KU Jayhawks and K-State Wildcats met up Friday night for a bout on the backside of an Overland Park shopping center. But instead of basketballs, this contest took place with paintbrushes.

The new Thirsty Palette — on the south side of Hawthorne Plaza at 11958 Roe Ave. — is a party painting place for dates, birthday parties, bachelorette parties, baby showers, corporate team-building functions or just to hang out with friends.

Thirsty Palette opened in November. Painting sessions run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. A bar opens at 6 p.m. More family friendly times are 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Reservations are requested.

A different painting is featured during each session with an artist on hand to help customers paint a nearly identical version, stroke by stroke.

Owners Jon and Jenny Ball discovered the concept while visiting Jenny’s parents in Colorado.

“It’s a unique experience that everyone can do. It’s an automatic great time,” said Jenny Ball.

Deborah Murphy of Olathe admits to being a bit addicted. It was her fifth session, after previous sessions of painting a Santa, a martini glass, the Plaza lights and a holiday tree. Murphy brought her mother, Barbara Murphy of Lenexa, to paint the mascot of the University of Kansas. Others in the contingent were there to paint the mascot for Kansas State University.

“You think you won’t be able to do it but they make it so basic that you make something you are proud of,” Murphy said.

The first paintbrush to canvas stroke was the hardest for some. But the artist reassured them that they could paint over any mistakes: “This is the Wildcat’s eyebrow.” “This is the cat’s whiskers.” “This is the line for the Jayhawk’s beak.”

K-Staters needed only white, black and purple for their painting but they had to mix red and blue to get purple.

“I want to get rid of those KU colors as soon as possible,” one Wildcatter said.

Tracy Jarrett of Shawnee said: “You think that the next stroke is the one that’s going to mess it up. But you don’t.”

The cost is $40 and includes paint and the canvas. Groups of 20 or more pay $30 per person. Sessions take about two hours. Painting sessions this month include a sock monkey, the Eiffel Tower, a family of owls, and a cardinal in the snow.

Marco’s Pizza

A new area franchisee for Marco’s Pizza plans to open an Overland Park location in the next few weeks with more locations to come throughout the metro area.

Brian and Teresa Welk will open a restaurant at 7060 W. 135th St. later this month or in early February. The Welks also plan two more Johnson County locations this year, probably another in Overland Park and one in Olathe, and they have rights to develop 45 locations in the metro area and in Kansas. They plan to open about 20 to 30 restaurants and sell the rights to the other locations.

Marco’s founder, Pasquale “Pat” Giammarco immigrated to the United States as a 9-year-old and grew up working in his family’s pizzeria. He opened his first Marco’s Pizza in Toledo, Ohio, in 1978 with a goal to make high quality pizzas on a large scale — dough made fresh daily in each restaurant, a proprietary sauce using imported spices and three types of vine-ripened tomatoes, and a blend of three cheeses that are never frozen.

A Gladstone Marco’s Pizza, a carry-out and delivery only operation, opened in a Family Video store in early 2012. The Shawnee Family Video store also plans to add a Marco’s Pizza carry-out/delivery operation in March.

Quick bites

• Guess clothing store has closed in Oak Park Mall.

• Kirkland’s will celebrate the grand opening of its new Olathe store on Feb. 2 and 3.

The specialty home decor and gift retailer recently opened in Olathe Station at 15325 W. 119th St. During the grand opening, customers can register for a $500 gift card drawing. The winner will be selected at 4 p.m. Feb. 3 and the winner doesn’t need to be present to win.

Reader question

• There was going to be a Spin in Prairie Village. I believe in an old CVS store, but it appears that nothing is going on there. Have those plans stalled or stopped? Are they looking for another location around there?

According to the landlord, CVS — which opened a new store in Corinth Square, still had possession of the old space until a few weeks ago. The space then has to be gutted before being turned over to Spin Neapolitan Pizza for new construction. Spin hopes to open there by this summer.