Inside Scoop KC: Dino O'Dell
Children’s Musician
“Basically, I trick kids into learning with music and stories,” says Kansas City’s own Dino O’Dell. “Kids learn best when they are engaged, and they are engaged best when the medium is interactive, so I end up collaborating with a lot of elementary schools and libraries as the assembly guy. I perform 50-minute interactive shows for children. And there is always education, like geography, mathematics and astronomy, hidden inside the songs.”
This fall, Dino will be performing with his band, the T-Rex All-Stars, at the Overland Park Fall Festival, Sept. 29, a fun, very kid-friendly event. In October, he will be working with the Kansas City Public Library as part of their "Building a Community of Readers" campaign, celebrating with Dino's not-so-scary Halloween show. Visit http://dinoodell.com/ for a complete schedule!
GP: How long have you lived in KC?
Dino: I moved to Kansas City from Seattle 15 years ago. I know I've become a local because I'm a Royals fan even when we play the Mariners.
GP: Favorite kid-friendly places in Kansas City:
Dino: Wonderscope Children's Museum (5700 King St., Shawnee, KS, 913.287.8888). It's like a candy store for curious kids. The Plaza Library (4801 Main St., Kansas City, MO, 816.701.3481) is also great place for family night. On Friday evenings, our family enjoys dinner at the Mixx, and then the library always has a show or activity for kids at 6:30.
GP: Favorite family-friendly KC restaurant:
Dino: Eden Alley (707 W. 47th St., Kansas City, MO, 816.561.5415) has a children's play section with toys and stuffed animals. We get to actually chew our food while junior is distracted by feeding a cucumber to a miniature stuffed giraffe.
GP: Favorite park in KC and why:
Dino: #1 is our neighborhood park in Fairway, because we can walk there: pool, tennis courts, sandbox, swings, slides and a grass field for tag.
GP: Best pizza: Dino: Waldo Pizza. Love it.
GP: Best ice cream:
Dino: Glacé Artisan Ice Cream (4960 Main St., Kansas City, MO, 816.561.1117) is high end, but their list of flavors is like eating a Bernie Botts Every Flavored Bean. Here are just a couple of examples: salted pretzel ice cream and Farmer Bob's sweet corn ice cream.
GP: Best theater: Dino: Shakespeare in the Park. Sydney Garret should be given the key to Kansas City.
GP: Best barbecue:
Dino: Oklahoma Joe's (3002 W. 47th Ave., Kansas City, KS, 913.722.3366). Despite the gas station ambience, the line for their barbecue stretches to the parking lot on a busy night.