Byron Ripley of Veterans for Peace will discuss sevral issues concerning the anti-war movement among veterans in the U.S. today.   Mr. Ripley is a Marine Corps Veteran.  Veternas for Peace Chapter 97 – Kansas City is an organization of military veterans and allies dedicated to building a culture of peace, exposing the true costs of war, and advocating for justice at home and abroad.

Musical Guest: Christian Ripley

Shelly Norris, President and Co-Founder of Corey’s Network, will discuss their mission, which is to provide immediate support, advocacy, and services to surviving victims of homicde in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and the actions and sctivities they us to proved these services.

Musical guests: Kristopher Bruders and family.

Rex Buchanan, author and former Director of the Kansas Geological Survey will discuss Petroglyphs found in Kansas’s Smokey Hills. Before Europeans arrived here, Native people lived on the plains, and some left behind rock carvings on soft sandstone in the middle of Kansas. This presentation focuses on these carvings, the people who made them, and what the carvings tell us about those people and their relationship to the land. The presentation also discusses the challenges of dating and interpreting these carvings, the threats posed by erosion and vandalism, and the role of landowners whose property shelters these carvings.

Musical Guest: The Tequa Bluegrass Band

Janey Rizvey discusses various aspects of Islam and his reasons for leaving Islam.  He draws on his experience growing up as a Pakistani-American in Texas and relates the teachings of Islam to the current perception of Muslims in America.  Mr. Rizvey is the current President of the Oasis Network, as well as being one of its co-founders.

Musical Guest; Kadesh Flow

Jessica Rockhold and Dr. Shelly Cline from the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education will describe how 1930’s Germany went from a democratic republic to an authoritarian regime in a short period of time.

Jaye Wiley, a lifelong native of Kansas City and former artist at Hallmark will present “From Sketchpad to iPad — Learning to Evolve as an Artist,” Jaye will describe his development from “the guy in class who was a good drawer” to a professional artist.

Our musical guest is Lezlie Revelle Zucker.

The presentation and music were recorded live at Kansas City Oasis on January 18, 2026.

In this presentation, Grady Atwater, the Site Administrator of the John Brown Museum State Historic Site in Osawatomie, Kansas, explores the realities and ramifications of John Brown’s abolitionist crusade in Kansas Territory and the nation. Grady Atwater holds a Master of Arts degree in History from Emporia State University. His historical research focuses on the life of John Brown and his impact on history and the present day, and the abolitionist movement in American history and its impact on modern American culture.

Musical Guest: KJ Koa

 Dr Andrew Boyd will discuss the flooding that inundated the interior of Washington State and northern Oregon and the effects on human evolution..  He will look at the devastation caused by the floods and make some observations about climate change.

Musical guest: Tracey Myers (https://www.instagram.com/traceymyersmusic/) 

Don Laskey, who holds a Masters Degree in History, is a historian and park interpreter at the Fort Osage National Historic Landmark. His presentation will cover the history of Fort Osage and its role in the development of the United States west of the Mississippi.

Diane Euston, secretary of the Westport Historical Society, will speak on the development of Kansas City and Westport, specifically as it related to the Westward Movement along the Santa Fe Trail.

Musical Guests: The Bledsoe Trio (www.BeauBledsoe.com)