scores, placements, and trophies, and months of rehearsals can come down to just a few minutes under the stage lights. But Richelle Sauceda-Lyon doesn’t want competition to mean that someone else becomes the enemy.

Her dancers cheer for dancers from other studios. They applaud them. Sometimes, when another group comes offstage, the Pleasant Hill dancers put their hands together overhead to form a tunnel for the other dancers to run through. Inside her own studio, this dance teacher expects the same kind of behavior.

Pleasant Hill Dance Academy dance room (photo/Connie Whitlock)

Bringing professional experience home

Of course, being nice doesn’t win national dance championships by itself. Behind the friendliness is some serious dance training, and Richelle Sauceda-Lyon brings something to her students that can’t really be learned from a textbook. She has lived the career that some of them may dream about having someday.

Years later, that little girl owns the studio, tries to keep dance affordable for other families, tells her students not to tear each other down, and teaches them to applaud the very people they’re competing against. And somebody at nationals noticed. “It’s even better to produce good people than good dancers,” Sauceda-Lyon said. This summer, she got a little evidence that she’s doing both.

Entertainment and Kindness Award
Pictured: Ava Martinez, Erin Dechman, Richelle Sauceda-Lyon, Debbie Sauceda, Jesselynn Divish
(photo/courtesy of PHDA)
Tiny Team 1st Place National Champions
Pictured: Ellie Devine, Evie Dechman, Charleigh Tschanz, Haddie Milburn, Isla McMullen
(photo/courtesy of PHDA)
Mini Team 1st Place National Champions
Pictured: Top Row: Mae Morgan, Lorelai Casey, Kenzie Dettman
Bottom Row: Willa Brooks
(photo/courtesy of PHDA)
Last Picture ending in 006 (in black)
Hip Hop 1st Overall National Champions
Pictured: Kayla Massey, Riley Grace, Addison Sims, Parker Polletta, Campbell Huke, Falon Tyler, Laikyn Grimmett, Ela Martinez, Dawson Welch, Katelyn Leyda, Lauren Logan, Lennon Walter
(photo/courtesy of PHDA)





A Show of Hands Changes the Veterans Parkway Parking Debate

28 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: All News, August 2026, Issues

By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor

A plan to improve traffic flow and safety on Veterans Parkway turned into a lengthy discussion Monday night, with business owners and residents making it pretty clear that parallel parking isn’t high on their wish list for downtown Pleasant Hill.

The Pleasant Hill City Council reviewed two possible plans for Veterans Parkway, focusing on the area around the post office, where traffic can get tight when cars are parked on both sides of the street.

City staff said Allstate Consultants had been asked to review the area and develop a plan to improve traffic flow, make it safer for pedestrians and, if possible, add parking. 

Right now, the project includes 58 parking spaces in the area.

The engineers’ original proposal would actually increase that number to 61. But there’s a catch: much of the angled parking on the east side of Veterans Parkway would become parallel parking.

The proposal calls for 20 parallel spaces on the east side, while keeping 10 angled spaces on the west side. Parking would also change on Locust and Commercial streets. Commercial Street near the police department would become one-way, allowing parking on both sides. 

The city also had an alternative plan on the table. That plan would leave the angled parking on the east side of Veterans Parkway and instead remove parallel parking on the other side near the post office. Under that plan, the city would basically break even, keeping about the same 58 spaces it has now. 

And that’s where the conversation really got started.

It’s not really about three parking spaces

At first glance, changing a street to gain three parking spaces may not sound like much of a trade.

But city officials explained that the three additional spaces aren’t really the main reason for the project.

The bigger problem is the squeeze in front of the post office. With cars currently parked the way they are, two vehicles traveling in opposite directions can have a hard time getting through at the same time.

“The situation with it is so that way we can get two cars to actually go down that road at the same time,” public works director Tony Bakken explained. 

There is another piece to the puzzle. Veterans Parkway is connected to Missouri’s Business Route 7. The city has also looked at traffic coming down Cedar Street, turning onto Veterans Parkway, continuing to Commercial Street and then returning to Highway 58.  That brought up another downtown problem: big trucks.

There was quite a bit of discussion about tractor-trailers and vehicles pulling long trailers trying to make some of the turns downtown. A proposed stop sign would also have to be moved farther into the intersection, which raised questions about whether those larger vehicles could safely make the turn.

But what about the businesses?

Once the floor was opened for public comment, the conversation quickly turned from how many parking spaces there are to where those parking spaces are. That’s an important difference if you own a business on Veterans Parkway.

Resident Jean Pinkston, who said she works at the thrift store, told the Council that many of the store’s customers are older. Some use walkers and canes, and she worried about asking those customers to parallel park or park farther away and walk to the store. “I just can’t see that,” she said. 

However, there is a safety argument for parallel parking. Bakken pointed out that drivers backing out of angled spaces have limited visibility. With parallel parking, drivers have a better view of traffic when they pull away from the curb. 

Alyn Brown, who gave a business address on Veterans Parkway, said he supports revitalization but that the people he has talked to along Veterans Parkway aren’t in favor of the proposed change.

He said his business has between 15,000 and 20,000 foot-traffic come through in a year, and most of those customers park either in front of his business or the business next door. That’s where the parking-space numbers can be a little deceiving.

The city may gain three spaces overall, but some of those spaces would be farther away on Commercial Street. Brown pointed out that doesn’t necessarily help someone buying something heavy and then having to carry it a couple of blocks.

Citizens also questioned whether parallel parking might create a different kind of bottleneck as drivers stop in the roadway and try to maneuver into a parking space. 

How good are you at parallel parking?

Resident, J.R. Brown probably summed up what quite a few people in the room were thinking. After hearing concerns about older drivers having trouble parallel parking, Brown pointed out that age might not have much to do with it. “I’m 40 years old. My wife’s 42, I have a 16-year-old daughter, and none of us are any good at parallel parking,” Brown said. 

That led to an impromptu poll of the room asking people to raise their hands if they were good at parallel parking. Someone joked that they were much better at it now that they had a camera. 

Julie Brown also brought up People’s Theater and its customers. She said moving parking farther down Commercial Street wouldn’t work well for some of the theater’s older patrons. She also raised another interesting point: opening Veterans Parkway up more could make traffic move faster, which could create its own safety problems for people getting in and out of cars or families with small children. 

Watching the post office

Local Attorney Ed Clemens came to the meeting with a little homework of his own. Clemmons said he talked with the post office and learned there are 188 active post office boxes there. He also spent part of the morning watching traffic.

