Fresh color returned to downtown Excelsior Springs as volunteers planted red, white and blue flowers across dozens of planters throughout the district.The effort is part of the Downtown Excelsior Partnership’s (DEP) annual planter initiative, which places a total of 36 flower boxes throughout the district each season. This year’s design features red, white and blue arrangements inspired by America’s 250th anniversary, combining visual appeal with a broader goal of enhancing the downtown experience for residents and visitors.The initiative has grown significantly over the past decade, evolving into a defining feature of the downtown district.“When I first stepped into this role in 2015, there were zero plants in the district – no color, no softness, nothing to break up the gray of the sidewalks and streetscape,” said DEP Executive Director Lyndsey Baxter. “It felt very hardand static. We started small with whiskey barrel planters an...