History 

In 1990, Mil and Marci Penner had a book signing party for their first Kansas guidebook, Kansas Weekend Guide.  They invited places in the book to come help support the purpose of the book which was to inspire travel throughout Kansas.  These attractions filled one big tent.  It was a cold November day with rain turning into snow but still a thousand people came to the farm.

The event became the Kansas Sampler Festival in 1991 and was held until 1997 on the Penner farm near Inman.  In 1993 the Festival became a project of the newly formed Kansas Sampler Foundation.