From about 8:10 to 9 a.m., Clemmons counted 40 vehicles traveling north and 68 traveling south on the road. But he noticed more than cars. He watched people park across from the post office and walk across Veterans Parkway. One woman got a young baby out of her vehicle and carried the child across the street.

“There’s no crosswalks there,” Clemmons said. “They’re walking across that traffic all the time.”  Clemmons suggested the city consider something a little less permanent: restrict parking on one side of the street during certain daytime hours and open those spaces back up in the evenings.

That could potentially help daytime traffic while still allowing the spaces to be used when People’s Theater has a performance or when something else is happening downtown. 

He also encouraged the city to find a way to keep large trucks that are simply passing through Pleasant Hill out of downtown while still allowing trucks making local deliveries. For Clemmons, the biggest issue came down to one word. “Safety.” 

So what happens now?

After hearing from the public, it became pretty obvious that the original proposal wasn’t going very far. One council member said, “I’m not in favor of parallel parking on Veterans Parkway.” Another followed with, “I’m not going to vote for it either.”  But that didn’t mean everyone was ready to approve the alternative plan either.

Questions remained about the stop sign, trucks, traffic flow, and whether making several changes at once could create problems nobody had anticipated.

Eventually, the Council appeared to agree that the original parallel-parking concept was a “non-starter.” Rather than move forward with either proposal as presented, the conversation turned to sending the issue back for another look. 

Council members suggested other possibilities, including different signage, alternatives to the stop sign, and even restricting parking to certain hours of the day. 

The problem still needs solving.

City staff reminded the Council that the engineers didn’t come up with the plan out of nowhere. A previous Council asked staff and engineers to find a way to improve traffic flow and safety in the area, and the plan presented Monday night was the engineers’ recommendation. 

So Veterans Parkway may still look different in the future. It just probably won’t include a long stretch of new parallel parking.

What the Hill? – A Dolly Night No One Could Have Planned

27 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: All News, August 2026, Issues
(photo/Wikimedia Commons)

By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor

I don’t know if you’ve ever planned an event only to have everything go completely sideways.

Another event planner could schedule something bigger and better right next door. Maybe the rain comes and washes the whole thing out. Everything that could go wrong does.

Whatever your event-planning story is, I’m willing to bet it can’t quite compare to what the Pleasant Hill Historic District found itself facing this week.

But instead of looking at it as everything going wrong, they decided to look at it a little differently.

Let me tell you the story.

Someone downtown had a fun idea: Why not create a night for shopping, getting the ladies together, and celebrating all things Dolly Parton?

Throw on a big blonde wig. Dig out something sparkly. Grab your besties and prance down First Street on a Thursday night. Shop the downtown stores, find a few things to bring home, laugh a lot, and meet a few new friends along the way.

It was a really fun idea.

And then came a twist nobody could have planned for.

Just two days before the event, Dolly Parton passed away.

Suddenly, an evening planned as a playful celebration of Dolly felt very different.

What do you do?

Cancel it? Change the theme? Pretend the timing isn’t a little surreal?

The downtown group regrouped, and somewhere in the middle of all that shock came another thought.

Maybe this night was supposed to happen after all.

There could be something strangely fitting about a group of people already planning to gather in downtown Pleasant Hill to celebrate Dolly Parton just days after the world lost her. What had started as a fun night of wigs, shopping and girlfriends could now be something more.

A tribute.

So that’s exactly what they decided to make it.

On Thursday, August 27, from 5 to 8 p.m., downtown Pleasant Hill will still be filled with Dolly. There can still be big hair, sparkles, shopping and plenty of fun. But now there will also be a chance to remember the woman who inspired it all in the first place.

PHHD didn’t plan a memorial.

They planned a party.

Circumstances gave that party a whole new meaning.

Reflections on A (Sometimes Absurd) Life – Has Anyone Seen My Bridge?

27 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: All News, August 2026, Issues

By Mary Tanck
PHMOmag Columnist

Neighborhood Facebook pages are wild landscapes. You’re basically in a group text with random people who you know only by virtue of living near each other. Some of them are friends, some mere acquaintances, and some will remain strangers to you for decades.

But you can never leave the page. If you leave the neighborhood page, you won’t know what that big boom was, what “they’re” building next to the liquor store, whose power is out – even though it’s a beautiful sunny day with a pleasant south breeze, that the pig is out on the road so you need to watch for it on the way to work (“the” pig, not “a” pig – it’s the same pig every time), or whose peacock is wandering through your yard.

Well, to be fair, in this town, whatever “they’re” building next to the liquor store is probably another liquor store; so, you don’t really need to stay in the group for that information.

There are several personalities on the neighborhood Facebook page, but they fall into 4 basic categories: the Speculators, the Wanderers, the Know-It-Alls, and the Rabble Rousers. (A popular pillar of the community recently called me a Rabble Rouser. Her exact words were, “You’re Mary Tanck??? The Rabble Rouser??? I love you!” Apparently, Rabble Rousers aren’t often this strikingly good looking, so she was taken aback.)

The categories are dynamic; today’s Wanderer can be tomorrow’s Know-It-All. In my case, today’s Know-It-All is probably going to be tomorrow’s Rabble Rouser.

The Speculators are going to weigh in on every post no matter that they have no idea what is going on.

Post: Did anyone hear that loud boom???? What was it?

The Speculator will inevitably respond with some non-sense such as: I heard from a reliable source that the Green Bridge collapsed. [plot twist: the source is definitely unreliable.]

Now, here is where the Wanderer will pipe up: It will always be the Silver Bridge to me! 

At which point, the discussion will go off the rails until the Know-It-All comes into the room and explains that the loud boom was dynamite from the quarry and he happens to know this because once, after a loud boom, a crack developed in his basement wall and an inspector told him it was due to the dynamite blasts of the quarry. This is when another Know-It-All will begin arguing with him over whether that is possible.

The Rabble Rouser will chime in with something witty: I heard the Green Bridge with Silver Pinstripes was dynamited onto someone’s basement.

My neighborhood page is located outside city limits, so it features a lot of loose livestock. And lost cats. Not to be insensitive, but let’s be honest. Cats don’t get lost; they just find a living situation with fancier food than what you were offering. (Sometimes they get stolen by your boujie neighbor who feeds them fancy food to lure them in – you know who you are.)

There was one memorable post where an entire bridge washed up into someone’s yard, and he was trying to figure out who owned the bridge. That was exciting.

