KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The American Royal has roots in the Kansas City metro that date back nearly 125 years.
And on Tuesday, the World Series of Barbecue, which is the world’s largest barbecue competition, and the Royal took an exciting step toward the future.
Construction crews staged an old-fashioned barn raising, lowering the first steel beam for the Royal’s new headquarters into place.
When it’s completed, the American Royal’s new campus will take up almost seven football fields worth of space near Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County. The new facility will include 100 acres of space for livestock shows, the barbecue competition and agricultural education.
“It’s about growth. It’s about growing the economy,” said Jackie McCaskey, American Royal president and CEO.
McCaskey and others with the American Royal said the group ran into scheduling conflicts over the years with events like the World Series of Barbecue.
The enormous gathering attracted thousands people from overseas last year. It had moved from Hale Arena to Arrowhead Stadium and Kansas Speedway within the last 20 years.
“We attract over 400,000 visitors annually. We believe after we’ve been here for four or five years, that number is going to be over one-and-a-half million people that come to activities at the American Royal,” McCaskey said.
“Right now, currently, the reach of the American Royal is regional and global and national,” Lindsay Patterson Smith, American Royal Vice-Chair, added. “This barn we’re standing on today is seven football fields of barn space, and that’s something we don’t have the square footage in the West Bottoms to do.”
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly celebrates this move Tuesday and its purpose in promoting the state’s agricultural industry. Kelly said 13% of this state’s workforce has ties to the farming and food production movements.
“Wyandotte County is the perfect for the American Royal,” Kelly said. “This campus is going to serve as a national leader in events, education and engagement creating a food and agricultural district that will be unlike any other in the world.”
Construction of this first barn will continue throughout the year. The American Royal expects construction on the new campus to be complete in two years. Wyandotte County leaders believe this will account for $526 million in economic growth over a 20-year period.