September 4, 2021

Jazz in the Valley, a free music festival on the Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley campus, will be held 6-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17.

Vocalist Lisa Henry, trumpet player Chalis O’Neal and pianist Charles D. Williams will be the featured performers.

The public is invited.

Jazz in the Valley will take place outdoors in the courtyard between the Penn Valley campus’ Education Center and Campus Center, 3201 Southwest Trafficway, Kansas City. Free parking will be available in the MCC garage on Pennsylvania Avenue between 32nd and 33rd streets.

In the event of rain, the festival will move inside the Campus Center.

“Community is our college’s middle name, so we hope to see a lot of community members turn out for what should be a fun, relaxing evening of jazz,” says Tyjaun A. Lee, Ph.D., president of MCC-Penn Valley.

“We’re so pleased with the lineup for this inaugural event, and we’re proud that two of the performers, Charles Williams and Chalis O’Neal, are homegrown talent — MCC-Penn Valley alumni.”

Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs, blankets, water bottles or coolers (note that alcohol is not allowed on campus). Pets, firearms, tobacco and drugs are also prohibited.

Organizers are hoping Jazz in the Valley will be an annual event that, through proceeds and sponsorships, will support the creation of a music engineering program at MCC-Penn Valley.