The final preparations for the Mark Twain Storytelling Festival continue.
The festival will open with a reception at the W.W. Slider Humanities Center on the campus of Lindsey Wilson University on Friday, June 19, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.
Mayor Pamela Hoots will welcome everyone at 6 p.m., followed by a presentation from the Arts Administration Program at the university on the Mark Twain Project.
On Saturday, June 20, there will be various speakers at V. P. Henry Auditorium from 9 a.m. until noon and again from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m.
The day’s activities will conclude with a presentation from local historian Mike Watson at 6 p.m. in the city parking lot at the corner of South Reed Street and Fortune Street.
They will have food trucks throughout the day as well.
T-shirts for the program will be available online from Hot Prints in Columbia from May 21 to June 21.
The Adair County Genealogical Center will have a display on Mark Twain and Jane Lampton Clemens (his mother) during the week June 15 in coordination with this event.
This is a collaboration between the City of Columbia and the Arts Administration Program of Lindsey Wilson University, with input from the local Genealogical Center.
Photo: Members of the Mark Twain Committee met earlier this week to work on the final preparations for the Mark Twain Storytelling Festival scheduled to be held June 19 and 20 in Columbia.
(Trey Stephens – City of Columbia)