Lecompton ? Lecompton will pay tribute to its history this weekend during the annual Territorial Days celebration.

Activities begin at 6 p.m. Friday with a family night at the carnival, and will conclude with a Saturday night street dance.

This year’s celebration, as well as the town’s historical landmarks, will be photographed by the Kansas Travel and Tourism office for inclusion in its 2009-2010 state tourism guide, said Paul Bahnmaier, president of the Lecompton Historical Society. Lecompton will be included in a feature about Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area, of which Douglas County is a part.

“That will be really great for us,” Bahnmaier said.

The celebration notes the important role played by Lecompton in Kansas and United States history. Lecompton was the only official capital of Kansas Territory from 1855 to 1861. The Lecompton Constitution was written in Constitution Hall and sparked a chain of events that divided the nation and helped lead to the Civil War. It was debated on the floor of Congress and in the president’s office. A copy of the constitution will be on display at Constitution Hall.

A parade will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday followed by United Methodist Church dinners at 11:30 a.m.

At 1 p.m. in the Territorial Capital Museum a Civil War style show will be conducted by Valley Falls resident Lesa Brose.

“That’s something new this year,” Bahnmaier said. “She has a number of dresses and other things they wore back then.”

At 2 p.m. Saturday, the museum will feature a play, “Bleeding Kansas.”

Evening activities will include an ice cream social followed by a dance featuring music by the Nodding Lizards.