February 13th & 14th, 2026 in historic Fort Scott, Kansas — LIMITED SEATING
Purchase your tickets here today!
Featured Speakers
Christopher Check
Catholic Answers
William Fahey
President, Thomas More College of the Liberal Arts
Dale Ahlquist
President, Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton
Joseph Pearce
Author, Editor, Professor
Dan Kerr
President, St. Martin's Academy
2026 Schedule -(Schedule subject to change)
Friday, February 13th
6:00pm
Registration and Cocktails*7:45pm
Joseph Pearce - Merrie England and America: Friends or Foes?8:45pm
Afterglow at River Room*cocktails will be available for purchase
Saturday, February 14th**
8:30am
Registration9:00am
Dale Ahlquist - Chesterton on America10:15am
Chris Check - 1776 in California11:30am
Lunch on your own. There are several restaurants & food trucks within walking distance.12:45pm
Dan Kerr - The Beaver, Bison and Eastern White Pine: Keystones in American Natural History2:00pm
William Fahey - On America3:15pm
Q&A Panel with Presenters4:30pm
Close7:30pm
Whiskey & Cigar Soiree with the Speakers, with musical entertainment by the students of St. Martin's et alia (for VIP pass-holders only)** Free Childcare on Saturday March 1st at the Empress Event Center, please email Margaret Mary Kerr to register your child(ren). mmkerr@udallas.edu
Frequently Asked Questions
What lodging options are available in Fort Scott?
The Courtland Hotel at 620.223.0098 and the Sleep Inn at 620.223.2555 are excellent options and they have taken very good care of Troubadourians in past years. When you call to book please mention that you're attending the Prairie Troubadour.Are there discounts available?
Yes, discounts are available for students, youth, St. Martin's Academy families, and members of Mary Queen of Angels parish. Please email info@prairietroubadour.org and we will send you the appropriate discount code that you can use at checkout.About Us
The Prairie Troubadour is named in memoriam of poet, song-writer and man of the Kansas prairie, Gerald Francis Kerr.
What is the Troubadour?
Faithful to Holy Mother Church, The Prairie Troubadour is a group of friends inspired by the likes of Cardinal Newman, ChesterBelloc, John Senior, and other stalwarts of the Faith, to live and share the Joy of Christ through stories, song and good red wine. Through our annual symposium, we intend to create an authentic Catholic experience where the Good, the True and the Beautiful are glimpsed through lively discourse punctuated by earnest prayer, toothsome food, strong drink and the real mirth found in friendship. Catholicism needn't be stodgy and narrow. Quite the contrary! As G.K. Chesterton reminds us, the walls built by the Church through doctrine and discipline are not the walls of a prison, but the "walls of a playground." And as Belloc wrote, "Wherever the Catholic Sun doth shine, there's always laughter and good red wine. At least I've always found it so. Benedicamus Domino."Indeed it is so. Let us bless the Lord!
Dr. Gerald Kerr
1944 – 2015Patriarch, physician, poet, farmer, troubadour, true Kansan and lover of the prairie. Beloved husband, father of 6 and papa to 31 grand-children. Catholic son.
Stay in Touch
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Questions? Email us at info@prairietroubadour.org.
