Many KansasFest attendees are, unsurprisingly, IT professionals: they make their livings as educators, sysadmins, tech writers, and software engineers. Their passion for the Apple II often inspires their professional work and vice versa, especially when it comes to evangelizing how they spent their summer vacation.

Ivan Drucker, a three-time KansasFest attendee and former Apple employee, is the founder of IvanExpert, a New York City-based Macintosh consulting firm. On the company's YouTube channel, Ivan has recently presented a series of videos discussing emerging trends and IT solutions he has encountered. Not only does the background of every video feature an Apple II Plus, but Ivan's latest video focuses on the highlight of his year, KansasFest.

A favorite quote: "It's not the kind of thing ordinary people like."

Likewise, Ken Gagne, an online editor for Computerworld.com, recently had the opportunity to preach the wonders of the Apple II to the Denver Apple Pi users' group. The group's members, many of whom founded the club with their Apple II computers more than thirty years ago, enjoyed the nostalgic look at the machine and were surprised to hear of its supportive and modern community. The entire presentation was recorded, with additional notes and resources on Ken's blog.

Both Ken and Ivan mentioned Vince Briel's A2MP3 card as an example of the wonders still possible with an Apple II. That device was the star of some mainstream coverage when another KansasFest alumnus, Andy Molloy, had his assembly of the A2MP3 documented at KansasFest. That photo gallery is now available on Computerworld.com, showing how easy it is to put together the best way to listen to tunes on your Apple II.

How have you helped spread the word of KansasFest to ensure the event is even bigger and better next year? Let us know!

KansasFest is a few weeks behind us now, and the Apple II community is still absorbing all the amazing experiences, products, and announcements that came out of the event. One way in which that information is being digested and disseminated is through podcasts, several of which have focused on the convention.

The first to air was Open Megahertz, a unique collaboration between the hosts of the Open Apple and 1 MHz podcasts. Friday morning, while KansasFest was happening around them, Carrington Vanston, Mike Maginnis, and Ken Gagne got together to talk about how the event had gone so far, and to review a classic piece of edutainment.

That very night, Carrington got back on the mic for an episode of the Retro Computing Roundtable, a show founded by David Greelish and hosted last month by Earl Evans. The three gentlemen chatted about a variety of topics but focused on the event Carrington was attending. With neither David nor Earl having been to KansasFest before, there was plenty of curiosity and awe over Carrington's experience.

A week later, Vince Briel, who attended his first full KansasFest in 2011, appeared on the RetroMacCast. Although traditionally focused on older Macintosh computers, RMC's hosts, James and John, regularly expand their scope to encompass other Apple computers. Their conversation with Vince provided a good overview of the event.

And most recently, the August episode of Open Apple aired. This monthly Apple II podcast has a rotating guest, who this month was David Schmenk, creator of the 8-bit game Escape from the Homebrew Computer Club and first-time KansasFest attendee. Along with regular hosts Mike Maginnis and Ken Gagne, all three of the show's speakers were recently home from KansasFest 2011 and had plenty of stories to tell.

If you were at KansasFest 2011, these shows are a way to keep your memories alive; if you weren't, you can experience the convention vicariously through these podcasts, cementing your belief that you need to attend KansasFest 2012!

KansasFest has been in full swing for more than 48 hours, and attendees are already exhausted from the bounty of sessions, hardware, knowledge, and camaraderie. A few have even taken the time to share their experiences with the online community, so if you couldn't make it here yourself, you can catch a glimpse of the action as it's happening.

Kirk Mitchell has continued his tradition of daily reports to the Usenet newsgroup comp.sys.apple2. Rather than duplicate his efforts, the staff of A2Central.com are firing out morsels of news in a timely fashion, including several YouTube videos. Steve Weyhrich has used information gleaned from yesterday's keynote speech to update his page on Bob Bishop. And Ken Gagne wrote a brief post on why it's great to be a part of the Apple II community.

Bob Bishop with one of his original cassette tape products.

Finally, there's always Twitter, with its 140-character limit on current events. This Web site has a live Twitter feed that compiles the tweets of almost every KansasFest 2011 attendee, as well as any tweet using the #A2KFest hashtag.

More reports will be posted as members of the community find time, so stay tuned!

The KansasFest session schedule is now complete and has been posted online. As always, you may download the PDF or view the event calendar. The latter offers the option of subscribing to the schedule in your favorite calendar program, such as iCal and Google Calendar. All session times are in the CDT timezone.

New this year is the Guidebook mobile app, making it easy to find every session, vendor, map, and tweet. Just download the free Guidebook app for your favorite iOS or Android device, then search for KansasFest, occurring in Kansas City on July 19–24.

Please contact us if you have any questions or issues. The fun begins in just two days!

