Events Calendar

Meet our local wildlife and enjoy the scenic views of Lake Buteo on an interpretive guided tour. This beginner-level tour will last one hour and is open to anyone 10 and older . Participants are expected to know how to kayak before attending program. Staff cannot teach participants how to kayak. Children age 10-17 must be accompanied by an adult. Kayaks, life vests, and paddle will be provided.

Pre-registration is required. Only three spots are allowed per registration, per family/group. Only 10 spots are open per tour, and registration fills quickly. To register, call 660-563-2463 from Aug. 10-Aug. 23. A wait list will be created once registration is filled.

Registrants must arrive 10 minutes early and meet at Lake Buteo, down the road from the visitor center and across the street from the campground. Courtesy calls will be made to registrants on Friday before tour. Failing to notify of absence or not attending when registered will prohibit individuals/groups from registering for future kayak tours.

Have you been working toward your Explorer patch? Have you been wanting to start? If so, this is the program for you! Stop by this identification touch table to learn about some of Missouri’s mammals and check off identification on your Explorer patch card. The touch table will be set up at the Lil’ Forest Amphitheater located in the Knob Noster State Park campground for two hours; you are welcome to come and go as you please.

Individuals earn an Explorer patch by completing the Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites Explorer Program, a series of fun, educational classes and activities intended to boost participants’ respect for the natural world and historic settings.

A monthly dinner series at Parker, Fork & Bottle is an opportunity for local
wineries, breweries and distilleries to join a special chef’s table dinner with
curated pairings for each course. On Thursday, August 29^th, Parker
will partner with Aubrey Vineyards, Overland Park’s first winery. Advanced
reservations are $65 plus tax and night of reservations are $75 plus tax. Make
it a romantic couples’ experience with a couples’ reservation for $120 plus
tax. Reservations can be made by calling (816)743-8455. Parker at The Fontaine is a rooftop social dining experience serving a progressive take on new American classics with local soul. Parker’s Executive Chef Ryan Spruhan leans into the heart of Kansas City with seasonally driven cuisine, locally sourced ingredients, artful technique, and a nod to past and present.

Aubrey Vineyards curates Napa-style wines from the Heart of the Midwest offering a
premier collection using cold climate grapes, like Chambourcin, Chardonnay, and
Cabernet Sauvignon, sweet trail rider blends, and varietals with subtle, natural expressions of grape, fruit, and honey. The winery is located at one the highest elevations in the area, just south of River Ridge, and has gentle slopes of fertile, loamy soil that is low in clay content – perfect for growing grape vines.

As you celebrate the Labor Day holiday, please join us on Saturday to learn about and meet some of nature’s hardest workers: native pollinators. Park pollinators play an essential role in food production and in ensuring the survival of many wildflowers and other plant species.

From 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m., there will be a guided hike led by Park Naturalist Lorie Volenberg, who will give you the latest “buzz” on the variety of pollinators, their choices of plants and other roles they play in nature. After lunch, rejoin Lorie from 12:30 p.m.-2 p.m. to engage in craft activities and make your own bee house. We will meet at the upper picnic area near the visitor center for both the hike and the craft table. It has not yet been determined which trail we will hike, as we are waiting to see which one will have the best wildflower display. Be prepared to hike anywhere from 0.5 miles-2 miles.

Participants should bring a water bottle and their own lunch and are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and insect repellent. In case of rain, the hike may be canceled, but the craft table will be set up inside the visitor center. Special accommodations may be provided upon request.