About 68% of our posts are about the power going out or service interruptions from the local internet company. Recently, wearing my Rabble Rouser hat, I made a post sharing a letter that Mark Twain wrote to his power company in 1891. (I would reprint it here, but it’s not fitting for a family publication.) Anyway, 2 hours after I posted that along with some Rabble-Rousing commentary about our local power company, the power went out. It was, as you can imagine, a beautiful sunny day with a pleasant southern breeze.

Come to think of it, we haven’t seen any posts about “the” pig lately. I hope he is alright; alternatively, I hope he was delicious.

In closing, I urge you to find joy today. Might I recommend posting a non-sense Rabble-Rousing post on your local neighborhood Facebook page and seeing where it leads?

Things to Do: Plenty Happening as August Comes to a Close

26 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: August 2026, Issues

There’s plenty happening in Pleasant Hill as August winds down, with five days of events offering everything from a Dolly-inspired evening downtown to live music, a benefit car show and a cornhole tournament before September arrives.

The fun begins Thursday, Aug. 27, with Downtown Dolly – Sip, Shop, & Sparkle from 5 to 8 p.m. at Gray’s Lot in the Pleasant Hill Historic District. The Dolly-inspired evening will bring boutique vendors, handmade goods, treats and unique finds downtown. Visitors are encouraged to get into the spirit of the night with pink, rhinestones, boots and, of course, big hair. The Historic District is also still looking for vendors interested in participating.

Friday offers two very different ways to spend the day. At the Pleasant Hill Branch of the Cass County Library, Melissa Cotton from the MU Extension Office will present Food Preservation 101 from 2 to 3 p.m. Adults and teens can learn the basics of canning, pickling, freezing and dehydrating — particularly useful for anyone wondering what to do with the last of the summer garden harvest. The program is free, with registration suggested through casscolibrary.org or by calling 816-987-2231.

Friday evening, the entertainment moves downtown with Dueling Pianos at Peoples Theater. The performance combines live music, comedy and plenty of audience participation for an interactive night at the theater.

Saturday, Aug. 29, begins with a community coming together for a local family. Cruise In Together for Damon Rhodes, a car show benefit at TLC Auto, 400 Pine St., will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration begins at 9 a.m., with the show beginning at 11 a.m. The $20 entry event will include cars, music, free food and drinks and a People’s Choice prize. Most importantly, 100% of the proceeds and donations will go to Damon Rhodes and his family.

Later Saturday, live music takes over at Echo Church, 1203 MO-7, when Kansas City-area Christian rock band Whosoever Will performs a free concert from 6 to 8 p.m. The four-member group performs original rock ’n’ roll centered on faith, hope and God’s love. No tickets are required. More information is available from Ebony Shaffer at 816-987-0067, and the band’s music can also be found on Spotify.

The weekend continues Sunday at the Cass County Fairgrounds with the Pleasant Hill Class of 2027 Project Grad Cornhole Tournament Fundraiser. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m., with play starting at 1:30 p.m. Teams of two can choose between recreational and competitive divisions. The double-elimination tournament will include food, music, concessions, a 50/50 raffle, trophies and cash prizes. Organizers say beginners are welcome, making it as much a community afternoon as a competition. Proceeds will support Project Graduation for the Class of 2027.

After a short break, September gets underway Wednesday, Sept. 2, with the Board & Card Society at the Pleasant Hill Branch of the Cass County Library. The group will meet from 2 to 3:15 p.m., and this month’s featured game is King’s Corner.

Whether you’re ready to put on some rhinestones, learn how to preserve the garden harvest, check out some cars, hear live music, toss a few bags or sit down for a card game, there’s a little bit of everything happening around Pleasant Hill between Aug. 27 and Sept. 2.

Council Hesitates on Dispensary Rule Change

25 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: All News, August 2026, Issues

By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor

Pleasant Hill’s rules on where a marijuana dispensary can operate came before the City Council for discussion after city staff said the current restrictions have made it difficult to find a location for a potential dispensary within city limits.

No change was made Monday night, and council members ultimately did not direct staff to draft a new ordinance.

Under Pleasant Hill’s current ordinance, a marijuana facility must be at least 1,000 feet from an elementary or secondary school, state-licensed child day-care center, church and residentially zoned property.

The map below illustrates the current 1,000-foot separation requirement, shown in blue, formarijuana facilities along the Highway 7 corridor. For comparison, the 100-foot separationrequirement for liquor sales is shown in orange. (photo/Pleasant Hill agenda)

According to a memorandum prepared by Assistant City Administrator Nici Wilson and Development Coordinator Missy Gentry, staff has been working with a potential business interested in opening a dispensary in Pleasant Hill. During that process, staff found that the 1,000-foot restrictions leave few potential locations, particularly along the Highway 7 corridor.

City staff presented several options for council consideration: reducing the distance to 700 feet, 500 feet, or 100 feet. 

Staff also compared Pleasant Hill’s regulations with surrounding communities. Belton requires 500 feet of separation from schools, day-care centers and churches, while Raymore also uses 500 feet and requires 100 feet from residential property. Harrisonville and Lee’s Summit maintain 1,000-foot requirements.

Option 2 – 500-Foot Separation, Reduce the required separation distance from 1,000 feet to 500 feet from an elementary orsecondary school, state-licensed child day-care center, or church.The 500-foot area is shown in green on the accompanying map. This option would provide thegreatest increase in potential locations and would be consistent with the separation distancecurrently used by Belton and Raymore.Option 3 – 100-Foot SeparationReduce the required separation distance and make it consistent with the separation distance ofalcohol sales. This is shown in orange on the first map. (photo/Pleasant Hill agenda)

Pleasant Hill currently requires 1,000 feet from schools, daycares, churches, and residentially zoned property.

City officials emphasized that the maps provided to council were intended as general illustrations. Actual distances for a proposed dispensary would have to be calculated under state law and along the lawful pedestrian route between properties, rather than simply drawing a radius around a location.

The discussion also brought up another possibility: the council would not necessarily have to apply the same distance to every type of property. Staff told council members they could establish different requirements for schools, churches, day-care centers and residential areas.

One council member expressed reluctance to reduce the separation from schools, day cares and churches but appeared more open to reconsidering the 1,000-foot residential restriction.

The potential financial impact also came up in the discussion. Staff said the city could potentially receive an estimated $150,000 annually in sales tax revenue from a dispensary. Pleasant Hill voters previously approved an additional 3 percent local sales tax on recreational marijuana, which would be collected in addition to the city’s existing sales tax.

