STADIUM. IT’S WHAT FIFA CALLS IT DURING THE TOURNAMENT AND A LITTLE SLICE OF THE NETHERLANDS IS POPPING UP IN PARKVILLE. THE ALLEY BAR HAS SPENT MONTHS TRANSFORMING ITSELF INTO A LITTLE PIECE OF THE NETHERLANDS. KMBC9 ERIC GRAVES IS LIVE NOW FROM THE NETHERLANDS. HOME AWAY FROM HOME. ALL RIGHT, ERIC, I WAS EXPECTING TO SEE YOU IN ORANGE. I’M SAVING THE ORANGE FOR THURSDAY WHEN THEY’RE HERE. I DON’T HAVE A TON OF ORANGE IN MY WARDROBE, BUT GENTRY CLASSES WITH THE RED HAIR, SO I REALLY DON’T HAVE A TON. I’M BUILDING IT UP THOUGH, BUT THIS IS WHAT A LOT OF BARS LOOK LIKE AROUND THE METRO, RIGHT? THEY’VE GOT THE FLAGS GOING, SOME SIGNS, BUT NOT THE ALLEY BAR. THEY HAVE GONE ABOVE AND BEYOND ITS ORANGE ALL ALONG THE FRONT. THIS IS AN ORANGE TARP THEY’VE CUT OUT TO FIT THE FRONT. AND THIS IS HOW BARS CAFES LOOK LIKE IN HOLLAND WHEN THE WORLD CUP IS GOING ON. FUNNY ENOUGH, WE JUST RAN INTO TWO PEOPLE FROM THE NETHERLANDS WHO ARE HERE TO SEE THE MATCH ON THURSDAY, AND THEY TOLD US THIS REMINDS THEM OF HOME, THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO INSIDE. MORE ORANGE FROM WALLS TO CEILING. THE DUTCH DON’T PLAY IN KANSAS CITY UNTIL THURSDAY, BUT LOCAL KANSAS CITY, NETHERLANDS FANS HAVE MADE THEIR IMPACT ON THE BAR. THE ALLEY BAR, WHICH IS OWNED BY THE PARKVILLE AMERICAN LEGION, DOES ABOUT $18,000 IN SALES IN A TYPICAL MONTH. LAST WEEK, THOUGH, THE BAR DID $21,000 IN SALES. PARKVILLE AMERICAN LEGION COMMANDER CHRIS WALLINGFORD SAYS THE SALES ARE GREAT, BUT IT’S THE REACTIONS FROM THE SOCCER FANS THAT REALLY MAKE ALL THIS SO SPECIAL. SATURDAY, A LADY WHO’S FROM THE NETHERLANDS BEEN HERE 30 YEARS CAME AND ASKED IF SHE COULD HUG ME AND SHE HAD TEARS IN HER EYES AND SHE SAID, THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE WATCHING A GAME AT HOME. SO THAT’S A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT RESPONSE. SO WELCOME NETHERLANDS. CHEER LOUD AND DRINK LOCAL. THAT’S THE SLOGAN RIGHT THERE ON THE WALL. AND SINCE THIS IS AN AMERICAN LEGION POST, ALL OF THE MONEY, ONCE THEY PAY TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, GOES TO VETERAN CAUSES. CHRIS SAYS WITH ALL THE SALES FROM THIS HUGE WORLD CUP MONTH, IT’S JUST GOING TO LET HIM SAY YES TO MORE VETERANS AND CHARITIES IN NEED F
Parkville bar turns orange, embraces Netherlands fans during World Cup
Updated: 4:52 PM CDT Jun 23, 2026
During the World Cup, this Parkville, Missouri, bar is pretty hard to miss. The Alley Bar, also the American Legion, has undergone an orange transformation. It’s become a hub for the Netherlands and fans, offering a little slice of home to the Oranje Legion. The exterior of the business is completely covered in a giant orange tarp, but the orange doesn’t stop there. Inside, you’ll find orange tablecloths, orange flags, orange wall coverings. The World Cup takeover has generated a huge business boost. The Alley Bar does about $18,000 in sales in a typical month. Last week, it did $21,000, and the tournament is far from over. And while the sales are great, business leaders say it’s the reactions that make it so special. “Saturday, a lady who’s from the Netherlands, been here 30 years, came and asked if she could hug me, and she had tears in her eyes, and she said, ‘This is what it feels like watching a game at home,'” said Chris Wallingford, Parkville American Legion commander. “So that’s a pretty significant response.” The Netherlands take on Tunisia at Kansas City Stadium on Thursday.
PARKVILLE, Mo. —
During the World Cup, this Parkville, Missouri, bar is pretty hard to miss.
The Alley Bar, also the American Legion, has undergone an orange transformation.
It’s become a hub for the Netherlands and fans, offering a little slice of home to the Oranje Legion.
The exterior of the business is completely covered in a giant orange tarp, but the orange doesn’t stop there. Inside, you’ll find orange tablecloths, orange flags, orange wall coverings.
The World Cup takeover has generated a huge business boost. The Alley Bar does about $18,000 in sales in a typical month. Last week, it did $21,000, and the tournament is far from over.
And while the sales are great, business leaders say it’s the reactions that make it so special.
“Saturday, a lady who’s from the Netherlands, been here 30 years, came and asked if she could hug me, and she had tears in her eyes, and she said, ‘This is what it feels like watching a game at home,'” said Chris Wallingford, Parkville American Legion commander. “So that’s a pretty significant response.”
The Netherlands take on Tunisia at Kansas City Stadium on Thursday.