This past weekend was jammed packed with all sorts of activities for the
Kansas City Keys 20th Anniversary Celebration. The weekend activities started Friday morning and ended Saturday evening at the
Negro League Baseball Museum where they honored two local basketball coaches: Coach Darryn Craig and Coach James Couch. Special guest appearance by NBA Kansas City Kings basketball legend,
Sam Lacey was also present. That man is a giant! During the program, Jermaine Reed, Councilman 3rd - District presented a special proclamation in honor of the KC Keys founders, Harrel and Myrtle Johnson. Mayor Sly James presented Coach Darryn Craig and Coach James Couch with special plagues for dedicated service and leadership. Councilman Michael Brooks - 5th District, presented founders Harrel & Myrtle Johnson with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Coach Ken Carter from the famous "Coach Carter" movie presented Ollie Gates, owner of
Gates Bar-B-Q with the prestigious Entrepreneurial Spirit Award. The food was good and the ambiance was spectacular. One will never know the rich heritage and compassion our city has for one another. Congratulations to you all for your tired less efforts.
One tid-bit of information...Coach James Couch is married to my cousin, Connie. Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro League Baseball Museum was the master of ceremonies.
The Kansas City Keys is now being managed and operated by Harrel Johnson Jr who plans to pass the torch on to his son in the coming years.
Above and below are some photos from some of the people who attended the event. You might recognize some of them :)
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Kansas City Keys 20th Anniversary Celebration at Negro League Baseball Museum | Honoring Harrel and Myrtle Johnson | Two Coaches Given Awards
