🌱 Meet the Shawnee author behind American Girl’s newest Doll of the Year

Good morning Shawnee! We're back in your inbox this morning to keep you in the loop with what's happening in and around town. Grab a cup of coffee and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Meet the Shawnee author behind American Girl's newest Doll of the Year
• How Overland Park's parks tax debate compares to Shawnee's own levy

Also on today's calendar: The BoDells at Barley's in Shawnee and 8 more events.

Today's riddle: What do you call a belt that is made of watches? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
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Weather forecast:

• Thursday: Heavy rain and a thunderstorm, with a high of 71 and low of 54 degrees.
• Friday: Clouds breaking; less humid, temps: high: 70, low: 54.
• Saturday: Pleasant with plenty of sun, with a high of 72 and low of 55 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Hispanic Heritage Month: Shawnee children's book author creates American Girl Doll of the Year (fox4kc.com) — A Shawnee-based children's author is gaining national attention for creating American Girl's 2026 Doll of the Year, Raquel Reyes, inspired by her Mexican-American heritage and Kansas City roots. She's written a dozen culturally rich books, won major awards, and hopes local kids in Shawnee and beyond see their own stories reflected while being encouraged to read more and spend less time on screens.
   

• JoC's biggest cities already have parks sales taxes. Overland Park may be next (johnsoncountypost.com) — Shawnee residents already pay a 1/8-cent "Parks and Pipes" sales tax, and Overland Park is now debating a similar dedicated parks tax to fund a new 10-year recreation plan. City leaders there are weighing options from 1/8- to 3/8-cent, with a possible mail-in election in early 2027, which could influence how neighboring Johnson County cities like Shawnee think about long-term parks funding.
   

📸 Around Shawnee

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Shawnee

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Friday October 2
• Glamour Profession →
  11119 Johnson Drive, Shawnee
  7:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Friday October 2
• The BoDells at Barley's in Shawnee →
  Barley's – Shawnee, 16649 Midland Dr, Shawnee
  8:00 pm
Saturday October 3
• Farmers Market →
  Shawnee City Hall Parking Lot, 11110 Johnson Drive, Shawnee
  7:00 am
• Scarecrow Festival →
  Shawnee City Hall Parking Lot, 11110 Johnson Drive, Shawnee
  9:00 am
• Side of a Bullet/One Last Breath →
  11119 Johnson Drive, Shawnee
  7:00 pm
Sunday October 4
• Rock Chalk Run
  KU Edwards Campus, 12604 Quivira Rd, Overland Park
  8:30 am
• Grace Church - 30 YEAR CELEBRATION! Open to the Public →
  Theater in the Park, 7710 Renner Road, Shawnee
  12:00 pm
• Fall Work Day →
  New City Shawnee, 7230 Quivira Drive Lane, Shawnee
  12:30 pm
Tuesday October 6
• Beginners Computer Workshop →
  Shawnee Civic Centre, 13817 Johnson Dr, Shawnee
  1:00 pm
• Ribbon Cutting - AR Roofing →
  Shawnee KS
  4:00 pm
Wednesday October 7
• National Walk To School Day
  Oak Park-Carpenter Elementary School, 10000 Nieman, Overland Park
  7:40 am

📣 Shawnee Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Thursday October 1
• 4:30 pm - 8:30 pm (2 lanes) - Short Course →
  SMSD Aquatic Center, 17251 W. 87th St. Parkway, Lenexa
  4:30 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• At the Shawnee Hyvee...
  (Phflumm and 67th st.). How did this happen. Wild... (Nextdoor Walden Pond)
• Cattau family haunt back in business!!
  Lit nightly with all the extras on Friday and Saturday nights. We welcome Voorhees to the show this year. Come by and check out the custom props! (Nextdoor Mill Valley)

• Savers Value Village posted a job opening for Retail Warehouse & Production Associate in Shawnee. Apply here.
• Arby's - Flynn Group posted a job opening for Assistant Manager in Shawnee. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Shawnee here.

🗞 Nearby News

Lenexa

• Midas Hospitality Opens Dual Branded Hotel in Lenexa, Kansas (constructforstl.org)
• When Jalon Daniels starts for the Buccaneers, it'll end KU's long NFL drought (kansascity.com)
• Best private high schools in Kansas (derbyinformer.com)

Merriam

• Deena Lou Hallier (johnsoncountypost.com)
• 1,039 Shares in Seaboard Corporation $SEB Acquired by Bank of America Corp DE (marketbeat.com)

Ok Shawnee! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: A waist of time. (Thank you Martin L. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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