But several council members and residents questioned whether potential revenue should be the deciding factor. “I think part of the question is that we can’t look at it just dollars and cents as to what it can bring us, even though I think the potential is phenomenal,” Councilwoman Pat Niner said. “I think we have to look at, what do we want Pleasant Hill to be known for? What does it do for Pleasant Hill? Does it increase our value?”

At the same time, council members acknowledged that marijuana is already legal in Missouri and that a dispensary could locate in Pleasant Hill under the existing ordinance if a property meeting all of the requirements can be found. “If somebody finds a location that meets that criteria, it’s coming,” Niner said.

The potential operators attending the meeting told the council they currently have dispensary locations in Cass County. They said their businesses have not created problems for local police departments and pointed to extensive state security requirements, including surveillance cameras covering the buildings and surrounding areas.

They also told the council they are considering a couple of possible Pleasant Hill locations, including the former A-1 Liquor location and another site by the Creamery.

The discussion drew opposition from several members of the public. Attorney Ed Clemmons, who said he has spent approximately 14 or 15 years working as a defense attorney with Cass County Drug Court, urged the council not to make marijuana more accessible. He said marijuana was frequently the first drug used by people he had encountered through drug court and argued that the city should not make changes that could make access easier for young people.

The potential tax revenue also prompted local lawyer Ed Clemons to put the numbers into perspective. With staff estimating that a dispensary could generate approximately $150,000 a year in city sales tax revenue, Clemons calculated how much marijuana would have to be sold to produce that amount. “$2.6 million. Wow. If I did it right … $2.6 million in one year of marijuana sold in the city,” he said. The figure represents estimated marijuana sales, not tax revenue, and Clemons’ calculation underscored the volume of sales that would be needed to generate the projected $150,000 for the city.

Local Attorney Ed Clemmons speaks before city council Monday evening. (photo/Connie Whitlock)

J.R. Brown, who said he represented the pastoral staff of Echo Church and spoke in agreement with several other area pastors, urged the council to retain the existing restrictions. He said, “Reducing the distance requirement could eventually allow dispensaries to become just as concentrated as our liquor stores… potentially putting one in every strip mall along 7 Highway.”

Local Minister, J.R. Brown speaks before council. (photo/J.R. Brown)

Another resident spoke emotionally about watching someone close to him struggle with marijuana use and mental health issues.

“I respectfully request that the council consider what this does to the kids of our small town,” he said.

He acknowledged marijuana can have medicinal uses but questioned whether the financial benefit justified changing Pleasant Hill’s restrictions. “Is this about the people, or is this about the money?” he asked.

Another resident told the council she had dealt with a son’s drug problem when he was a teenager and had lost three people to drug overdoses in the past year and a half. She said she did not support bringing a dispensary into Pleasant Hill.

A member of Echo Church also spoke against loosening the restrictions, arguing that Pleasant Hill should think carefully about what kind of community it wants to be and whether treating marijuana dispensaries similarly to liquor stores would be good for the city.

Council members, however, also heard that dispensaries are heavily regulated by the state. When asked whether a dispensary would create an additional burden for the Pleasant Hill Police Department, Chief Kleyh’s response was that there was not expected to be a significant impact. State requirements govern much of the sale, manufacture, distribution, and security of marijuana facilities, while the city would enforce its own ordinances along with applicable state law.

By the end of the discussion, there did not appear to be enough support on the council to direct staff to prepare an ordinance reducing the distances. When staff asked whether council wanted an ordinance drafted and brought back for consideration, the immediate response was, “Not at this point.” Councilwoman Niner summed up the difficulty of the issue by saying they were in a “conundrum.” “I know it’s here. I know it’s coming,” the council member said, while returning to the question of what Pleasant Hill wants to be as a community. The council member also acknowledged the city’s need to expand its revenue base but concluded, “I’m not ready to make that change.”

For now, Pleasant Hill’s existing 1,000-foot restrictions remain in place.

Historic Preservation Approves Demolition of Tucker Hotel

20 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: All News, August 2026, Issues

By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor

Pleasant Hill Historic Preservation (Photo/Carla Murray)

The future of one of Pleasant Hill’s historic downtown buildings was decided Thursday night when the Pleasant Hill Historic Preservation approved a request allowing the owners of the Tucker Hotel to demolish the building at 306 Cedar Street.

The decision follows renewed concern about the building after a portion of its parapet recently fell inward. But structural concerns surrounding the Tucker Hotel date back years.

A structural engineering report commissioned by the City of Pleasant Hill in 2023 documented significant deterioration throughout the building. Allstate Consultants LLC inspected the property on Aug. 2, 2023, and issued its final report Oct. 5. Among 23 observations, engineers documented deteriorating brick and mortar, movement in exterior walls, moisture problems, damaged floor and roof framing and evidence of previous insect damage.

The most serious warnings involved the building’s parapets. Engineers described the west parapet as “unstable and vulnerable to imminent collapse” and the east parapet as “unstable and susceptible to collapse.” In the report’s conclusion, engineers stated that both parapets “had failed.”

That assessment came nearly three years before the recent parapet failure brought the condition of the building back into public focus. The report also noted that concerns predated the 2023 inspection. According to information provided to Allstate, another engineer had conducted a cursory evaluation for the City in 2020 and identified concerns with the property.

Thursday night’s decision brings those years of structural concerns together with another difficult issue for Pleasant Hill: historic preservation. The Tucker Hotel is part of the city’s historic downtown, and demolition means the loss of a building that cannot be replaced. But commissioners were also faced with documented structural problems and the realities of the building’s current condition.

With the Historic Preservation Commission’s approval, the owners can now move forward with demolition.

Pleasant Hill Library Opens New StoryWalk on Library Grounds

20 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: All News, August 2026, Issues

By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor

Ribbon Cutting (photo/Connie Whitlock)

The Pleasant Hill Library added a new way for families to enjoy books, one that takes the story beyond the library shelves and out onto the library grounds.

On Wednesday, Aug. 19, community members gathered at the Pleasant Hill branch of the Cass County Public Library for the grand opening and ribbon cutting of its new StoryWalk, a project nearly three years in the making.

The StoryWalk allows children and families to read a book while walking along a path outdoors. Pages of a children’s book are displayed at stops along the way, encouraging visitors to move from one page to the next as they make their way through the story

(photo/Connie Whitlock)

“We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” Cass County Public Library Director Robin Hudson told those gathered for the celebration.

Hudson thanked the organizations that helped make the project possible. The Cass County Public Library Foundation provided funding that allowed the engineering design for the project to be created, while the Goppert Foundation funded the pathway and permanent StoryWalk signs.

“This, as you can see, is permanent,” Hudson said. “So we will be able to switch out the stories.”

