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KFest has a few traditions and memes going back several years. Some of our more interesting events are the contests we have during the conference. Participation is optional, but feel free to jump in for the full-on KFest experience! YOU COULD WIN A COOL PRIZE!

HackFest – Starting Wednesday morning and going through Saturday, coders write original programs using specific tools and languages native to the Apple II, then show them off to the conference attendees. A panel of judges reviews and selects the winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd place). Please see the Official HackFest Rules and archive of past entries.

Door Sign – a door sign can say a lot about the attendees. Where you’re from, who you are and what your interests are. You can put up a poster, picture or anything clever or fanciful (usually Apple II related) to wow the judges. You’ll need to use tape (no tacks or anything that would leave a hole in the door) to hang your door sign.

Wacky Tie – KFest alum Roger Wagner was known for his colorful taste in ties. We honor his past contributions to KFest by having a wacky tie contest every year. Ties can be wacky, metaphorical, traditional or nostalgic in nature. It comes down to whatever strikes the judge’s fancy.  This year is special since Roger is our keynote speaker.

Bite the Bag – a physical game of skill, coordination and nerves of steel! Participants must pick up a paper bag off the floor using only their teeth. The hitch? Only one part of your body can be touching the floor at a time, and as the rounds progress, more and more of the bag is torn away — sometimes until it’s a mere scrap on the floor. If you’re averse to rug burns and potential bruising or full on face plants, this game might not be for you — but if you like watching other people do these things, it’s quite the spectacle.

Did we mention PRIZES? WE WANT YOU TO PARTICIPATE! You’ll have a chance to win something cool and you’ll have a great time too.

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 2017 for inspiration.

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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.

• Chris Torrence will have limited copies of Roger Wagner’s Assembly Lines: The Complete Book for the special price of $20.
• Juiced.GS is quarterly print magazine dedicated to all models of the Apple II personal computer. Each issue features news, reviews, interviews, and how-tos, delivered right to your mailbox.
• Andrew and Ivan Hogan will be selling the 120 VAC control box and game port interface.  The 2018 edition will have the 4 sliders for PDL0..3, and, they still have a couple 2017 edition solder-fest kits.
• Steve Weyhrich will have signed copies of Sophistication & Simplicity: The History of the Apple II Computer, for $20 each, or two copies for $30.
• Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange (A.P.P.L.E.) has been an Apple User Group since 1978, and our members continue to enjoy newly-produced Call-A.P.P.L.E. magazines, and access to older issues and software.  As a book publisher, callapple.org/books features over a dozen new books and manuals, like “The WOZPAK”, “All About Applesoft: Enhanced Edition”, and “Tome of Copy Protection.”
• Save 10% plus free KansasFest pickup on prepaid orders from Henry Courbis of ReActiveMicro.  Use the exclusive attendee-only coupon code KFEST2018 during checkout and choose “KFEST / Local Pickup”.

SolderFest is a KansasFest tradition.  Whether you’re a expert at soldering or aren’t sure which end of the iron hold, this evening event is an opportunity to get together, melt metal, swap stories and know-how, build cards, or repair things.

If you own soldering equipment, please bring it.  We’ll have a limited number of loaners, too.

Of course, you’ll need a project to work on, and here are some suggestions:

• Your broken Apple II
• An obscure Bulgarian Apple II clone (yes, this really happened)
• A kit from ReActiveMicro, such as the popular Briel Computers Replica 1 Apple I replica (attendees may pre-order with the coupon KFEST2018 to save 10% plus free pickup at KansasFest)

Vince Briel from Briel Computers and Henry Courbis from ReActiveMicro will be available to answer questions and assist with any issues or assembly questions with kits purchased.

Melissa Barron, the Chicago-based Apple II computer artist and KansasFest regular, is offering prints of her five new paintings featuring the Apple ][+, Apple ][c, and various peripherals. Visit her Etsy store for more.

It’s amazing to see the varied ways the Apple II continues to live and inspire.  You can meet Melissa and other artists, programmers, designers, writers, and hobbyists using the Apple II at KansasFest this summer.

KansasFest 2018, the 30^th annual Apple II convention, is open for registration. Users, programmers, hobbyists, and retrocomputing enthusiasts are invited to Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, from Tuesday, July 17, through Sunday, July 22, for six days and five nights of sessions, demos, announcements, contests, and camaraderie.

The keynote speaker will be Roger Wagner. In 1978, Wagner started his own software publishing company and sold popular titles such as the Merlin assembler and ASCII Express. He wrote for many major publications of the day but is best remembered for his long-running Assembly Lines column in Softalk, teaching 6502 assembly language. Later, he made his most famous contribution to the 16-bit Apple IIGS with HyperStudio, a foretaste of the hyperlinked web that was to later arrive in the 1990s.

Because KansasFest 2017 sold out, this year’s event capacity has been expanded by 20%. Registering early is still a good idea; do so 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.

To celebrate this year’s event Steve Weyhrich created a new music video, “The KFest Show”, in his own funny and inimitable style. As the lyrics say, “don’t fight it, registration’s open, runnin’ at ya!” You can watch the video now.

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 see the menu at the left side of this site.

Event registration will open soon, but there’s no reason why we can’t start talking sessions. 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 a couple of years ago, we’ve reduced the number of after-dinner 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 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes in length and are held at various times throughout the daytime hours. Keeping your session proposal to 45 minutes or less will let us fit more sessions into the schedule.

If you’ve never done a session, check out a sample of past year’s contributions.

Do you have a topic you would like to see presented, even if you aren’t the one to do it? Email us your idea or post it to the e-mail list and maybe someone will be inspired to step up.