Wichita is hosting a vinyl record convention. The last one was 20 years ago.

Record conventions, like the vinyl sound medium they highlight, are making a comeback.

Kirsten Turner, one of the organizers of this Saturday’s Wichita Record Convention, said the last such convention in Wichita was more than 20 years ago, probably around the time vinyl was falling out of favor for CDs and digital music platforms. The convention is happening from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Wichita East, 549 S. Rock Road, with a $2 admission.

“There have been flea markets, pop-ups and swaps, but it’s been about 20 years for just a record convention that we know of” in Wichita, Turner said.

About a dozen vendors from Kansas and Oklahoma are expected to attend, she said. They’ll be selling both new and vintage vinyl, CDs, cassette tapes, vintage music T-shirts and other music-related wares, Turner said. One vendor will even have audio equipment for sale, just in case you need a turntable.

The convention is being organized by the Kansas Sound Exchange, a new community group that Turner and Jason Tapler formed this year to bring together people who love music. The group has had a digital presence only so far with a Facebook page and a website. The convention, which the Kansas Sound Exchange hopes to make a recurring event, is the first opportunity for those interested in the group and for other music lovers to mingle, Turner said.

“It’s a chance to get out there and feel like part of a larger community … who are interested in all different types of records and music,” said Phil Ross, co-owner of Wichita’s Spektrum Muzik, which is a convention sponsor and vendor.

Like many of today’s consumers who are fueling the resurgence of vinyl record sales, the 23-year-old Turner didn’t grow up in a household with turntable. A lover of live music, she got hooked on vinyl when she attended a live concert at Third Man Records in Nashville, which offers a venue space where musicians can record their performances. After the record of the concert was printed, Turner received a copy of it since she’d been in the audience. Along with being a record label, Third Man Records also has a storefront.

“I came back home and started hitting up record stores,” Turner said. “I’m really fascinated that this trend is coming back.”

The convention, Turner noted, “is putting together people who grew up listening to vinyl and people like me who didn’t.

“There are so many things a record can do. It can bring back a memory, a person can appreciate the artwork of an album cover, there’s the science of the pressing and then just holding the record.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2017 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Wichita is hosting a vinyl record convention. The last one was 20 years ago.."