Waterfest Returns for its 43rd Year

Waterfest 2026 will return to downtown Excelsior Springs on Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, bringing back one of the Kansas City area’s longest-running summer traditions for its 43rd year.

Organized by the Excelsior Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, the annual festival draws thousands of residents and visitors for two days of entertainment, family activities, contests, vendors, and community traditions. Waterfest is the city’s largest annual event and has been named Best Festival in the Community of Excellence Awards for the past two years.

This year’s festival will feature more than 90 vendor booths along Broadway offering arts, crafts, clothing, gifts, food, beverages, and novelty items. Festivalgoers can also expect live music on the Rite-Way Stage, the Waterfest Summer Jam concert, country artist Josh Collins, the Waterfest Parade, a beer garden, and a wide range of attractions including a custom car, hot rod and truck show, a motorcycle show, a quilt show at the Hall of Waters, a Kids Splash Zone, free trolley rides, free hot air balloon rides, and community favorites such as the Little Miss & Mister Waterfest contest and the Rotary water fight.

One event returning to the lineup this year is the ES Idol Singing Competition, an amateur vocal contest that had been popular in previous years. Auditions are scheduled for June 19 and 20 at Slightly Off Broadway Theatre, with finalists set to perform during Waterfest on June 27. Former contestant Samantha Barrett is helping organize the competition alongside Cindy Hewitt.

Festival organizers said Waterfest remains a community-wide effort supported by volunteers, sponsors, local businesses, and civic groups. “This festival is about celebrating the spirit of Excelsior Springs,” organizers said. “Waterfest brings together families, visitors, businesses, entertainers, nonprofits, and volunteers in a way that truly showcases our community.”

Organizers are currently seeking additional volunteers, sponsors, parade entries, and vendors ahead of the June festival. For schedules, applications, contest information, sponsorship opportunities, and festival updates, visit: ESWaterfest.com.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Clay County Public Health Achieves National Recognition

Clay County Public Health Center (CCPHC) has been recognized by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) for its ability to plan for, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies.

Emergency Response Coordinator Wennekota Tarama (center) accepts the Project Public Health Ready award on behalf of Clay County Public Health during the 2026 Preparedness Summit in Baltimore in April.

CCPHC demonstrated these capabilities by meeting the comprehensive preparedness benchmarks required by Project Public Health Ready (PPHR), a unique partnership between NACCHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The health center joins a cohort of more than 550 local health departments across the country that have been distinguished for excellence in preparedness through PPHR, either individually or as part of a region. CCPHC is the fifth agency in Missouri to earn this recognition.

“I am extremely proud of our team for the work they put in to earning Project Public Health Ready recognition,” said Clay County Director of Public Health Darrell Meinke. “It took a lot of time and commitment, and I hope it shows our community our dedication to serving them well, especially in the case of a public health crisis. We will always be ready to quickly and effectively respond.”

PPHR recognition confirms that Clay County Public Health has a thorough and coordinated emergency response plan in place and that staff have the training to protect the health of the community during an emergency. Local health departments recognized by PPHR undergo a rigorous evaluation by peer review to assess their ability to meet a set of national standards for public health preparedness. These standards align with federal government requirements and other national best practices.

PPHR's criteria elements are organized into 3 goals, including:

• All-hazards preparedness planning,

• Workforce capacity development,

• Quality improvement through exercises and responses and a comprehensive exercise plan.

Within the 313 measures submitted by CCPHC, 301 were marked as Fully Met, with only 12 being Partially Met and zero being Not Met.

“Public health preparedness planning, response, and recovery begins at the local level. Local health departments play an essential role in creating healthy, resilient communities that can respond to and recover from disasters.” said Lori T. Freeman, Chief Executive Officer. “NACCHO commends Clay County Public Health for being a model of public health emergency preparedness.”

For more information on Project Public Health Ready, including recognized sites, project tools, and resources, visit http://www.naccho.org/PPHR.

KPGZ News

Kearney Senior Wins Top Prize in Design Contest

Kearney High School senior Amara Miles has won a Northland-wide T-shirt design contest tied to FIFA World Cup 2026™ festivities, earning the opportunity for up to $12,500 in scholarships from Park University and seeing her design featured on shirts sold at watch party events across the Northland.

seniors Scout Pimblott and Amara Miles. Photo by Ray Weikal

Go North KC and Park University announced May 7 that Miles received the grand prize in the contest, which was held this spring among high school students throughout the Northland. Voting took place online and in person at the North Kansas City Snake Parade.