Pleasant Hill Branch Manager Scott Pagel told the crowd the idea went back to around December 2023, when they first began talking about bringing a permanent StoryWalk to Pleasant Hill. “It’s taken some time, but it’s amazing,” Pagel said. “And it’s here.”

The grand opening brought together many of the people and organizations that supported the project. Among those attending were members of the Cass County Public Library Board of Trustees and Library Foundation, representatives of the Goppert Foundation and Goppert Bank, Pleasant Hill Mayor Don Donovan, Police Chief Dennis Kleyh, representatives of the Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce, library staff and many members of the community.

Librarian, Laura Long, Cass County Public Library Board Vice President. Diana Larson, Cass County Public Library Director, Robin Hudson, Cass County Public Library Board Treasurer, Sherri Peters (photo/Connie Whitlock)

Pagel also recognized several people who helped bring the project together, including library staff who worked on installing the posts and preparing the area. And the work isn’t necessarily finished. Plans include additional landscaping around the StoryWalk in the coming months and years, helping turn the library grounds into more of a park-like setting for the community. “We hope this is a place that y’all can enjoy for a very, very long time,” Pagel said.

While the StoryWalk itself is permanent, the stories won’t be. Pagel said the library is considering changing the featured book every two or three months, although staff will see what works best as the community begins using it. That means families can come back again and again and find something new to read.

The project adds another dimension to what the Pleasant Hill Library offers the community. Instead of choosing between spending time outside or settling down with a good book, families can now do both.

Assistant Director of Cass County Public Library, Leigh Hallenberg, Pleasant Hill Branch Manager, Scott Page, Chief of Police, Dennis Kleyh, Chamber of Commerce, Tina Stidham, Erin Carnes, and Trevor Nading (photo/Connie Whitlock)

For parents and grandparents, it provides another free activity to enjoy with children. Families can make the StoryWalk part of a trip to the library or make the walk itself the destination.

It also continues the Pleasant Hill branch’s growing role as more than simply a place to check out books. The library has become a gathering place for programs, activities and community events, and the StoryWalk now extends some of that activity beyond the building’s walls.

After the remarks Wednesday, supporters and community members gathered around the new StoryWalk for the official ribbon cutting. There was the usual maneuvering to get everyone into the photograph, including a call for the mayor to join the group. Then came the moment everyone had gathered for. “Here we go.”

StoryWalk sign (photo/Connie Whitlock)

The ribbon was cut, followed almost immediately by a voice from the crowd: “That’s awesome.” It was a short ceremony for something designed to remain on the library grounds for years to come.

The stories will change. The landscaping will grow. Children who visit today will get older, and new families will discover it. But after nearly three years of imagining, planning, and work, Pleasant Hill now has one more place to read, walk, explore, and spend time together, one page and one step at a time.

Things to Do: Plenty Happening Around Pleasant Hill in August

12 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: August 2026, Issues

We’re getting into the second half of August, but summer isn’t slowing down yet. There are still plenty of things happening around Pleasant Hill, including gardening classes, rodeo action, live music, barbecue judging and even a night when you have a perfectly good excuse to pull out the rhinestones and big hair.

Things get started Friday, August 14, at Paula’s Petals Greenhouse & Floral, 33607 E. 199th St., with a free All About Iris class beginning at 8 a.m. If you have irises that have gotten a little out of control or you’ve always wondered when you’re supposed to divide them, this might be a good class to catch. Paula McCloskey will talk about digging, dividing, planting, and growing irises. The class lasts about an hour, and registration is encouraged. If Friday doesn’t work, the class will also be offered Saturday, August 15, at 8 a.m. For more information, contact Paula at 816-929-0522.

Also on Saturday, August 15, the Midwest Roughstock We’re Back Tour comes to the Cass County Fairgrounds in Pleasant Hill for Performance No. 3 of its 2026 tour. The action begins at 7 p.m., with several levels of competition, starting with some pretty young cowboys and cowgirls. Events include sheep riding for ages 6 and under, calf riding for ages 10 and under, steer riding for ages 13 and under, junior bulls for ages 17 and under, and open bulls for riders 18 and older.

If you’re coming to watch instead of ride, admission is $12 for ages 13 and older, $6 for ages 6–12, and free for children 5 and younger. And the night doesn’t end when the last rider leaves the arena. Ryan Abney will provide live music following the performance, giving everyone another reason to stick around after the rodeo.

Those interested in competing need to call or text Savannah Hofstetter at 816-715-0065 during call-ins from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Monday before the event. Entry fees range from $30 for sheep riding to $70 for open bulls, and fees must be paid one hour before the performance. Contestants and helpers behind the chutes are required to wear cowboy attire, and riders must have the required gear, including a helmet and vest.

If rodeo isn’t quite your thing, there’s also live music that weekend with Brass Rewind on Saturday, August 15.

The following weekend brings more music with the Big Creek Opry Show on Saturday, August 22, at the Peoples Theater, but there’s also something happening that could put you right in the middle of Pleasant Hill’s barbecue scene. A Kansas City Barbeque Society Certified Barbecue Judge class will be held at the Methodist Church on Lexington Road. The class costs $125 and teaches participants how to judge chicken, ribs, pork and brisket at KCBS-sanctioned competitions.

Once you become a certified KCBS judge, you can sign up to judge sanctioned contests held around the world. Being certified doesn’t guarantee you’ll be selected for every contest, but it does give you the opportunity. That could be especially fun here at home since Pleasant Hill hosts one of the largest KCBS-sanctioned backyard barbecue contests each fall, and organizers would like to see more local people become judges. A Table Captain class will immediately follow the judging class for those who want to learn how to manage a table of judges. The cost to take both classes is $200, and participants must also be KCBS members.

Then on Thursday, August 27, downtown Pleasant Hill is going pink. Downtown Dolly — Sip, Shop & Sparkle will take over Gray’s Lot in the Historic District from 5 to 8 p.m. It’s being planned as a girls’ night out with boutique vendors, handmade goods, treats and other unique products.

And this is one night when you don’t have to wonder whether you’re overdressed. Dolly-inspired attire is encouraged, so grab the pink, rhinestones, boots and big hair and have some fun with it. The Pleasant Hill Historic District is still looking for vendors, too. Anyone with boutique items, handmade goods, treats or other unique products who would like to participate can message the Historic District to reserve a spot.

And there’s still more before the month wraps up. Dueling Pianos is coming Friday, August 28, at the People’s Theater, bringing another night of live music and entertainment to Pleasant Hill.

