PLEASE MAKE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATION SOON!
Our headquarters hotel is the
Comfort Inn & City Limits Convention Center
2225 S. Range Ave
Colby, KS
Reservations: (785) 462-3833
Group: Kansas Dialogue
Rate: $99 + tax
(total: $113.74)
General Schedule - Thursday evening August 22nd - Sunday noon August 25th
Note: Kansas Dialogue doesn't officially begin until Friday evening August 23rd, but if you're willing to arrive a day early, we have some exciting activities planned at no extra charge.
PRE-DIALOGUE ACTIVITIES THURSDAY EVENING AND FRIDAY MORNING:
Thursday evening - Lon Frahm's home - It's an "Open Range Salon!"
No, not a saloon, although there will be some libation. A Salon evening, Kansas Dialogue style. Supper will be wood-fired pizza, baked on the spot. It'll be a great time to connect with old friends and make some new ones. And after dinner, we'll entertain each other with music, poetry, storytelling and who knows what else. Something brand new at Kansas Dialogue! Thanks for your hospitality, Lon.
Friday morning - WOW.
A unique opportunity to see our newest State Park before it's
even open to the public! The Little Jerusalem Badlands State
Park features dramatic Niobrara Chalk bluffs and spires,
millions of years old. It is a one-of-a-kind landscape in Kansas.
We'll also visit the adjacent Smoky Valley Ranch, which is owned
by the Nature Conservancy; and picnic at Lake Scott State Park.
Transportation and expert guides will be provided, courtesy of
our host. It will be a fascinating morning. We'll be leaving the
hotel at 8 am, and will need a definite headcount in advance.
Please check the box on your registration form if you wish to attend.
The 300-acre badlands and Smoky Valley Ranch are located off U.S. Highway 83 about halfway between Scott City and Oakley, Kansas—west of Monument Rocks and north of Historic Lake Scott State Park.
Friday Evening August 23rd: Welcome to the Open Range and High Plains of Kansas
CITY LIMITS CONVENTION CENTER - Reception, supper and opening session
What does it mean to be on the High Plains? Most Kansas Dialoguers come from the eastern half of the state, so we're going to take some time to learn a bit about the life and land of the High Plains.
For small group conversations, we'll also be asking you to bring an object or picture with you that represents your image of the phrase "Open Range". And we'll be "Opening Up: Our Personal Stories" about where we live in Kansas and why we like it.
We'll finish our first evening session around 9:00 and continue informal "Dialogue After Hours" in the hospitality room.
SATURDAY AUGUST 24th
The Heart of Dialogue: day sessions at the Frahm Farmland complex
If you attended the 2006 Kansas Dialogue in Colby, you're in for a treat. The farm complex has expanded a lot, and we'll be able to have all of our sessions right there on the farm - with air conditioning! We'll eat breakfast at the hotel before we go.
We'll be flipping our usual day schedule so that our tour of Lon's high tech farming operation can happen in the morning, when it's cooler. We'll have 2 general sessions and 3 concurrent sessions during the course of the day. During the concurrent sessions 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!
Saturday Evening at the Prairie Museum of Art and History
After a break to rest and clean up from our day on the farm, we'll
head to the Prairie Museum of Art and History for our evening
experiences.
Weather permitting, we'll have supper in the Cooper Barn, which is
part of the museum complex. The 1936 Cooper Barn has been named
by the Kansas Sampler Foundation as one of the Eight Wonders of
Kansas Architecture. It's the largest barn in Kansas, and contains
an outstanding agricultural exhibit. The Prairie Museum is a special backdrop for our evening conversation.
As always, we'll continue "After Hours" at the hotel.
Sunday morning at the City Limits Convention Center: Some high octane conversation!
Many people say this is their favorite part of the weekend. We'll have three roundtables where you can choose from 10-12 topics at a time. These are 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.
It was in Colby in 2006 that we began what has become a Sunday morning tradition: 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!
IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE -
There are usually about 100-120 people at Kansas Dialogue. Our conversations are a combination of full group discussions, concurrent sessions with 20 people to a room, and round tables of 8.
But 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 - $135
Student Rate: $25 (through college age)
RATES INCLUDE CONFERENCE SESSIONS, GROUP EVENTS, AND MEALS.
First, fill out the registration form:
Then if you wish to pay online, fill out the shopping cart below:
OR Make checks to Kansas Dialogue and mail to
PO Box 444
Towanda, KS 67144
Kansas Dialogue XXVI:
"OPEN RANGE"
Colby, Kansas August 23 -25, 2019
Arrive a day early on Thursday August 22nd for an incredible tour of the open range Fri morning!
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 Abilene last year we're swinging back west to the oasis of COLBY, hosted by the inimitable Lon Frahm.
We'll outline the bones of the weekend below, but remember that we truly shape the topics around who is coming and your topic suggestions.
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. There will be literally dozens of topics to choose from during the course of the weekend.
Here are some of the ideas that have come in so far:
"What Does It Mean to Be on the High Plains?"
"Whose Water Is It Anyway?"
"Kansas, Open to the World: the importance of our international connections
"Opening Up: Our Personal Stories"
"Ag on the High Plains"
"Traditions We'd Like to See Return"
"The Elephant in the Room"
"Are Politics Destructive to Peoples' Interests?"
"Don't Fence Me In"
Our Colby host, Lon Frahm, was named 2009 Producer of the Year, and has been featured in a number of national publications including the Wall St Journal and USA Today.
Our Saturday night session will include dinner at the Cooper Barn, the largest barn in Kansas!
Remnants of an ancient ocean floor... the famous Monument Rocks are about an hour southeast of Colby, and are one of the original Eight Wonders of Kansas.
Colby is called "The Oasis on the High Plains". During our weekend retreat we'll tour from the most ancient earth of Kansas to the modern miracle of a high tech farm.
Join us as we gallop through the "Open Range" of Kansas Dialogue! Remember, we design the weekend around what you want to talk about. We can't wait to hear what's on your mind!
Here are the details of 2019, just to give you a taste of what we get up to at Kansas Dialogue. We will post details of Leavenworth as the plans start firming up. Hope you can join us!
SORRY, REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED. Email us if you want to register, and we'll see if there is still room. We've had a phenomenal response.