WARRENSBURG – All-Starz Barbershop is gearing up to host its 10th annual “Fresh 4 Success” back-to-school event.
From noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 9, in Knob Noster and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10, in Warrensburg, families can gather at All-Starz to enjoy the street fair that will feature bounce houses, an obstacle course, face painting, and more along with free haircuts, school supplies and backpacks for kids in need.
“We started this 10 years ago, and it was basically to get kids in the community that need a haircut their first haircut,” said All-Starz owner Willie Taylor. “I wanted (All-Starz) to be a place where kids don’t have to worry about their haircut for the first day of school.”
Originally from Alabama, Taylor said he grew up in a family who struggled to make ends meet. As a kid, he said he remembers just how impactful it was when folks in his community reached out to offer a helping hand.
“I came from a single-parent home – it was just my mother and my grandmother – but there were other people in the community who were really excited about helping in the community, being a part of the community,” Taylor said. “So, watching that and going to the barbershop as a kid, I wanted to be that person.”
In the 10 years since Taylor started partnering with Sonic Drive-In’s Fresh Start Haircut Program to bring this event to his shops in Warrensburg and Knob Noster, he said it has grown exponentially.
Independent donors in the community have sponsored shoes from local businesses to distribute to kids for free. Western Missouri Medical Center and other Johnson County organizations have pitched in to sponsor. The fire department and police department have hosted vehicle demonstrations. Salons in the area have offered to help cut hair for free. What started as a goal to give free haircuts to kids in need, Taylor said, turned into a community-wide initiative to ensure kids across the county feel seen and cared for.
“When we first started, I would always spell community and capitalize ‘unity,’” Taylor said. “That was the focus – my whole mission is unity. No matter what team you go for, what school you go to, what church you go to, we’re all people and we make up this world. Together, we’re powerful.”
Though the deadline to sign up for haircuts has passed, Taylor said the free street fair is open to everyone in the community. Nonprofit organizations trying to get the word out about their work, Taylor said, are welcome to set up a booth. Families in need of some free entertainment, Taylor said, are encouraged to show up for a good time.
“Even if your kid didn’t sign up for shoes and everything, you could still come out and hang out with us and be a part of it,” Taylor said. “I feel like once people get (to) be a part of those things, (to) come out and enjoy it, next year they’ll be ready (for sign-ups).”
While Taylor acknowledged that it has often crossed his mind to cancel the event moving forward – especially when folks in the industry are encouraged to bounce back from the slow summer season by capitalizing on back-to-school haircuts– Taylor said seeing each kid leave his chair with a fresh cut and big smile makes it all worth it.
For Taylor, it’s not about the money– it’s about laying the foundation to build a stronger, more connected community for generations to come.
“It’s been waves, because you can help people for so long, and no matter how much you help, there’s going to be someone who’s not helped. There’s going to be someone who’s not happy,” Taylor said. “It’s a roller coaster, and it’s the best roller coaster ride I’ve been on, because there’s nothing like seeing those kids come back (when) they’re 23 and 24 years old and they say, ‘Mr. Will, I got my first haircut at your barbershop for back-to-school.’ Those moments mean the world to me.”
Hasina Shah can be reached at 660-747-8123.