So whether you want to learn what to do with those irises in your yard, watch someone try to hang on to a bull, listen to live music, become an official barbecue judge, or spend an evening downtown dressed like Dolly, there are still plenty of reasons to get out and enjoy August in Pleasant Hill.

Reflections on A (Sometimes Absurd) Life – Fancy Corn – Dreams and Heartbreak

12 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: All News, August 2026, Issues

By Mary Tanck
PHMOmag Columnist

You might be wondering where I have been, lo, these past 2.7 weeks. Or maybe you haven’t. I’m going to tell you regardless. I’ve been going bankrupt.

There’s just something about gardening that brings out the financially irresponsible side of me. Every year I tell myself it will be different this time. I will exercise self-control in the garden department. And I did alright this year. Until late June.

It all started when I planted zinnias on the same hill upon which I always plant zinnias. I’m basically a semi-professional zinnia grower. However, the weather worked diligently against me on that hill. I wasn’t incredibly worried about it since I have two others that are growing beautifully. Along about June, though, I decided that maybe I should till the poorly growing zinnias under and plant various colors of corn to use during Decorative Gourd Season.

I checked the Farmers’ Almanac and discovered that I still had 2 weeks to get corn in the ground for a fall harvest. I presented the idea to my husband, who looked incredulous and asked, “You’re only going to plant decorative corn, what’s the point in that???” I pretended that he had, obviously, misunderstood and replied that, no, only about a third would be decorative and the rest would be sweet corn. Then I added that only a small portion of the colored corn would be decorative, I was going to use most of it to make beautiful and delicious cornmeal. He nodded as if this were a perfectly reasonable task I had set for myself. Or, more likely, he wasn’t truly listening.

Have I ever made cornmeal before? No. Have I ever before expressed a remote interest in making cornmeal? No. Do I own a corn mill or know how to prepare corn for milling? No and no. Have I ever even used cornmeal in my culinary adventures? Also no. I don’t like grits and I use a certain “famous” cornbread mix from the grocery store. None of that was going to stop me from living my fancy cornmeal fantasies though.

Because it’s easier to give me whatever mildly unhinged thing I want, Mr. Tanck agreed to my plan, re-tilled the hill, amended the soil, laid out a grid, and built a corn planter so we wouldn’t have to bend over to plant the seeds. We were smug about our fancy new 300 square foot corn farm. I couldn’t wait to use my pretty blue and pink corn for Decorative Gourd Season. I envisioned Better Homes and Gardens calling to photograph my front porch for the cover of their Decorative Gourd Season issue.

Mr. Tanck took charge of the watering, but soon tired of hauling water to the hill. He decided we needed a spigot on site. However, the water line is on the other side of the driveway; so, he called a boring company to drill a line for us then installed a spigot. Looking back, I recognize that moment as being when the expense began to spiral out of control.

Our 300 square foot decorative corn farm was getting fancier by the day. We were certain it would be the talk of Cass County.

And it was definitely the talk of Cass County. 

At least it was if you only include the population of deer in that survey. Deer soon found our corn patch and ate enough leaves to send us a warning. The only thing for it was to install an electric fence.

Now we’re fighting rain and heat and pestilence – just as my childhood hero, Laura Ingalls, did. Sometimes I even take a hoe out to the garden and stand there for the authentic feel of battling the elements for my corn. I let the sun beat down on me and stare into the distance as though it is just my hoe and me against the whole natural world…

Anyway, our production cost, assuming a 70% success rate, is approximately $28.50 per ear of corn. We hope to remain under $32 per ear at the end of the season. In short, I think you can see that it is taking a lot of hard work and dedication to grow such expensive fancy corn. Not just anyone could do it.

Parallel Parking Downtown? Pleasant Hill Council Wants to Hear From Residents

11 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: All News, August 2026, Issues

By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor

A proposal to improve traffic flow through downtown Pleasant Hill could bring noticeable changes downtown. Public Works Director, Tony Bakken, proposed changed to Veterans Parkway, including parallel parking in front of the post office.

Tony Bakken giving proposal for parallel parking on Veterans Parkway (photo/Connie Whitlock)

While council members generally agreed that something needs to be done about congestion in the area, the possibility of replacing angled parking with parallel parking raised enough questions that the council decided it wants to hear from the public before moving forward.

“You guys have all seen where the bottlenecks happen,” city staff told the council during the presentation. “We end up with almost a one-way traffic through in front of the post office in that area.”

According to the presentation, discussions about improving traffic on Veterans Parkway date back to 2023. Council discussed the issue but it never moved forward. The city has been working with Allstate Consultants on a plan.

The current proposal would convert the angled parking on the east side of Veterans Parkway to parallel parking. According to the city, doing that would create approximately 8 additional feet of travel width and help eliminate the bottleneck near the post office. The project would involve more than changing parking spaces.

Plans also call for ADA sidewalk improvements and a crosswalk at Locust Street and Veterans Parkway. Commercial Street near the existing parking area would become one-way, with additional angled parking added there.

The intersection of Cedar Street and Veterans Parkway would also change from its current three-way stop configuration to a four-way stop.

Another proposed change would address the sometimes confusing intersection near Broadway Street/Depot Drive and Veterans Parkway. The existing stop sign would be moved back, and another stop sign would be added on Veterans Parkway, creating a three-way stop.

City staff said the change could make the intersection safer and make it clearer which driver has the right-of-way. Council members appeared particularly interested in whether improving traffic flow would come at the expense of downtown parking.

According to the city’s preliminary calculations, the overall project would actually result in a net gain of one parking space after additional spaces planned elsewhere are taken into account.

Still, not everyone was comfortable with where those spaces would be located. “I hate losing parking spots right by the post office,” one council member said.

That concern quickly turned into a broader discussion about parallel parking and whether it could pose difficulties for older residents and others who aren’t comfortable maneuvering into a parallel parking space. One council member questioned whether some elderly residents would be able to parallel park near the post office and nearby businesses. Another acknowledged that concern, saying a downtown building owner had raised essentially the same issue earlier that day.

The trade-off, city staff explained, is safety and traffic flow. The angled parking currently narrows the roadway, making it difficult for two vehicles to pass. Large vehicles parked in the area can also make visibility difficult. “It’s very, very, very congested in that area,” one council member said.

The city isn’t proposing to eliminate angled parking throughout downtown. Angle parking would remain on the west side of Veterans Parkway and in other nearby areas. “I mean, it’s going to be an adjustment. It’s going to be a change,” Bakken told the council. But the recommendation, they said, is intended to “open this flow of traffic and make it safer.”

