At a time when Congressional Republicans are generally opting against town halls, Kansas City-area Rep. Mark Alford is embarking on a four-day, 15-stop tour to meet with constituents. Some of his events have been met with contentious protests.

NEVADA, Mo. — A crowd of about 50 people are already seated with omelets and biscuits and gravy at a diner in Nevada, Mo., when GOP Rep. Mark Alford walks in. He smiles as he recognizes two constituents from a town hall earlier in the day who aren't his biggest fans.

"Hey, you guys are my roadies!" he said as he stopped by their table to shake their hands.

August is when Congress trades the swampy D.C. summer with time back home. It's typically when lawmakers host town halls, forums that have become increasingly less popular with Republican memb

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