PLEASE MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATION SOON!
Our headquarters hotel is
the Best Western Plus Patterson Park Inn
6100 Patterson Pkwy Arkansas City
Highway 77 between Winfield
& Ark City
Reservations: (620) 307-6767
Group: Kansas Dialogue
Rate: $92 + tax
CALL HOTEL DIRECTLY OR USE THIS LINK TO BOOK ONLINE:
The room block will be released after July 19th, and prices will increase.
General Schedule - Friday evening August 18th - Sunday noon August 20th
FRIDAY EVENING AUGUST 18th: "A Rare Find" at the Burford Theatre
All of our sessions - Friday night, Saturday during the day, Saturday night and Sunday morning will be held at the Burford Theatre, 118 S Summit St, Arkansas City. This is right in the middle of downtown.
On Friday evening registration will begin at 5 pm at the theatre. A reception, dinner and evening program will begin at 5:30 and go until around 9:00 pm.
We'll finish our evening session around 9:00 and meet back at the Best Western Plus for "Dialogue After Hours" in the hospitality room.
SATURDAY AUGUST 19th
The Heart of Dialogue: day sessions at the Burford Theatre
We'll breakfast at Best Western Plus, then travel to the Burford Theatre. There will be two general sessions with the whole group, and three concurrent sessions where we'll be splitting into smaller groups and have many topics to choose from. 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! We'll also have lunch at the Burford.
SAT MID-AFTERNOON: A remarkable tour of Etzanoa
Talk about "A Rare Find" ! In 2015 archaelogists discovered "The Lost City of Etzanoa", just on the edge of Ark City. Etzanoa is an internationally significant find where approximately 20,000 ancestors of the Wichita Indians lived in the 1600's. We are fortunate to have arranged a Saturday afternoon tour of the Etzanoa site with one of its most knowledgeable guides. We'll learn about the history of Etzanoa and visit three sites: the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers, the battlefield, and chief’s lodge. (If you choose not to take this tour, you can roam other attractions in Ark City, go shopping, or take a nap!)
SATURDAY EVENING AT THE BURFORD THEATRE
For dinner tonight we're going to enjoy "A Taste of Ark City" ! Ark City has a wonderful array of ethnic and American restaurants. From BBQ to Chinese to Mexican, we're in for a tasty time.
Our evening program brings back two former and beloved conveners, Dave Kendall and Rex Buchanan. Dave is a filmmaker and Rex is a geologist. They've been working on a documentary called "Hot Times in the Heartland", which explores the impact of climate change on Kansas. This is going to be a great opportunity for an environmental discussion that hits right here at home. Dave will show us some preview clips from the upcoming documentary, and they'll share some of the Kansas stories they've uncovered; they're interested in our feedback and observations as well.
We'll continue our conversations "After Hours" at the hotel hospitality suite.
SUNDAY MORNING AT the Burford: some high octane conversation!
Many people say this is their favorite part of the weekend. We'll have three roundtable sessions where you can choose from 9-10 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 60 - 90 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.
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 - $155
Student Rate: $25 (through college age)
RATES INCLUDE CONFERENCE SESSIONS, GROUP EVENTS, AND MEALS.
Click the button to fill out the registration form
NOTE ABOUT PAYMENT: We will send you an invoice which you may pay online or mail a check to us.
Make checks to Kansas Dialogue and mail to
PO Box 444
Towanda, KS 67144
Another amazing discovery at Kansas Dialogue!
Join us in Ark City August 18 - 20 to experience fascinating conversation, meet remarkable Kansans, and celebrate 30 years of thoughtful dialogue and Kansas exploration.
Kansas Dialogue XXVIII:
"A RARE FIND"
Ark City, Kansas August 18 - 20, 2023
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 Northeast Kansas the last time we met, we're swinging down south to Arkansas City, very close to the Oklahoma border!
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.
MAP OF ARK CITY: CONFERENCE REGISTRATION IS AT BURFORD THEATRE DOWNTOWN (red pin)
Click the pictures below to enlarge.
ARK CITY'S DIALOGUE IS IN THE HISTORY BOOKS NOW, BUT WE LEAVE THIS UP TO GIVE A TASTE OF WHAT OUR WEEKEND RETREATS ARE LIKE!
REGISTRATION TO KANSAS DIALOGUE IS NOW CLOSED. IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND, EMAIL MARTHA AT KSDIALOGUE@GMAIL.COM TO SEE IF THERE HAS BEEN A CANCELLATION.