KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City-area residents hoping to spend the night before Thanksgiving watching musical performances, meeting Santa and enjoying a fireworks display at Jackson County's Christmas in the Sky will have to come up with a backup plan.
Jackson County announced Wednesday morning that it has canceled Christmas in the Sky, located at Kansas City, Missouri's Longview Lake Beach, for the first time in 26 years due to parking conditions.
The county said the excessive rain over the past few days has left the grassy parking ground saturated, full of water and not suitable to accommodate thousands of people.
"This is one of the hardest event decisions we have ever had to make," Michele Newman, Jackson County Parks and Recreation director, said in a written statement. "We explored every option possible, with the hopes of moving forward. I love this event and look forward each year to kicking off the holiday season with the thousands of families who have made Christmas in the Sky part of their holiday tradition."
The county's 36th annual Christmas in the Park will begin at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday as planned, showing off over 1 million Christmas lights and 200 animated displays through the remainder of the year. The free drive-thru display will begin at Frank White Jr. Softball Complex, continuing through Longview Campground.
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