photo by: Nick Krug

Lauren Salkeld, a Kansas University senior from Edmond, Okla., sits within the peach basket of the James Naismith statue, as Braden Wilmes, 8, Lawrence, takes a photo of Salkeld before touring the DeBruce Center on Thursday, July 21, 2016 on KU's campus. The grand opening for the center is this Saturday.

The grand opening of Kansas University’s DeBruce Center on Saturday will feature James Naismith’s original rules of “Basket Ball” and much more. Organizers are hoping the variety of activities will draw visitors from throughout the Lawrence community.

“That’s one of the most important elements of it, for everyone to understand that we are opening the doors of this building to the extended KU community, to the extended Lawrence community,” said Curtis Marsh, director of the DeBruce Center.

In addition to the rules themselves, the celebration will include family-friendly activities such as face painting, balloon animals and games. Artifacts from KU’s archives relating to the lives of James Naismith and famed coach Forrest “Phog” Allen will also be on display. The star of the show, though, are the rules themselves, Marsh said.

“If we are introducing the building to many of the folks that will come on Saturday, the main attraction has to be the original rules display,” Marsh said.

Completed in May, the $21.7 million donor-funded DeBruce Center was built to house the original rules. The rules of “Basket Ball” were handwritten by Naismith across two pages, and are displayed in a glass case specially designed to preserve the historic document.

Visitors can press a button to illuminate the rules and a small portrait of Naismith, plus play a 1939 radio interview with Naismith — the only known audio recording of him. The Rules Gallery also includes a display about Naismith and quotes from former KU basketball players and coaches.

The rules were purchased for $4.3 million at auction in 2010 by KU alumnus David Booth and Suzanne Booth. In addition to the Rules Gallery, the center also includes a cafeteria, gift shop and lounge space.

“This is a nice place for students, for employees of KU, and for the general community to come and gather and have a nice meal or a drink,” Marsh said.

Given that the game was originally played using peach baskets, the cafeteria will follow that theme by offering specials such as peach tea and peach-flavored BBQ dishes.

The event will also feature an appearance by filmmaker Kevin Willmott, director of the film “Jayhawkers.” Authors Scott Novosel and Greg Hardin will also be signing copies of their books: the graphic novel “Fieldhouse” and the children’s book “When I Grow Up, I Want To Be A Jayhawk.”

The event is free and open to the public and will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the DeBruce Center, 1647 Naismith Drive. A schedule for the grand opening is available on Facebook.