When Andy Reid and his wife, Tammy, were making the move from Philadelphia to Kansas City, she’d given him a stern warning. “Don’t make me fall in love with this city,” she’d said. But Kansas City was out to charm the two, and it had them ensnared soon enough. Through its rich and unique history – and food – the couple has now become two of the city’s biggest advocates. Now, having lived here for more than a decade, Andy Reid is taking on a special initiative to raise awareness about a special landmark.
On May 30, the Westport Historical Society is hosting ‘Brats ‘N’ Burgers with Coach Reid.’ The fundraiser event is centered around raising funds for the historic Harris-Kearney House in Kansas City. Andy Reid will be the main attraction in this fun, since he’ll be in charge of the grill. According to Society President Marty Wiedenmann Jarvis, the Kansas City Chiefs coach was confident that everyone “loves” his brats. She told KSHB that she merely held him to his words.
“That’s how this evolved,” she said, about how the event came to be. “[Because] he gets excited about fun stuff. So that’s his fault.”
The Harris-Keany house is a key part of Kansas City’s history, but it also has a complicated legacy. It was built by slaves over 170 years ago and was later moved from its original location at Westport Road and Main Street in 1922. It is the oldest brick home in Kansas City. The Westport Historical Society eventually purchased the property in 1976 before renovating it and reopening it as a museum in 1983.
The society needs at least $500,000 to repair the many problems in the historic property. With Andy Reid being associated to it, some funds will definitely be flowing in. The coach, being a huge history buff, happily lent his support to the event as well.
Andy Reid has been trying to help with Harris Kearney house for some time
Tammy has previously described her husband as a “bonafide history nut” who is fascinated by all different kinds of history. According to her, the Chiefs head coach spends time watching documentaries and reading “fat history books.” That passion for history ultimately played a direct role in Reid developing a newfound goal for helping preserve the historic House.
This was further reinforced by Jarvis herself. She admitted she was surprised by how engaged Reid was when he first visited the House last year.
“I just figured he was gonna come in, take pictures and be gone,” Jarvis said. “But he wanted to see it. He was into it, and he’s as funny as he is on the commercials. It was delightful.”
‘Brats ‘N’ Burgers with Coach Reid’ is also not the first charity drive that the Reids have been involved in when it comes to helping raise money for the House. The Reids were also involved in a Chiefs raffle fundraiser for the house last season. This included a package featuring two tickets to the Baltimore Ravens game. It included a parking pass, pregame sideline access, and an autographed football signed by Reid.
So far, the Reids have been able to help with the HVAC system of the property, foyer repair, and have made a “significant” contribution to the cause.
Chiefs fans will definitely turn up to support their local hero and an important part of Kansas City history, and also have a fun time. Who passes up the opportunity to try Andy Reid’s cooking?
