Fairyland Park: Kansas City’s Million Dollar Playground, Jazz Stage, and Civil Rights Battleground

Megan and Mindy dig into the complicated history of Fairyland Park at 75th and Prospect in Kansas City, a long-gone amusement park that was once a major summer destination and a significant jazz venue. The story spans thrills, music, segregation, activism, and the eventual decline of the park as Kansas City changed around it.They also trace how Fairyland fit into a larger local tradition of amusement parks, why its music mattered, and how Black Kansas Citians fought to end its discriminatory admission policies.

Archival Collections & Primary Documents

• Kansas City Public Library (Missouri Valley Special Collections): Houses the extensive Mrs. Sam Ray Postcard Collection featuring v ...