KC and JoJo

TUE 9/21
After competing in the Olympics, where do world-class athletes go? While some sign advertising deals and others run off to join the TV wrestling circuit, there are those who are happy just to share their prowess with spectators who couldn’t afford a few weeks in Greece. The Rock and Roll Gymnastics Tour, which comes to Kemper Arena (1800 Genessee) on Tuesday night, is packed with medal-winning gymnasts vying solely for the hearts and minds of the ticket-buying public. Starting at 7, the show features twins Paul and Morgan Hamm; Russian Svetlana Khorkina; and America’s most-decorated Olympic gymnast, Shannon Miller. Each athlete performs two routines — all set to chart-topping pop music — that are rated by a panel of celebrity judges, who give points according to entertainment value as much as athletic aptitude. The rock and roll part comes into play after the games with current teen sensation JoJo, whose “Leave” took MTV’s TRL by storm. Impressive. Tickets start at $14; call 816-931-3330. — Christopher Sebela

High-Steppin’

SAT 9/18
The tenth annual Stepping Back in Time for Education, the United Negro College Fund’s walkathon through the Jazz District, takes place at 9 a.m. Saturday. The 3-mile walk/run begins at 18th and Vine; registration starts at 8 and costs $20. Call Suesan Daily at 816-474-4333 for information. — Annie Fischer

Flower Power

9/17-9/18
We are not bikers, so we must rely on the expertise of friends and coworkers to tell us about the best cycling events in Kansas City, and we’ve recently received word that Sunflowers to Roses is the It ride for hometown bike riders. The Lance Armstrong-affiliated weekend festival, which includes free family-friendly activities Saturday and a choose-your-distance ride (from 10 to 60 miles) Sunday, takes place at Swope Park (Meyer Boulevard and Swope Parkway). Registration is $30; call 816-218-6835 or visit www.sunflowerstoroses.org for more information. — Fischer

Presidential Races

MON 9/20
President Bush must want our country’s wealthiest people to gamble — why else would he line their pockets with insanely generous tax cuts? And yet, he wants the poverty-stricken to lay their wagers as well, since he’s engineered the recession that left them unemployed and uninsured. If it was a sin to bet on horses, surely God’s right-hand man wouldn’t have made it so damned tempting. September 20 through October 31, we expect members of both classes to be at the Fall Festival of Horse Racing at the Woodlands (9700 Leavenworth Road), putting it all on the long shots — and then, in November, voting according to their means. Call 913-299-9797. — Jason Harper