As the top vote-getter, Miles will be offered a $5,000 renewable and stackable scholarship from Park University. Combined with other scholarship opportunities and based on her current GPA, the award could total $12,500 if she attends Park University and maintains a GPA of 2.0 or higher. Her winning design will appear on T-shirts sold at all seven Northland FIFA World Cup 2026™ watch parties.

Park University is also offering scholarships to the top 12 participants in the contest. The remaining 11 finalists will each be offered a $1,000 renewable and stackable scholarship that can be combined with other Park University awards, including academic scholarships, A+ scholarships and campus visit incentives.

Two other Kearney High School students were also recognized among the contest runners-up: senior Scout Pimblott and junior Ruby Mendel.

Jennifer Goering, executive director of the Platte County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the contest reflected the collaborative spirit behind Go North KC and highlighted the artistic talent in local schools.

“From the start, Go North KC’s mantra has been ‘we are better together,’” Goering said. “This contest showcased the phenomenal artists at our area high schools, and we can’t wait to see the winning design on our watch party T-shirts. Thank you to Park University for its generous scholarship offer to the winning artist.”

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Clay County Earns National Financial Reporting Award

Clay County has received the Government Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report covering the fiscal year that ended Dec. 31, 2024, county officials announced.

The certificate is considered the organization’s top honor in governmental accounting and financial reporting and signals that the county’s report met national benchmarks for clarity, completeness and transparency.

An impartial panel reviewed the report and determined it satisfied the program’s standards, including what GFOA describes as a “spirit of full disclosure” intended to make financial information easier for residents, policymakers and other stakeholders to understand.

GFOA created the Certificate of Achievement program in 1945 to encourage state and local governments to go beyond minimum accounting requirements and publish annual reports that are transparent, informative and accessible to the public.

The recognition is the county’s first-ever Certificate of Achievement. Several Missouri and regional peers, including Boone, St. Charles, Jackson and St. Louis counties, have maintained the distinction for decades.

Before the report was submitted to GFOA, Clay County’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report was independently audited by an external accounting firm, then evaluated against rigorous national standards and accounting principles, officials said.

GFOA calls the certificate “the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting.” County leaders said the award reflects an ongoing focus on clear communication, fiscal responsibility and public trust.

KPGZ News – Brian Watts contributed to this story.

Clay County Most Wanted Suspect Apprehended

Eric E. Frazer

Deputies arrested their Most Wanted suspect Friday evening, which led to an assault on a Sheriff’s Office canine and multiple deputies requiring medical attention.

Deputies had been trying to take 54-year-old Eric E. Frazer into custody since December 2025, when he failed to appear in court for drug trafficking charges. He also failed to appear for a Valentine’s Law charge for fleeing a lawful stop. In just the last month, he fled from deputies two additional times. The Sheriff’s Office placed him on its Most Wanted list on April 22.

Investigation revealed Frazer was at a relative’s home in the 16800 block of Ragsdale Road at about 6 p.m. May 1. The relatives exited the home and allowed deputies to go inside to apprehend Frazer. Deputies deployed a drone for an initial search of the house, and after seeing nothing, went inside with K9 Argos. Argos directed them to a bathroom that had an opening to the attic. The drone showed Frazer hiding in the attic, but he refused to come out. Deputies did not know whether he was armed. After several warnings to Frazer, K9 Argos went into the attic to assist with the apprehension.

Frazer fought Argos, lying on top of him and forcing his head into the sheetrock, then pulling hard on the leash around his neck, causing the leash line to break. Fearing for everyone’s safety, deputies in the living room below cut a hole in the ceiling to get Argos and Frazer out. Argos fell through, with one deputy able to catch him just enough to break his fall. Deputies then pulled Frazer down. After being treated for his bite wounds at the hospital, Frazer is now in custody at the Clay County Detention Center with no bond. In addition to his original warrants, Frazer is now charged with:

• Felony aggravated fleeing a stop

• Felony resisting arrest

• Misdemeanor assault on a law enforcement animal

• Four misdemeanor charges of assault on law enforcement

Additional charges may be filed as investigation continues.

The Clay County Prosecutor’s Office states this is the first time they have filed a charge under Max’s Law, which became effective in Missouri in August 2024. The law makes it a crime to injure or kill a police animal.

K9 Argos’ handler immediately took him to Long Veterinary Hospital to be evaluated for injuries and treated for inhaling insulation. Four deputies also had to be evaluated and treated at the hospital for various minor injuries sustained during the apprehension.