We are now accepting session proposals for Virtual KansasFest 2021. Please submit your session here.
We will have two days of sessions, with 15 or 30 minute time slots. You may choose either a live talk or a pre-recorded talk that can be played in the session’s scheduled time slot.
A few logistics:
Session proposals will be accepted until May 31.
After May 31, the KFest committee will review all proposals and select a good number to fill out the schedule.
We will then e-mail to let you know if your session is accepted.
Pre-recorded talks will be due a few days before KansasFest. Details on submission will be emailed later.
We will provide suggestions for how to present a remote talk.
We also plan to offer practice connections in advance.
Past sessions have included hardware, software and game demonstrations, and tutorials; integration of the Apple II with other devices; emulators; programming; Apple II history; or any subject that would be of interest to Apple II users. We also love other retro computers, especially if you incorporate into your session how it compares and contrasts with the Apple II.
KansasFest 2021, the 33rd annual Apple II convention, is open for registration. Users, programmers, hobbyists, and retrocomputing enthusiasts are invited to gather virtually from Friday, July 23, through Saturday, July 24, for two days and one night of sessions, demos, announcements, contests, and camaraderie.
We will make the best of the virtual arrangement and return in person to Kansas City in 2022. We’ve rescheduled the keynote speaker, Robert Woodhead, to next year.
Registration is $10 for access to all talks and activities. For $20 you get access to all talks/activities plus you will also receive a commemorative pin (postage included). Official KansasFest t-shirts are extra and optional. To register, please visit the official registration form.
KansasFest invites any and all Apple II users, fans, and friends to attend the largest and longest running annual Apple II conference. For photos, videos, schedules, and presentations from past year’s events or to sign up for the email list and for inquiries, please visit the event’s Web site.
Welcome back! We hope everyone has been staying safe and healthy. Since last July, we had hoped that things would have returned to normal in time to hold KansasFest 2021 in person. Although the pandemic situation has improved and vaccines are on their way, there are still too many health risks and potential travel restrictions to attempt an in-person gathering in 2021.
Given the success of last year’s 8-bit Virtual KansasFest (over 500 attendees!), the KansasFest Board is pleased to announce “KansasFest 2021: 16-Bit Virtual Edition”. Similar to 2020, our plan is to hold an online event Friday and Saturday, July 23-24. The event will include lots of exciting talks, panel discussions, and other fun events (the return of Superhuman Samurai SyberSquad?). We’ll also have time in the evenings for get togethers on Discord, where you can chat through text or video, get advice on hardware or software mods, or just hang out with fellow Apple II enthusiasts.
This year, we plan on having two registration tiers: The $10 tier which will guarantee you a login spot to attend all talks and participate in online activities. For $20, you’ll get a login spot plus a commemorative 2021 KansasFest pin which will be mailed separately (free postage). Both tiers will also include a discount coupon for an optional T-shirt, to be ordered separately. Session recordings will be available free of charge (as usual) on YouTube and the Internet Archive.
Further information on submitting session proposals will be coming soon. We expect registration to open on May 1. Put it on your calendar, and plan to meet us online in July!
HackFest is an Apple II programming competition held over the course of KansasFest every year, and we were fortunate to continue this tradition in 2020. It’s amazing what people can develop in such a short time.
KansasFest includes a door sign contest where attendees create Apple II themed collages on their dorm room doors. Lacking real doors, we organized a background contest.
We’ve selected three winners and one honorable mention from numerous excellent entries.
“Apple ][ Forever” – Melody Ayres-Griffiths
“I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas (City) any more.” – Charles Mangin
KansasFest 2020 starts Friday morning. We have an incredible 509 attendees from 17 countries. The schedule is packed with 29 sessions and 2 contests.
If you have registered, you should have a private e-mail with directions for joining via Zoom and Discord. Please contact us if you’re missing the e-mail.
We’ll stream all sessions to YouTube. This delayed stream is open to everybody. Live participation, questions & answers, chat, and after-hours meetings are only available to paid attendees.
HackFest is an Apple II programming competition held over the course of KansasFest every year. HackFest begins today and is open to all attendees. See the archive of past HackFest entries for examples of the creativity and methods this competition inspires.
This year, since we’re virtual, HackFest looks a little different. The contest begins on Friday, July 17, 8am CDT and ends Thursday, July 23, 5pm CDT. The judges will award prizes end of the day on Saturday, July 25. For details on the contest deadlines and rules, visit the #hackfest channel on the attendee-only KansasFest Discord server.
