He didn’t want to do it, but ultimately, Hank Osterhout decided to merge operations for Kansas Free for Arts and the Halfway to Everywhere Music and Arts Festival.
Osterhout says he wanted to keep the two ventures separate.
Regardless, Osterhout says the merger is a move that makes sense — both for the organization and for his family.
The new organization will now be known as H2E Inc, and will be focused on organizing both the annual music festival in early September and the now-annual Emporia Pride Live event in June. While some programs run by Kansas Free for Arts may go to the back burner, Osterhout says the infrastructure is in place to bring those back at a later time.
Osterhout says H2E is looking to fill several key positions for the upcoming music and arts festival. He also says the lineup of performing artists for Halfway is nearly finalized.
Osterhout says this also adjusts the $3 million capital campaign first announced on KVOE’s airwaves in May 2022. Before the merger, H2E Inc finalized a rental agreement at 713 Commercial, the former Cradle to Career building, with No Coast Film Festival sharing that space. Earlier plans for “open collaborative” spaces for music and arts creation through Kansas Free for Arts may become a private venture for Osterhout.