Council members also discussed alternatives, including whether angled parking could remain on the east side while parking on another portion of the street was eliminated instead. That possibility will likely receive another look. “I think it’s close, but I think there’s things we have to look at,” councilman Patterson said.

Another was more specific. “I’m just not sold on parallel parking from the post office,” the council member said, using the example of a grandmother who might want to visit the post office but would not be comfortable parallel parking.

Someone else pointed out the other side of that argument: backing out of an angled parking space when visibility is limited can create its own safety concern. 

The discussion ultimately came back to something council members agreed they wanted before making the change: input from the people who use the area.

The council voted to table the Veterans Parkway parking plan until its next meeting so the public has an opportunity to comment.

The delay could push the project into the later part of the fall. City staff had hoped to coordinate the work with planned microsurfacing and striping on Veterans Parkway, Commercial Street, portions of Locust and Highland, and First and Second streets.

And before that happens, the City Council wants to know what Pleasant Hill residents think.

The council did pass the stop signs but are waiting on the parking proposal.

Meet Community Betterment: The Organization Behind Decades of Pleasant Hill Projects

11 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: All News, August 2026, Issues

By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor

The Depot. Soccer. Trails at the city lake. The caboose. Christmas carriage rides.

They are all familiar pieces of Pleasant Hill, and some have been around long enough that most of us probably don’t give much thought to how they got here. They are just part of our town.

For more than three decades, the Community Betterment Association of Pleasant Hill has been working, sometimes taking on projects itself and other times helping someone find a way to make an idea happen. During a recent work session with the Pleasant Hill City Council, members shared some of those stories and also discussed something that may be even more important now: who will carry that work forward.

The roots of Community Betterment go back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, according to longtime member Randy Miller, who shared some of the organization’s early history with the council. The organization received its federal tax-exempt status in 1994, meaning Community Betterment has now been operating as a nonprofit for more than 30 years. “It’s not something that just happens,” Community Betterment Vice President Myra Doehla said of improving a community. “It’s hard work.”

1990: Pleasant Hill Mayor Terry Wilson hands the keys to the Depot to Community Betterment President Bill Miller (center) and treasurer Pat Bates (left). (photo/Pleasant Hill Times)

One of the earliest and most visible examples was the Depot. Miller said his father was involved in efforts to save the Depot when the railroad no longer wanted the building, and it could have been lost. The organization raised money, but much of what happened next came down to people willing to work.

Miller said gifted students from Pleasant Hill Middle School helped with the design of Depot Park, while volunteers helped construct improvements. Local residents helped build a fence between the depot and the tracks. “It was truly grassroots economic development,” Miller said.

Randy Miller at the work session for Community Betterment (photo/Connie Whitlock)

That happened again when Pleasant Hill children wanted to play soccer. “The kids wanted to play soccer,” Miller said. At the time, it wasn’t a city recreation program. Local people wanted to create one, but they needed a nonprofit organization that could collect money and help get things started. Community Betterment already had that structure and became the umbrella organization while volunteers built the program.

A similar thing happened when residents wanted trails at the city lake and when another group wanted to restore Pleasant Hill’s caboose. People had the ideas and were willing to work. Community Betterment helped give them a way to do it. “There’s just a number of things that we have used that 501(c)(3) for through the years,” Miller told the council.

But some of the organization’s work is much harder to see. Around 2010, local leaders learned there were Pleasant Hill children who were nutritionally at risk, Myra Doehla said. The community wanted something similar to the Harvesters backpack program, which provides food for children to take home when they aren’t at school.

There was a problem. According to Doehla, Pleasant Hill didn’t meet the requirements for Harvesters to operate the program here at the time. The Pleasant Hill Optimist Club’s response was pretty simple. “Fine, we’ll do it ourselves,” Doehla recalled. And they did. The Optimist Club operated the program while Community Betterment provided the nonprofit structure that helped with donations and purchasing food. “That was what it was about because it really adds up when you’re buying thousands of dollars worth of food,” Doehla said.

She said the local effort continued for somewhere around eight to 10 years before Harvesters eventually became involved. It’s one of those stories that probably happened without most of Pleasant Hill ever knowing much about it. 

Then there are the stories that have become part of the personality of Pleasant Hill. Years ago, the community wanted to offer horse-drawn carriage rides at Christmas. Miller said they initially hired someone from Holden to bring a horse and carriage to town. “It was just super expensive,” he said. “We could not afford it.” So Miller and Mark Randall came up with another idea. They would just buy a carriage.

“We put up our own money,” Miller said. They paid about $850 for it and then went back to Community Betterment hoping the organization would reimburse them. Miller joked about going back “on bended knee” to ask for the money. Community Betterment agreed. “And the rest is history,” Miller said. Decades later, the carriage rides are still part of Christmas in Pleasant Hill.

Community Betterment is also a property manager in Pleasant Hill. Doehla told the council that the organization rents space in the historic Depot as well as the old Booth library building, with rental income helping support Community Betterment’s work in the community.

Depot (photo/Community Betterment Presentation)
Vice President Myra Doehla at the work session for Community Betterment (photo/Connie Whitlock)

The Depot has had an interesting role in Pleasant Hill’s downtown through the years. Miller said that when downtown had far more empty storefronts, the Depot spaces were intended in part to give new small businesses an affordable place to get started. “It started out as an incubator for a new small business,” Miller said. The idea was that a business could begin in the Depot, establish itself, and eventually move into a larger downtown location.

Today, downtown Pleasant Hill looks much different, but Community Betterment continues to manage the spaces. Doehla called the Depot “a wonderful, wonderful spot,” although she acknowledged that its age creates limitations on the types of businesses the building can accommodate.

The income from renting the Depot and old library building gives Community Betterment another way to continue supporting projects and ideas in Pleasant Hill. Those projects are part of the organization’s past and present. The question now is what its future will look like.

The people who helped build many of these projects aren’t getting younger, and Doehla was open with the council about the need for someone else to eventually take their place. “When we’re done, there has to be somebody to step in,” she said. “Or else guess what happens? You’re dead in the water, and we’re done.” Finding the next generation isn’t necessarily easy.

People are busy. They are working, raising children, caring for their parents, going to ball games, and trying to fit everything else into their lives. But Doehla said helping your community doesn’t mean you have to do everything. “You don’t have to do lots,” she said. “All you have to do is have something you are passionate about and get involved.”

Community Betterment board member Kylie Baker sees getting younger residents involved as an important part of the organization’s future. “We want younger citizens to be involved to one day pass down the torch,” Baker told the council. That may be the larger story behind more than 30 years of Community Betterment.

