Since it came up in this thread,this thread, and this thread within the last 6 months and nobody else has really started the ball rolling, I’m taking the initiative to at least open the thread and get the conversation started.
This isn’t to say that I’m volunteering to plan or coordinate the whole thing, but let’s throw around some ideas for dates etc.
When was the last KC Dopefest? I haven’t seen one referred to in the couple years I’ve been here.
In the near future, whenever except April 20 works for me, and even with that, I could come in the evening.
I remember there was one a few years ago - I can’t remember how many. I do remember that it was in June, because it ended up being the same weekend of the KC Highland Games (which are the 2nd full weekend in June…7th-9th, I think this year, if any Dopers are interested; I help/hang out between the Clan Campbell booth and the History/Culture area), so I couldn’t go.
Oh wow, me and my girl go to the Highland Games every year. Tomorrow I’m wearing a skirt to work which I bought there last year, in fact. Even if there isn’t a Dopefest, I should stop by and say “hi” if I know where you will be at.
~
Yeah, now that I’m “out” I wouldn’t mind coming to a Dopefest here with Fierra.
It’s impossible to say what I am doing on any given weekend, but mostly my weekends are free.
Don’t stress too much about trying to find the “perfect” weekend - if too many people can’t make it to one, just have another get-together in a few months. It’s not like anyone is renting a venue or anything. Some Dopefest plans get horribly hijacked by one or two people screaming about how the entire fest needs to be moved so they can make it. Just pick a non-holiday date and go for it.
It’s been quite a while since the last I remember, and I’d love to attend one again. There’s a ton of stuff to do in KC.
As already said, don’t stress about a date, there’s never going to be a time convenient for absolutely everyone.
I’m only an hour away, so let’s do it!
Never been to a Dopefest. I like the idea of having one nearby.
What to wear? What to wear?
The last KC Dopefest I remember was about five years ago… the week that I was on vacation in Colorado. 
So yeah I’m looking forward to one. Any weekend other than Mem. Day should work.
I help the Bard, who is also the Clan Campbell guy, so I’m almost always in the Campbell tent or the History/Culture area during his story-telling sessions. Just ask for Wendy/Thing 1 (running joke since there are 2 Campbell helpers named Wendy; we call ourselves Thing 1 and Thing 2)!
I would consider driving down for one. I haven’t been to a KC Dopefest since 2003.
Well, here are some options. I don’t know everyone’s kid situation, but we might factor that in as well.
Options:
Evening meetup for appetizers/dinner/drinks. Adult. From what I gather, this is the most common format.
Daytime, during or centered around an event…see Highland Games. Family friendly or no.
Daytime, not centered around any particular event. Example, afternoon BBQ at a park. Family friendly.
Group tour event…examples, hard hat tour of Kansas City Museum, or Boulevard Brewing.
Something less lame.
Those don’t sound lame at all. I’d go for any or all of them. #1, #3 and #4 would be my picks if I had to choose, but I’ll go for any or all of them. I won’t have kids there but I don’t mind being with them.
The brewing tour sounds good. Also consider the small museum for the steamboat Arabia, that went down in 1856, and was rediscovered and excavated.
The Steamboat Arabia Museum was amazing! I highly recommend the guided tour.
I vote against tours as being the main event. My experience from organizing several tours as get-togethers is folks tend to wander off in one’s and two’s and there’s less of a community atmosphere. Otherwise I’m flexible.
Outdoors can be interesting, but it can also be dicey depending upon the weather.
If anyone wants to go somewhere decent with a dance floor and house music afterwards, I’ll wear my leather miniskirt and dancing heels.
Give me the day and I can be there.
SFC Schwartz
I will tentatively say that I am in. I’m good for an evening meetup, but my day times are pretty full, especially on the weekends. I work in the Crossroads district, near Union Station. I think it would be a blast to meet.
Plus, I can schmooze Baker and maybe get some [del]points[/del] pointers on some inside information for the Celebrity Death Pool.
Bumping this to see if anyone is still interested in attempting a get-together this summer.
If nobody in the KC area wants to step up to organize something, I’d be willing to check with Lawrence KS Parks and Rec and see if we can rent a park shelter some Saturday or Sunday afternoon and have a potluck/picnic sort of thing, do some grilling, etc.
It was nice to meet you at the Highland Games today! 
Perfect. Clinton Park on 6th around Maine (no relation to Clinton Lake) is lovely (nice shelter, playground for the kiddies, seven blocks from downtown) would be great – and it’s a three-minute walk from my house!
Any day between June 20 and June 30 would work best for me. I’ll be away until June 20, but I can help with any organizing after that date.
You too! It was the highlight of the weekend!
See, I was thinking Prairie Park because it has a shelter, a playground (plus more playground equipment at the school next to the park) and a (not very well maintained) baseball diamond. And it’s a short walk from my house! But Clinton Park is probably easier to get to for people coming in from out of town.
Half-day reservation for a park shelter (10am-3pm or 4pm-9pm) is $35. Full day is $65. I’m not going to be available the weekend of June 29-30 so it would have to be next weekend, June 22-23. Reservations for the weekend must be made by noon Wednesday. If folks are interested, let me know if you’d prefer Saturday or Sunday and day or evening (or full day?) and I can check into park shelter availability.
I’d think that Centennial would be easiest for the out-of-town folks, since it’s just off of the US 59/40 K 10/I 70 interchanges. And it has two shelters available for rent! (One off 9th, one off Rockledge.)
Then again, I live half a block from Clinton, and it does have a nice backdrop. I’ll advocate for Sunday, as it’s the end of my workweek (so I can hang later). As long as it’s not Thursday, when the Boffers will be there.
(I mean, some of them are my friends. But they’ll try to join! And have no idea who Cecil is!)