Since 2005, KansasFest is held at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. From eating and sleeping to geeking out, all the integral components of the world's only annual Apple II expo occur right there. If you are driving to KansasFest, there are plenty of directions available; if you're flying and don't have a car, you can request a ride via Peikop Endropov.

This year, those KansasFest attendees who are staying on-site will be housed in the Corcoran residence hall, just as they were for KansasFest 2010. Drivers looking to unload their cars and get checked in should temporarily park at 1354 Rockhurst Road; once you have clearance to access the secure parking lot, you can then proceed to the main entrance found at 5400 Troost Ave. Both addresses are in Kansas City, MO 64110.

To help you navigate the immediate area of Rockhurst, the university's Web site offers several maps. Tony Diaz has also created a custom Google map for KansasFest.

The KansasFest welcoming committee will be at Corcoran first thing Tuesday morning. If you are lost or otherwise need to get ahold of a fellow Apple II user, please email us beforehand to obtain a contact phone number.

As last year, Sean Fahey will again be donating oodles of Apple II wares to KansasFest attendees. Saturday morning at Rockhurst, attendees will awaken to find a treasure trove of hardware, software, and literature, courtesy Sean and James Littlejohn, who will also provide transportation of the goods to Rockhurst. The items are made available to interested parties on the following conditions:

• If Sean and James got it for free, it will be freely given to someone else.
• They'll accept donations but certainly don't expect them.
• Take what you need. Just don't take something and then turn right around and put it on eBay, or worse, sell it at the vendor fair.
• If you're after something special, let Sean and James know ahead of time your name can be put on it.
• No premium items (accelerators, RAM cards, etc) are being given away. Sales might be considered, though — ask if you're looking something special.

To make this event happen, Sean and James ask for a few volunteers for the following tasks Friday night:

• Help unload the bus, and then reload what isn't taken back into the bus.
• Help sort loose sets of disks. I'm afraid that during the "keep it or give it away" phase of the packing, some sets of things like Publisher, Print Shop and operating system disks were chunked into the totes loose. They need to be matched up. Think of it as a Apple II themed memory game.

Relatedly, Dean Nichols has also indicated that "I have much more [Apple II gear] than I will ever use, and would be pleased to find much of the stuff a good home", presenting yet another opportunity for KansasFest attendees to share the wealth. He is currently taking requests.

If you have any questions for any of these generous donors, please subscribe to our discussion list, where you can reach most anyone attending KansasFest 2011.

With KansasFest 2011 opening in less than two weeks (!), it's time to take care of any details that could keep you from spending a week with some of the most amazing Apple II users you'll find anywhere.

Attendees arrive at KansasFest any number of ways: plane, train, car, or bicycle. If you are driving or flying, please fill out our Peikop Endropov form. This volunteer service, coordinated by Carl Knoblock, helps attendees share rides to and from the airport, letting them get an early start on the camaraderie that is a hallmark of KansasFest.

However you get there, make sure to pack your bags for everything you need. Check our packing list for an exhaustive list of hardware, equipment, and sundries that may prove useful. See something missing from our list? Let us know, and we'll update it!

Finally, if you have any questions about Rockhurst University, how to get there, or where to stay nearby, we have all that information and more. The first day of KansasFest, we'll also have signs on campus directing you to the residence hall to which the school's administration has assigned us — either Xavier-Loyola or Corcoran.

All three of the above links can be found in the navigation menu on the left column of this Web site, under the header "Getting there".

KansasFest's daylight hours are your opportunity to soak in — and share! — an impressive wealth of information about your favorite retrocomputer. In the time since our first call for sessions, many attendees of KansasFest 2011 have signed up to deliver the following presentations:

• A tour of the hidden tricks of the Apple IIGS toolbox (Eric Shepherd)
• A demonstration and analysis of P2E, an Apple II emulator for iOS (Martin Haye)
• The secret sophistication and potential of LOGO (Peter Neubauer)
• A look at the timing of the Apple II using the Fast Processor Interface (Daniel Kruszyna)
• An open-for-discussion look at early Apple television advertisements (Mike Maginnis)
• A photo tour and comparison of several mobile robotic "turtles", contemporaries of the Apple II (Peter Neubauer)
• A tour of a scale model of an Apple II Plus, built in the game Minecraft (Steve Weyhrich)
• A technical look at the Apple III and its OS, programming languages, and add-ons you can get today (Mike Maginnis)
• Accessing files over a LAN with an Apple II (Ivan Drucker)
• Behind the scenes at Open Apple (Mike Maginnis & Ken Gagne)
• A2MP3 workshop (Vince Briel)

Want to help fill the schedule? Think of a cool Apple II topic to share with your fellow attendees and register to present a session!