Operation: Gatsby
A Roaring Good Time.
Thursday, April 10, 2025
6-8:30 p.m.
National WWI Museum and Memorial
$25 per person | $15 Museum Members
Romp through “a universe of ineffable gaudiness” as we celebrate the centennial of WWI veteran F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” in true 1920s fashion.
The romantic yet tragic story of Major Jay Gatsby, veiled by the shadow of the Great War, continues to charm readers decades after Prohibition.
Throw on your glad rags and compete to be the envy of West Egg in a thematic attire contest. No demure dames here! Not your style? No problem. A cacophony of activities abound, from live jazz and dance to a scavenger hunt under the gaze of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. Opportunities for decadent prizes overflow, like giggle water.
Upcoming Operations
Operation: Reefer Madness
Operation Series
The Operation Series defies convention. Offering new perspectives on the enduring impact of history in popular culture, these events deepen and recontextualize the fascinating – and often surprising – connections of World War I to the classic, common and controversial topics of our time. Nothing is off-limits.
Fate. Mystery. Fortune. Events that cause mass change and uncertainty make us even more likely to try to find meaning in our universe.
Featuring heavenly beverages crafted by Kenny Cohrs and readings with divination practitioners. Curator Patricia Cecil conversed with Maddox Gui, Vice President of Programming of the Aquarian Organization of Astrologers, on astrological and metaphysical practices that reached new heights of popularity during WWI and are taking off again today.
Our first virtual offering of the Operation series, featuring a lively 30-minute moderated conversation between KC Bier Co. founder Steve Holle and Rockhurst University economics professor Dr. Martin Stack. Attendees discovered how America’s favorite brews’ tastes have changed over time and how their drinking rituals might have been impacted by the Great War - while cracking open cold ones from KC Bier Co. Bier Boxes that were discounted specially for this event.
We uncorked the season with a champagne-soaked evening of food, knowledge and revelry as we toasted the centennial year of the Armistice! Master Sommelier Doug Frost led guests through the connections between WWI and champagne while they enjoyed seasonal sips and tastings from Rye, Extra Virgin, Ça Va, the Restaurant at 1900 and Corvino Supper Club & Tasting Room.
At the centennial of the Russian Revolution, guests imbibed in a vodka-infused revolutionary look at prohibition in Russia during WWI and the rise of local distilleries. Museum President and CEO Dr. Matthew Naylor, author/historian Patricia Herlihy and Tom’s Town Distillery’s David Epstein gathered for a discussion with drinks featuring Tom’s Town Distillery and Restless Spirits.
(Hors d'oeuvres for guests included pickled herring on black Russian rye toast points, smoked salmon blintzes, classic Georgian cucumber salad, and a potato skins bar.)
We explored wines that became popular with Allied soldiers during World War I. This event featured returning-favorite Master Sommelier and Master of Wine Doug Frost (one of only four people in the world to earn both titles), who discussed the enduring impact of wines that originated from the Western Front.
The Museum and Memorial's WWI-themed Iron Chef-style cooking competition went even more international in 2016. This year’s event featured "The Chew" contributor, "MasterChef Australia" star and "Dude Food" author Dan Churchill, Kansas City native and chef/owner at New York City restaurant Speedy Romeo Justin Bazdarich, Renee Kelly of Renee Kelly’s Harvest, Grünauer’s Nic Bandelier and James-Beard nominated Room 39 owner Ted Habiger.
From corsets to camisoles, history reveals that World War I changed everything about undergarments. Guests attended a limited-seating one-night exhibition showcasing the progression of lingerie from the late 1800s through the present day, curated by Peregrine Honig of Birdies Lingerie in collaboration with the Kansas City Museum, pairing live models with contemporary lighting to reveal the collection's boning and infrastructure. The event also included an engaging discussion with Honig, Museum and Memorial President and CEO Dr. Matthew Naylor and Kansas City Museum Executive Director Anna Marie Tutera.
A jubilant historical exploration of the reemergence of cider as one of the world’s most popular beverages, featuring Master Sommelier and Master of Wine Doug Frost. The event featured a tasting flight including offerings from Ace Cider, Cidre Artisanal Bigoud, Crispin and imported Dupont Cider from France.
A tattoo is defined as “the act or practice of marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, legends, etc., by making punctures in it and inserting pigments.” The simplistic definition avoids the fact that, as a form of expression, tattoos are undefinable.
Guests attended an unregrettable evening of fun, food, spirits and exploration of the evolution of tattoos – featuring the Tattoo Historian Anna Friedman and Whispering Danny of Whispering Danny Exile Tattoos. Ryan Maybee of The Rieger Hotel provided sample cocktails for the event, while The Local Pig shared a sampling of its award-winning food.
Kansas City chefs competed for the War Fare Cup in the second annual Iron Chef-style event, hosted this year by Room 39 chef Ted Habiger, with each restaurant providing free samples of World War I-related food. Competitors included Martin Heuser (Affäre), Nic Bandelier (Grünauer), Renee Kelly (Renee Kelly's Harvest) and Matt Arnold (Webster House).
Soldiers fighting in World War I weren’t afforded many luxuries, but chocolate and whiskey were among them.
Guests joined acclaimed chocolatiers René Bollier (André's Confiserie Suisse) and Christopher Elbow (Christopher Elbow Artisan Chocolates) and whiskey expert Ryan Maybee (J. Rieger & Co. Whiskey/Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange) for an evening of chocolate and whiskey tastings as well as a brief history on the role of luxury goods during World War I.
Chefs from Affäre, Grünauer, Room 39 and Webster House competed for the Chow Challenge Cup in an Iron Chef-style event using rations from central and allied powers, as attendees tasted samples of World War I-related food. While the chefs displayed their culinary skills, noted culinary historian Andrea Broomfield shared the food history of WWI and how it not only changed the way we eat today, but should merit a second look for our current dinner tables.
