Colton Mallone, 6, Lecompton, center, reaches out to catch his egg along with other young contestants in the egg-toss event of the old-time games at Lecompton Territorial Days on Saturday in downtown Lecompton.

Spectators watch as Mayetta resident and reenactor Randy Hittle of the First Santa Fe Trail Plainsmen group tosses a tomahawk at a target during the Lecompton Territorial Days Saturday afternoon in downtown Lecompton.

Lecompton ? A disconnect between Perry and Lecompton has caused headaches for those living there ever since the Kansas River bridge was closed for construction in March.

It’s also the probable reason for a sharp decrease in attendance at this year’s Historic Lecompton Territorial Days celebration, organizers said.

No more than 1,500 people were expected to attend Saturday’s activities, said Vickie Marino, event organizer. In the past, the festival has attracted an estimated 3,000 people to the small town 10 miles northwest of Lawrence.

But this year’s smaller crowd didn’t seem to take away from the spirit of the annual two-day festival. It’s a celebration of the rich history of the town, which dates back to pre-Civil War times.

This year marked the 150th anniversary of the drafting of the Lecompton Constitution, which intensified the national debate over slavery and helped lead to the Civil War. The Lecompton Constitution would’ve made Kansas a slave state, but it was defeated by the U.S. Congress.

“One-hundred-fifty years ago, all eyes in the nation were on the folks here in Lecompton,” said state Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, who spoke during a recognition ceremony.

The Kansas State Historical Society displayed the first and last page of the Lecompton Constitution inside the Territorial Capital Museum on Saturday. It’s preserved elsewhere and rarely displayed publicly.

“This is a momentous day,” said Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence.

The annual event draws people from across Kansas.

Linda Holcomb and Robert Chilcott traveled more than 70 miles from Onaga.

“They’ve got such a big collection of everything, and of course I’m enjoying all of the food,” Holcomb said in between bites of an Indian taco.

Organizers said they’re looking forward to drawing more people from nearby Perry next year. Construction of the bridge between the two towns is expected to be complete by Aug. 10.

“Once the bridge is open, I think we’ll see attendance come right back and hopefully increase,” Marino said.