News

The end of the month, May 31, is the last day to register with discounted early-bird rates. After that prices go up by about $55.

We have room for more session proposals. If you’ve been toying with the idea, please submit your topic now.

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KansasFest attendees flying into Kansas City International Airport often volunteer to share rides to and from Rockhurst University. Alex Jacocks coordinates this service as the “Peikop Endroprov” taxi service. If you would like to participate as either a driver or passenger, please share your travel details with this form.

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, or 45 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 list and maybe someone will be inspired to step up.

KansasFest 2019, the 31^st 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 16, through Sunday, July 21, for six days and five nights of sessions, demos, announcements, contests, and camaraderie.

Mark Pelczarski of Penguin Software, well-known for numerous graphics utilities, books, and games, will join us with a keynote presentation to celebrate the Apple II. Pelczarski began publishing graphics-related Apple II software in 1978 while in his early 20’s under the brands Penguin Software and Polarware. Mark once said “I like to make computers do things,” so he’ll surely fit in at KansasFest.

Register before May 31 to reserve your spot and 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 14; 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 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.

KansasFest 2019, the 31^st annual Apple II convention, is scheduled for July 16 – 21 in Kansas City, Missouri. Mark Pelczarski of Penguin Software, well-known for numerous graphics utilities, books, and games, will join us with a keynote presentation to celebrate the Apple II.

Pelczarski began publishing graphics-related Apple II software in 1978 while in his early 20’s under the brands Penguin Software and Polarware.  He is an entrepreneur, author, programmer, consultant, and professional educator.  Mark is well known for the Graphics Magician software, a toolkit for creating graphics that includes over 50 major software publishers as customers including Random House, Sierra Online, Spinnaker, and Mattel.  He wrote monthly columns for Softalk and the book Graphically Speaking.  Besides pioneering computer graphics, Polarware published numerous games including Transylvania, The Coveted Mirror, and Spy’s Demise.  After leaving Polarware in 1987, Mark turned his attention to computer music and to online courses.  Mark once said “I like to make computers do things,” so he’ll surely fit in at KansasFest.

KansasFest is an annual convention offering Apple II users and retrocomputing enthusiasts the opportunity to engage in beginner and technical sessions, programming contests, exhibition halls, and camaraderie. KansasFest was originally hosted by Resource Central and has been brought to you by the KFest committee since 1995. Any and all Apple II users, fans, and friends are invited to attend this year’s event. Registration details will be announced on the KansasFest Web site, and registration will open on March 31. For photos, videos, and presentations from past KansasFests, please visit the event’s official Website.

Thanks to the generous efforts of multiple volunteers, recordings from KansasFest 2018 are now available. There are over 30 videos, rendered to about 70 Gigabytes of data.  That’s almost 24 hours of Apple II related video!

There are a few videos (sorry Quinn and Mark) giving us trouble, and we’re working on those.

To help us celebrate the 30^th KansasFest, Roger Wagner is returning with our keynote.  Roger, besides being an accomplished Apple II programmer, author, and businessman, is a KansasFest alumnus.  He delivered the keynote in 1995 (recording courtesy of Steve Disbrow, EGO Systems).

If you need help coming up with difficult questions to ask Roger, don’t miss the 1992 “celebrity roast” featuring him.

The KansasFest Planning Committee looks forward to seeing you next week!  We’re committed to everybody having an excellent trip, so please let us know if we may help with anything.

Please see our Welcome to KansasFest page for details about your arrival. Also, the schedule is available online.

Is this your first time at KansasFest? Don’t miss the comprehensive “KansasFest for Newcomers” guide. Consider joining one our “newcomer’s sessions” on Monday (5pm) or Tuesday (3:30pm).