New eats and both new and old musical treats will be an integral part of this year's Ensorfest, which is scheduled to unfold Saturday, May 9 at Ensor Park and Museum in Olathe.
Sponsored by the City of Olathe, which owns the 40-acre historic site at 18995 W. 183rd Street, the Olathe Ensor Foundation, the Santa Fe Trail Amateur Radio Club, and the Johnson County Radio Amateurs Club, Ensorfest '26 is set to get underway at high noon and roll on full force until 5 p.m. There will be no charge to enjoy the various activities planned for the afternoon, but freewill donations that can be used to support the ongoing operation of Ensor Park and Museum will be gladly accepted.
What will be the fourth Ensorfest so far will open with a performance by the Neon Quartet, a jazz combo whose members include John Gray's son. John, KD0VRS, is a member of both the SFTARC and the board that governs the Olathe Ensor Foundation. At any rate, these young musicians will be making their first appearance on the Ensor home 'stage' (i.e., the front porch) and will be entertaining their listeners for an hour.
Picnic tables positioned to the north of the two-story house will give folks a place to sit during the Neon Quartet's concert, but you are certainly welcome to show up with your own folding chair and an old blanket to go under it (think chiggers) if you prefer.
A mini Chautauqua is slated to start at 1 and continue until 1:45. The speakers will include Tom Kearney, an Olathe High School graduate and a past Chautauqua participant, and Attisen McCorkle, who has been doing an internship at Ensor Park and Museum in pursuing a master's degree from the University of Oklahoma.
Back for yet another Ensorfest will be the Pheasant Pluckers, who are poised to deliver some down-home, toe-tapping bluegrass music during two 45-minute sets. The first set will run from 2 to 2:45, the second from 3:30 to 4:15.
No celebration of all things Ensor would be complete without the presence of a food truck or something similar, and with that in mind, Olathe Ensor Foundation Vice President and former SFTARC President Jeff Darby, KS0JD, has lined up Taco Fuego KC of Overland Park, a new to Ensorfest vendor, to provide some sustenance midday and beyond. Taco Fuego's street tacos will go for $4 apiece, it is reported, and their platters are priced at $10 to $15.
The Olathe Quilters Guild will again be displaying some lovely quilts just to the west of the house, there will be lowrider bicycles, classic Model A's, a collection of Cadillacs, and World War II jeeps to look at on the grounds, Marshall Ensor's 1911 Cushman engine will be chugging along somewhere in the back yard, and disc golf will be available for the playing on the two-hole course well to the west of the house.
In addition, of course, the house, the peg barn, the pioneer cabin, and the summer kitchen will be open for guided tours by visitors during the afternoon.
Finally, Ensorfest '26 is to be preceded by a Fox Hunt on the grounds. It is slated to commence at 10 a.m. and wrap up by 11:30.
