Arts & events
Contributed photo
Free State High School troupe selected to perform at Wichita festival; local performance to send them off
Free State High School theatre students will take “The Addams Family: School Edition” on the road after being selected as one of five schools statewide to participate in the Kansas Thespian Festival.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Champions of Lawrence arts celebrated at 25th Phoenix Awards
More supportive spaces for Native American youth to grow in the arts and entrepreneurship are always needed, said Rachael Lackey, one of six Phoenix Award recipients recognized Sunday for their contributions to Lawrence arts.
Free State Festival 2025 includes music documentaries, comedy, culinary delights and more
Free State Festival will bring back favorite Lawrence artists and introduce new faces with a varied lineup of film screenings, live music and food.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Traveling Smithsonian exhibition heading to Watkins Museum, not Haskell as planned
The Watkins Museum will soon be the first Kansas site to host a traveling Smithsonian exhibit, “Americans,” after organizers jointly decided to move it from the Haskell museum.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Original Lawrence stage play to celebrate Juneteenth; tickets are free
Lawrence playwright and director Rita Rials pulled from her own ancestry to create “Panther Burn: From the Fields of Struggle to the Road of Hope,” premiering Saturday at the Lied Center.
‘We’re both Kansas kids’: Lawrence couple ties knot at Symphony in the Flint Hills
Mitch and Kasey Jones, of Lawrence, got married at the scenic Symphony in the Flint Hills on Saturday in the company of family and a few close friends. Eventually, nearly 8,000 people joined them for a reception party on the prairie.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence community members gather to celebrate Juneteenth
Community members from Lawrence and beyond headed downtown Saturday for the annual Juneteenth celebration of Black liberation, heritage and independence.
Lane Rozin/Lawrence Times
Midsummer Night on Mass to return, showcase shopping in downtown Lawrence
Downtown Lawrence Inc. announced the return of Midsummer Night on Mass for the third year in a row with a slate of shopping deals, sidewalk entertainment, movie screenings and more coming up next week.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence author Tessa Gratton talks political resistance, telling marginalized stories in advance of their new book
Lawrence writer Tessa Gratton works on all their books for multiple years, but they’ve been thinking about their newest work, “The Mercy Makers,” since the 2000s. The epic fantasy untangles themes of justice, complicity and the greater good.
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Firefly Festival promises free, bioluminescent fun for the whole family
Lawrence’s first Firefly Festival — with a robust docket of live music, visual art-making and outdoor exploration — is free to all.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Rain gives way to rainbows at Lawrence PRIDE
Although it did indeed rain on the Lawrence PRIDE parade, the weather didn’t dampen the spirits of the thousands in attendance. And as the storm cleared, a rainbow encircled the sun.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Lawrence community imparts knowledge on bike travel, stuffed animal repairs and more at How-To Festival
Winnie Crough, 10, keeps a sewing kit at her school desk, ready to doctor a fellow classmate’s stuffed animal in need. She hosted one of the more than 30 stations Saturday at the library’s annual How-To Festival.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence to celebrate Juneteenth with parade, activities, new fun run downtown
An annual Lawrence event will celebrate Juneteenth with Underground Railroad site tours, a parade, food trucks, live music and family fun.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Black Business Market to celebrate Juneteenth by supporting local entrepreneurs
The Lawrence community can celebrate Juneteenth this year by shopping at a new market created to highlight local Black-owned businesses.
Natasha Torkzaban/Lawrence Times
Lawrence community members to share plethora of skills and knowledge at How-To Festival
Lawrence residents will exchange their miscellaneous knowledge and talents at an annual festival hosted by the library this weekend.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence to celebrate LGBTQ+ pride with parade, party
A celebration of love, resilience and self-expression will fill downtown for the annual Lawrence PRIDE parade and party this weekend.
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