Here's a general outline of the weekend - more details to come!
FRIDAY AFTERNOON August 14th - Friday will be your only opportunity to visit the Gordon Parks Museum. They are open from 9-4 pm at Fort Scott Community College. More details of optional activities are in the emails and mailing being sent to people who have registered.
FRIDAY EVENING - REGISTRATION BEGINS AT 4 PM at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes. They will be giving us a special presentation and tour at 4:30 pm. We'll then head to the River Room Event Center for dinner and our evening session reflecting about "HEROES" in our lives.
Afterwards we'll meet for "Dialogue After Hours" - drinks and snacks in the hospitality room at the Sleep Inn.
SATURDAY AUGUST 15th
The Heart of Dialogue: day sessions at Fort Scott Community College from 8:45 - 2:20
We'll kick off with a general session at 8:45, followed by breakout sessions (smaller conversations of 20 people). You'll have three different topics to choose from each time. Thanks to the suggestions you make on your registration form, the conversations will range from nitty gritty to humorous and philosophical. There's something for everyone!
SATURDAY AFTERNOON - Guided tour of Fort Scott National Historic Site or Trolley Tour of Fort Scott
Saturday evening in downtown Fort Scott
We are gathering at the Liberty Theater in downtown Fort Scott for dinner and our program. Catering by Crooners!
We'll continue our conversations "After Hours" at the Sleep Inn.
SUNDAY MORNING AUGUST 16th at the River Room Event Center
Many people say this is their favorite part of the weekend. We'll have three roundtable sessions where you can choose from 8 topics at a time. These include some fresh topics that you bring to Kansas Dialogue on Friday night, so they feature the latest current events, the most controversial subjects, the goofy, the esoteric, the political, the spiritual... topics that are best suited to small group sharing.
As always, we conclude the weekend with our own fake radio show: "This I Believe"... an inspiring collection of audio essays written and performed by several people in our group. This live show is modeled after the NPR Radio series.
PLEASE JOIN US FOR A MEMORABLE WEEKEND GETAWAY!
More details will be available once we know who's coming.
IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE -
Our group size is 70 - 80 people. Conversations will vary from full group discussions to concurrent sessions with 20 people to a room, and round tables of 8. Over the course of the weekend you will have dozens of topics to choose from. Dress is casual.
As interesting as the formal sessions are, the real buzz happens at meals, breaks and "after hours". Kansas Dialogue is an immersion experience, and the people who come are thirsty for good conversation and meeting new people. We dive right in without the small talk.
If this sounds like it's for you, general details of the weekend are below. Because Kansas Dialogue is an "off the record" conversation, the final program and participant list are shared only with the people who register. Attendees also agree to a few simple "Ground Rules", which we encourage you to read.
We look forward to seeing you!
Regards,
Martha Farrell and the
Registration $170
Student Rate: $25 (through college age)
Scholarships are available.
RATES INCLUDE CONFERENCE SESSIONS, GROUP EVENTS, AND MEALS.
Click the button to fill out the registration form
NOTE ABOUT PAYMENT: We will send you a Paypal link which you may pay online with any credit or debit card; or you can mail a check to us at the address below.
Make checks to Kansas Dialogue and mail to
PO Box 92
Andover, Kansas 67002
Kansas Dialogue XXXI: "HEROES"
Fort Scott, KS - August 14-16, 2026
Registration is now closed
Hi everyone -
If you've been to Kansas Dialogue before, you're feeling it right about now: the anticipation of seeing a great cross-section of Kansans who become your fast friends; exploring an intriguing new community; and diving into a weekend of fast-paced, intelligent conversation.
After a fantastic visit to Junction City last year, we're heading southeast to Fort Scott! We'll outline the bones of the weekend below, but remember that we truly design the topics around who is coming and what you want to talk about.
The Conveners meet twice to study the registrations, finalize the topics, and make facilitator assignments. If you have suggested a topic that didn't get to a larger group format, we can make it available as a round table discussion on Sunday morning.
Click the pictures above to enlarge.
Your heroes may be present day or historical; a family member or someone you admire from afar. They may be a fictional character, an animal, or a superhero! What a rich and varied stage we will have in Fort Scott to explore the idea of the heroes in our lives.
