Before Kansas City developed a jazz scene, ragtime was the music of choice. Many important ragtime composers hailed from Kansas City, which was often described as the "cradle of ragtime." The pioneering E. Harry Kelly worked for local music publisher Carl Hoffman when he wrote his first hit song, Peaceful Henry. Charles L. Johnson was working for the same company when he sold one million copies of his Dill Pickles Rag (1910).

The program will be presented by Pat Ireland and Kevin Sanders, founding members of The Etcetera String Band, which has performed ragtime for more than 30 years.