Imagine a stage! With an enthusiastic audience! Talented acts performing! And judges giving the performances a thumbs up or down!
No, this is not that popular summer television event. It is the annual KansasFest tradition, now nearly twenty years old, of encouraging programmers who have a vision of something cool, amazing, or unique that they can create from start to finish during just three and a half days in Kansas City each year, something that runs on an Apple-1, Apple II, or Apple III computer (or appropriate emulator).
It’s HackFest, and every year we get to see what these brilliant minds come up with. And 2017 will be no exception. We may see a game, a utility, a unique graphics display, maybe all three in one, or maybe something that we’ve never seen before.
If you are coming to the premier Apple II event of the year, get your coding hat on your head, and envision what you can do to astound your fellow attendees. I promise that the judges will not hit the red “X” key and send you packing back to your home. Neither do they have a golden buzzer to vote you through to the final round – everyone will make it though to the finals. The prize may not be one million dollars and a Las Vegas show, but it will be better – Apple II swag with far greater sentimental value.
Come on, code! Program it!
Memory loss? Then RAM it!
Got machine code? Then SLAM it!
Don’t brag about it, come show me!
KansasFest is more than scheduled sessions. Hallway discussions, late-night hacking, and crazy contests are all normal. One of the traditions is a door sign contest. These aren’t “normal” door signs; KansasFest door signs are often interactive, exhibit unique memorabilia, and involve extensive planning. Besides showing off your creativity, resourcefulness, and interests, the best signs win fabulous prizes. Here are door signs from 2016 for inspiration.
KansasFest is a great opportunity to meet some of the vendors who support our community. You’re able to ask questions, get help, and sometimes get special deals. Here are some of the KansasFest-only special offers:
Chris Torrence will have copies of Roger Wagner’s Assembly Lines: The Complete Book for the special price of $15.
Charles Mangin will be present with some new items from RetroConnector. He is also bringing copies of David Finnegan’s New Apple II User’s Guide, direct from the author, with a special cover for the 40th anniversary of the release of the Apple II.
Steve Weyhrich will have signed copies ofSophistication & Simplicity: The History of the Apple II Computer, for $20 each, or two copies for $30.
Brian Wiser of Call-A.P.P.L.E. will have a limited supply of three new books:
GBBS Pro 2.2 – a professionally produced and significantly updated physical manual and software update
Henry Courbis of ReactiveMicro will be offering a RAMWorks III v1.1 Kit, for $60 ($5 off the new lower price), and the Universal PSU Kit II, II+, IIe, IIgs, and III for $70 ($10 off the new lower price). Both of these are good SolderFEST projects (although the PSU Kit does not even require soldering).
Antoine Vignau and Olivier Zardini, the French Brutal Deluxe Software programming team known for countless original Apple II programs and archiving efforts, will be there. Will you?
While the evenings and nights of KansasFest are renowned for their spontaneity, the mornings and afternoons are reserved for sessions spanning a variety of uses, extensions, and applications of the Apple II family. Just as varied as these sessions are the good people who volunteer to present them. If you have a topic you’d like to present, please fill out the session proposal form.
As introduced last year, we’ve reduced the number of sessions to free up more evening time for spontaneity. The 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.
Fear not, if your session doesn’t make it in this year, we’ll strive to get you in next year.
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.
Sessions are typically 30, 45 or 60 minutes in length and are held at various times throughout the daytime hours.
KansasFest 2017, the 29th annual Apple II convention, is now open for registration. Antoine Vignau and Olivier Zardini, the French Brutal Deluxe Software programming team known for countless original Apple II programs and archiving efforts, will join us in Kansas City, Missouri from July 18 – 23 with a keynote presentation to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apple II. Space is limited to 100 people, so register soon to reserve your spot.
Attendees are encouraged to share their knowledge by presenting their own hardware and software sessions related to the Apple II. All KansasFest sessions are presented by the attendees, who are known for unscheduled events and debuts, too. Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes look at new software, preorder opportunities for new hardware, a hands-on workshop, a podcast recording session, The Tinies game tournaments, or an athletic round of Bite the Bag, there are experiences to be had and memories to be made at KansasFest that aren’t possible except in the company of surprising, brilliant, diehard Apple II fans.
Register by May 31 to guarantee a price of $385 for a double room or $455 for a single, which includes admission to all sessions as well as most meals. After that, prices rise. Official KansasFest shirts are extra and optional and must be ordered by June 18; registration for staying on-site closes July 1. To register, please visit the official registration form.
KansasFest invites any and all Apple II users, fans, and friends to attend the 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 browse the “Sessions” and “Multimedia” sections of our website.
We are in a golden age for Apple II history capture.
For now, and it won’t last (because nothing lasts), an incredible amount of interest and effort and tools are all focused on acquiring Apple II software, especially educational and engineering software, and ensuring it lasts another generation and beyond.
I’d like to take advantage of that, and I’d like your help.
KansasFest attendees know all about Jason’s work, but what about your friends, family, and coworkers? Does your Mom’s brother’s dog’s owner have a forgotten stash of Apple II software? Do you know a retired school librarian with a dusty box of disks? Ask around and help Jason save part of our history.
Golden tickets in the famous 1971 film only got the winners tours of a chocolate factory. Today, golden tickets get five lucky first-time attendees full room, board, and conference admission at KansasFest 2017 thanks to a generous community member contribution. We got 77 entries for these coveted spots, and one member of our planning committee noted:
This is going to be heartbreaking. So many quality stories here, I feel like I want all these people to go. Then again, if they all go, it’ll be crazy huge and have no room for me. So… 5, picking only 5.
The dice randomly chose 5 winners:
41st entry: David L.
27th entry: Kurt H.
67th entry: Evan K.
19th entry: John P.
55th entry: Lutz B.
The winners will receive a private email with details. If you think you won but didn’t get an e-mail, contact us.
Registration opens for everybody, golden ticket or otherwise, on March 31. Do consider coming anyway even without the free ticket. Compared to any other full-week vacation it’s cheap, and most attendees report it to be an amazing, not-to-be-missed, sometimes life-changing experience.
Imagine a stage! With an enthusiastic audience! Talented acts performing! And judges giving the performances a thumbs up or down!