Fort Scott, Kan. – The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration events will be held in Fort Scott. All of the events will
take place at Ellis Fine Arts Center and are open and free for the entire community to attend.
The events will start on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center with
a free (Lunch and Learn) event that will be held at 12:00p.m., featuring Fort Scott Community College Students
and Pittsburg State University Students for a Tribute Reading of the “Letter From the Birmingham Jail” a
written letter by Dr. King. Tomato soup, dessert, birthday cake and drinks will also be provided by Great
Western Dining Services.
The celebration will wrap up on Monday, January 19th, with a film showing of the PBS home video
documentary In Remembrance of Martin., (Lunch and Learn) event and Canned and Non-perishable Food
Drive. Food items will be collected at the museum from 9:00am – till 2:00p.m. The film In Remembrance of
Martin will be shown at 10:30a.m. The (Lunch and Learn) Speaker Presentation Event “The Dockum Drugstore
Sit-In” by Dr. Prisca Barnes is will be held at 12:00p.m. – till 1:00p.m. Gumbo soup, drinks and desserts will be
provided by Great Western Dining Services.
“The Dockum Drugstore Sit-In” is part of Humanities Kansas’s Speakers Bureau and “21st Century Civics,” a
collection of resources that invite Kansans to participate in community discussions and learn more about the
history of American democracy and the shared responsibilities of citizenship. “21st Century Civics” is made
possible with support from “A More Perfect Union: America at 250,” an initiative of the National Endowment for
the Humanities.
More information on the events can be found at https://www.gordonparkscenter.org/events. For more
information call the Gordon Parks Museum at 620-223-2700 ext. 5850.
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