Location: State Fair Community College - Sedalia, Missouri
See lodging options in Sedalia, including the conference hotel (Best Western State Fair Inn).
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2026
Bus tour is included in conference registration.
Location: Starline Brass Trails End Plaza, northeast corner of the Missouri State Fairgrounds (Art Deco entrance at 16th Street/Hwy Y)
Transportation: Motor coach with guided narration
Thu 1:00 PM: Trails End Tour (Hwy 65 & 16th Street) — Welcome to Sedalia's train and cattle trail history at the Missouri State Fair Grounds
Thu 1:30 PM: Load bus & depart — on-board historical narration by Kathleen Boswell
Thu 1:45-2:30 PM: Visit to Katy Depot (600 E. Third Street) — brief tour and restroom break
Thu 2:30 PM: Bus departs for Historic District Tour (Red Light District, Scott Joplin Maple Leaf Site, historic brothel stop, courthouse third-floor mural tour, Sedalia Public Library (Andrew Carnegie Foundation Library)
Thu 3:00 PM: Depart to Marshall Junction (18 miles) — on-board historical narration
Thu 3:30 PM: Bill Smith Longhorn Ranch Tour — working ranch operation
Thu 4:45 PM: Load bus to return to Starline Brass Trails End in Sedalia
Thursday Evening Entertainment
Separate $15 ticket, available at conference check-in or online here.
Location: Liberty Center Association for the Arts - 111 W. 5th Street, Sedalia, MO
Thu 7:00-8:15 PM: Jeff Davidson, cowboy poet, with music from the Diamond W Wranglers
Thu 8:15-8:30 PM: Intermission (LCAA bar open) —with William Westfall, ragtime piano
Thu 8:45-10:00 PM: Ron Wilson, cowboy poet, with music from 3 Trails West
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2026
Breakfast on own at hotels; coffee and light breakfast available upon arrival
Location: State Fair Community College Conference Center
Fri 8:00 AM: Welcome and Opening Remarks — conference hosts
Fri 8:00-9:00 AM: Keynote: "Jack Thorp and the First Book of Cowboy Songs" — Mark Gardner
Fri 9:00-9:30 AM: Consortium Business Meeting — Ron Wilson
Fri 9:30-9:45 AM: Break - coffee cake, juice & coffee
Fri 9:45-11:00 AM: Trails Overview: Shawnee, Chisholm, Western, Great Western, and Goodnight-Loving Trails — Trail representatives
Fri 11:00 AM-noon: "History of Gauchos, Vaqueros, and the Spanish Cattle Experience" — William Scott, history professor, Texas Tech University
Fri 12:00-12:45 PM: Lunch - catered by SFCC; with Enid, Oklahoma presentation
Fri 12:45-1:00 PM:Special presenation — Frank Sharp
Fri 1:00-2:15 PM: CVB Roundtable — Julie Roller Weeks, Rob Houston, Carla Burdick - moderated by Carolyn Crooker
Fri 2:15-3:00 PM: "Raising Longhorns in Missouri and Colorado" — Bill Smith, Glen Lewis, and Lyn Lewis
Fri 3:00-3:15 PM: Break
Fri 3:15-3:45 PM: David Smith's Shawnee Trail Poem and the Texas Shawnee Trail Contingent - David Smith
Fri 3:45-4:45 PM: "Western Art History and the Cattle Drives" — Michael Grauer
Fri 5:00-7:00 PM: Artist reception with ragtime music by William Westfall at the Daum Museum; heavy hors d'oeuvres served
after 7: Dinner on your own
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2026
Breakfast on own at hotels; coffee and light breakfast available upon arrival
Location: State Fair Community College Conference Center
Sat 8:00–9:00 AM: "Cavalry, Indian, Freed Slaves, Women Drovers" — William Scott
Sat 9:00–10:00 AM: "Wyatt Earp and the Cowboys: Law Enforcement in the Cow Towns of Wichita and Dodge City" — Mark Gardner
Sat 10:00–10:15 AM: Break
Sat 10:15-10:45 AM: "Train History, Cattle Drives, and Western Expansion" — Doug Kiburz
Sat 10:45 AM–11:30 AM: "Engaging Younger Generations with Western Heritage" — Cody Assman
Sat 11:30 AM–12:00 PM: Closing remarks, open mic, questions — conference hosts
Sat 12:00 PM: Sack lunch - provided to eat onsite or to go
Sat Following lunch: Final Trails End tour — Board the train, visit the upper plaza and bronze sculptures, and conclude with the Consortium Cow Chip Throwing Championship at Starline Brass Trails End Plaza