Location: State Fair Community College - Sedalia, Missouri
See lodging options in Sedalia, including the conference group rate at the Best Western State Fair Inn (must reserve by Sept. 22).
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2026
Bus tour is included in conference registration.
Thu 1:00 PM: Trails End Tour (Hwy 65 & 16th Street - Starline Brass Trails End Plaza) — welcome to Sedalia's cattle trail history on the Missouri State Fair Grounds
Thu 1:45 PM: Board bus & depart — on-board tour guide shares Sedalia history
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 with cast performance of "soiled doves")
Thu 3:00 PM: Depart to Marshall Junction (18 miles) — on-board historic narration
Thu 3:30 PM: Bill Smith Longhorn Ranch Tour — working ranch operation
Thu 4:45 PM: Board bus to return to Starline Brass Trails End in Sedalia
Thursday Evening Entertainment
Separate ticket, available at conference check-in.
Location: Liberty Center Association for the Arts - 111 W. 5th Street, Sedalia, MO
Thu 7:00-8:30 PM: Jeff Davidson; Diamond W Wranglers
Thu 8:30-8:45 PM: Break (LCAA bar open) —with William Westfall, ragtime piano
Thu 8:45-9:45 PM: Ron Wilson; 3 Trails West
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2026
Breakfast on own at hotels; coffee available upon arrival
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 9:00-10:15 AM: Trail overviews (5 trails) — trail representatives
Fri 10:15-10:30 AM: Break - coffee cake, juice & coffee
Fri 10:30-11:30 AM: "Vaqueros and the Spanish cattle history" — William Scott, history professor, Texas Tech University
Fri 11:30 AM-noon: Legislative update and Consortium business — Ron Wilson
Fri 12:00-1:00 PM: Lunch
Fri 1:00-2:00 PM: CVB Roundtable — led by Carolyn Crooker
Fri 2:00-2:45 PM: Raising Longhorns in Missouri — Bill Smith
Fri 2:45-3:00 PM: Break
Fri 3:15-4:00 PM: TBA
Fri 4:00-4:45 PM: Western Art History and Culture — 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 available upon arrival
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 10:15-10:30 AM: "Train History, Cattle Drives, and Western Expansion" — Doug Kiburz
Sat 10:30–10:45 AM: Shawnee Trail Poem and Southern Shawnee Trail Update — David Smith
Sat 10:45 AM–11:30 AM: "Engaging Younger Generations with Western Heritage" — Cody Assman
Sat 11:45 AM–12:00 PM: Closing remarks, open mic, questions — conference hosts
Sat 12:00 PM: Sack lunch provided (to go)
Sat Following lunch: final Trails End tour; Consortium Cow Chip Throwing Championship