Now here's a great way to spend a Saturday morning: eating delicious pancakes while listening to the music of some incredibly talented high school musicians. That's what my family had the opportunity to enjoy last weekend at Liberty High School.

The pancake breakfast was a fundraiser for the Liberty Symphony Orchestra. They'll be traveling to Jamestown, Virginia soon for a big event and they'll perform in front of President Bush and even the Queen of England! What an honor. But these types of trips don't pay for themselves, so Saturday's event helped raise some money for group.

Along with delicious pancakes, a whole list of great items was auctioned off as well. I even took a turn at being the auctioneer. (No, I didn't try to match their fast talking.) We had a great time and raised thousands of dollars. After listening to some of the orchestra members, I guarantee their future famous listeners will be very impressed.

The weather is warming up and spring is just around the corner, which makes it a perfect time to head out to City Market on a Saturday morning. If you're a regular, you know why it's such a pleasant place to start your weekend: fresh food, lots of delicious choices and an interesting, eclectic crowd of people. But the crowd is about to change a bit. The human visitors will stay the same, but their canine companions are getting the boot.

This year, for the first time, dogs and any other pets are not allowed in City Market. Now, at some places that may not be a big deal, but in River Market it's a VERY big deal. Pets, dogs in particular, are a common sight at the farmer's market and even at the restaurants nearby. They've been a major part of the scene, as owners bring them along on their quest to pick up some fresh produce and grab a bit of ethnic food.

The managers of City Market told me late last week it was a very difficult decision that they've been considering for years. They said they are dog lovers themselves, but recent events forced their hands. Some people were bringing 3, 4, even 5 dogs at a time to the market. That's tough to manage in any situation, but in the sometimes cramped quarters at the market, it's nearly impossible. Also, there have been problems with aggressive dogs, including several biting incidents, and finally, yes, the dogs have been marking their territory in places that are definitely not their territory.

Vendors at City Market have very mixed feelings about the pet ban. Some have complained about the dogs, but others now fear they'll lose business. I talked to a restaurant manager who thinks it's a horrible idea. She estimates half her clients bring along their dogs at least some of the time. She allowed them to sit on the restaurant's patio.

I have no doubt this will raise the dander of pet owners, many of whom will be shocked to discover a member of their family is now banned from their favorite farmer's market. So what do I think of all this? Well, I'm going to flip flop a bit on this one. I think both sides have legitimate concerns. The managers have a business to run where they need to keep all customers healthy and safe. At the same time, if I'm a dog owner who enjoys taking Fido with me to City Market, I may find some other place to buy my celery.

I guess I'll leave it at this: if some pet owners (who I believe are the vast minority) would have kept better control of their pets, the ban would probably not have been necessary. Now it's been ruined for everyone.

A lot of people have been asking me about "Dancing with the Stars" recently. Yes, I am dancing in a charity competition in April that is modeled after the popular show you see on KMBC. I need a lot of practice and rehearsal to get ready for the big night, so that's what I'm doing right now.

My partner is Laura Cantu, an internationally accomplished dancer. On the other hand, I can't even accomplish the Macarena, so Laura has her work cut out for her. We've had several practices so far and are working on our routine. We'll be doing a Latin dance sequence, which really has been fun. Laura is adding some great elements to our performance, mostly to cover up for my lack of rhythm. I don't want to give too much away, but at one point I throw my hat, which is clearly the high point of my dancing. I told her that anytime I'm standing still and she's dancing will be very good for our scores with the judges.

We will be showing some more video on First News as Donna and I continue our preparations for the big night, so tune in to see our fledgling dance moves. Just a reminder: the Kansas City "Dancing with the Stars" will be Friday night, April 14th at Starlight. All of the proceeds will benefit the Christo Rey school in Kansas City. Along with Donna and I, Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle will also be dancing, as will Chiefs legend, Bobby Bell, among others. If you'd like more information about the show, call Andy Stith at 816-457-6044.

It's never too cold for a good run. Okay, maybe when the temperatures dip below zero and it starts to get dangerous, but running in chilly weather can actually be quite exhilarating. At least until you can't feel your fingers anymore.

That happened to me on Saturday morning, but it was well worth it. I ran in the annual "Truffle Shuffle" 5K at Johnson County Community College. Now in it's 8th year, the run benefits the Jana E. Pinker Memorial Foundation, which funds cancer research, the performing arts and scholarships.

Temperatures were in the 20's and snow was blowing around campus, but close to 200 hardy souls came out for the run. I wore gloves, but several of my fingers were numb by the end of the race. Of course, I quickly forgot about that as I downed several delicious chocolate truffles from Andre's. The sweet treats are reason alone to come out to this event next year. In all, more than $3,000 was raised for the Pinker Foundation. That will warm anyone's heart on a cold day.