“Community Betterment is about bringing people together to turn community ideas into lasting improvements,” Baker said. More than 30 years later, many of those improvements are still here. Some have become so familiar that we probably don’t even think about the people who made them happen.

The question now is who will come up with the next idea and who will care enough about Pleasant Hill to help make it happen. The People Behind the Projects: Community Betterment Looks to the Next Generation.

Current board for Community Betterment:

President: Terry Wilson, Pleasant Hill Historical Society
Vice President: Myra Doehla, Pleasant Hill Optimist Club
Treasurer: Amy Johnson, City of Pleasant Hill
Secretary: Martha Drasny, Pleasant Hill Historic District
Suzanne Brenneman, Pleasant Hill School District
Kylie Baker, City of Pleasant Hill
Mark Guffey, citizen
Randy Miller, citizen
Tina Stidham, Pleasant Hill Chamber of Commerce

7-Year-Old Seriously Injured After Being Hit by Car in Pleasant Hill

9 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: August 2026, Issues

UPDATE: Boy’s Father Says He Is Doing Okay

The father of the 7-year-old boy seriously injured after being hit by a car Saturday night has shared an encouraging update.

In a comment shared on social media, the boy’s father, said his son is “doing okay considering the circumstances” and was going into surgery. He added that his son “will be fine” and thanked the community for its prayers.

The update comes after the boy was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital with serious injuries following Saturday evening’s accident on Locust Street near Armstrong Street in Pleasant Hill.

Original Story

A 7-year-old boy was seriously injured Saturday evening after being hit by a car while riding his bicycle in Pleasant Hill.

The accident happened around 8:25 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, on Locust Street just east of Armstrong Street, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

A 38-year-old Harrisonville man was driving a 2009 Honda Fit east on Locust Street when the boy rode his bicycle into the path of the car, according to the Highway Patrol crash report.

The boy was seriously injured and taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital. As of Sunday morning, there has been no information released about his current condition.

Dispatch traffic from Saturday evening reported a car-versus-child accident near Armstrong Street. Emergency crews responded to the scene and the roadway was shut down while they worked the accident.

The Highway Patrol report states the boy was not wearing a helmet.

It is difficult news for a community to wake up to, especially when a child is involved. For now, there are few details beyond what was reported by the Highway Patrol, including how the child is doing.

KCBS is looking to Certify Judges in Pleasant Hill

7 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: All News, August 2026, Issues

By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor

If you’ve ever sat down to a plate of barbecue and had strong opinions about the chicken, ribs, pork or brisket, there’s a class coming to Pleasant Hill that might be right up your alley.

And yes, becoming an official barbecue judge is a real thing.

Pleasant Hill will host a Kansas City Barbeque Society Certified Barbeque Judge class on Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Methodist church on Lexington Road. The goal is to get more local residents certified and ready to help judge KCBS-sanctioned competitions ,including one held right here in Pleasant Hill each fall.

Pleasant Hill is home to one of the largest KCBS-sanctioned backyard barbecue competitions, and organizers would like to see more Pleasant Hillers sitting at the judging tables.

Bunny Tuttle and her granddaughter Mika recently created a fun video to help spread the word about the upcoming class and show people what becoming a certified barbecue judge is all about.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1071864525307631

During the class, participants learn how KCBS competitions are judged, including how to evaluate four of barbecue’s biggest categories: chicken, ribs, pork and brisket.

Once certified, judges aren’t limited to Pleasant Hill. KCBS-sanctioned competitions are held around the world, and certified judges can sign up for opportunities to judge them. Certification doesn’t guarantee you’ll be selected for every contest, but it gives you the credentials needed to apply to judge KCBS events wherever they’re held.

The Certified Barbeque Judge class costs $125.

For those interested in taking their involvement a step further, a Table Captain class will be offered immediately following the judging class. Table captains help manage the judging table and the competition judging process. The cost to take both classes is $200.

Participants must first be members of the Kansas City Barbeque Society. Membership is $50 and can be obtained through KCBS.

Registration for the Pleasant Hill classes is available through Downtown Pleasant Hill by selecting the ticket option.

So, if you love barbecue, want to learn what separates good competition barbecue from award-winning barbecue, and wouldn’t mind having an official reason to eat chicken, ribs, pork and brisket, Pleasant Hill is looking for you.

The ultimate goal is simple: when barbecue teams roll into Pleasant Hill this fall, organizers want plenty of hometown judges ready to take their seats at the table.

Portion of Tucker Building Parapet Falls; City Barricades Area as Engineer Review Is Planned

6 August 2026
Connie Whitlock
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Categories: All News, August 2026, Issues

By Connie Whitlock
Publishing Editor

On August 5th, barricades went up around what Pleasant Hill knows as the old Tucker Hotel building on Cedar, and engineers are expected on site on August 6 at 12:30 P.M.  According to Mayor Don Donovan, a resident raised concerns about potential danger due to visible damage to the exterior of the structure.  

The old Tucker Hotel (photo/Connie Whitlock)
Side of the building (photo/Connie Whitlock)

One of the new owners of the property, Jarrod Gravatt, said that they were aware of the problems with the historic building and had repairs scheduled for September. “Yes, disappointing, but it was a known problem,” Gravatt told PHMOmag. “I have it scheduled to be fixed in September, but working on moving that up to ASAP.”

According to Gravatt, a contractor has already been selected for the repair work, and he hopes exterior work can begin as early as next week. The alley and the front of the building have been blocked as engineers arrive, and the blockades may remain while repairs are underway. 

He said he has engineering reports dating to 2025 that identified the possibility of problems with the parapets.

Gravatt provided PHMOmag with photographs of the parapet’s condition approximately a month ago, compared with its current condition. He said he had previously been told the parapet had looked the same for about three years.

Top of the old Tucker Hotel (photo/Jarrod Gravatt)
Top of the old Tucker Hotel (photo/Jarrod Gavatt)

The food pantry has been serving the public at the old Tucker building and will have to find another home while work is being done.  “We are working with the city to see what locations they can run the food pantry in the interim, possibly Memorial Building, but just spit balling today,” Gravatt said.

Gravatt said he does not currently believe there is a danger to the public based on what he has observed. Still, an engineer’s assessment will provide additional information about the condition of the structure.

The development comes only a few weeks after PHMOmag featured the Tucker Building and the work underway there. Read the story here: https://phmomag.com/historic-tucker-hotel-begins-new-chapter-in-downtown-pleasant-hill/