Lawrence.com

'Bleeding Kansas' series begins in Lecompton

Lecompton � The Constitution Hall State Historic Site has announce series. The series includes talks and dramatic interpretations on the issue of slavery and the violent conflicts that arose as a result in the Kansas Territory from 1854 to 1861.

The events are:

� Feb. 3: "Constitution Hall/Topeka," a lecture by Lawrence resident Robert S. Johnson on the history of the hall.

� Feb. 17: "Lincoln and Kansas: Partnership for Freedom," a lecture by Carol Dark Ayres on the role of "Bleeding Kansas" in Lincoln's presidential campaign.

� March 3: "Florella Adair's Story," a first-person interpretation by Mary Florella Buster. Buster is the great-great-granddaughter of Adair, who was the wife of abolitionist preacher Samuel Adair and the half-sister of John Brown Sr.

� March 10: "The Free Sons of the North vs. The Myrmidons of Border Ruffianism: What Makes a Man in Bleeding Kansas?" a lecture by Kristen Tegtmeier, a history professor at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss.

� March 24: "Clarina Nichols: Frontier Freedom Fighter," a lecture by Diane Eickhoff on Nichols, who was an abolitionist and suffragette.

� April 7: "Ely Moore's Story of Lecompton," a first-person portrayal of Lecompton settler Ely Moore by actor J. Howard Duncan.

All events begin at 2 p.m. in Constitution Hall, 319 Elmore. They are free and open to the public. For more information, call (785) 887-6520.

Garden transformed into Tahiti eden

St. Louis � The Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., is being transformed into a tropical Tahiti garden for the park's annual orchid show.

Life-size figures from nine of artist Paul Gauguin's work will be displayed among hundreds of blooming orchids.

The orchid show is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday through March 17. Admission is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors, in addition to regular admission.