Leslie’s
50th Birthday Celebration
Friday, September 18 – Sunday, September 20, 2026 · Lynchburg, Virginia
Come celebrate with me. Yes, you!
The weekend is called
Certified Gold
A record goes gold at half a million copies. I’ve hit fifty years.
Let’s make a record of it.
I’m turning fifty on September 18, and instead of a dinner somewhere quiet, I’m inviting you to join me for three days. There's a museum involved. There's paint. Come to all of it, or come to one piece of it. I’ll be glad either way.
Fifty years, in order
There are years that ask questions and years that answer.Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God, 1937
What I’m asking of you
THEN or NEXT
Make or share anything that reminds you of us, or of what’s ahead. Paint it, write it, sing it, or jot a note on a card.
Before you panic: this is optional, no one is grading it, no skill is required, and one sentence on a card counts. This is meant to be fun, not homework.
Then = our past
Next = the future
Then could be a memory, a photo, or a story from our past: a year or moment we shared, something I said once, the day we met. Next might be a hope, a wish, or a dream for what’s coming: something from the fifty years I haven’t lived yet.
Choose one, or both. And if you’re not sure what to pick, just share anything that reminds you of me or of our time together. Anything goes.
Ideas, if you want them
You might write about the day we met, share a favorite recipe, or put down a wish for what the next fifty years hold.
Make it however you make things. Paint it Friday. Write a poem. Write a song, or sing one, or hand me three to five tracks that sound like me. Take a picture. Write down the recipe. It all counts.
Everything gets a card with your name on it, and every card goes up on the museum wall Saturday night. A painting and a song get the same card. If you want to perform yours, there's a spot in the program. Tell me when you reply.
Bring it Friday, bring it Saturday, or mail it to me. If it’s easier, email me a photo or a file and I’ll print and frame it myself. Painting from home? Bring the canvas Saturday, or send me a picture of it.
I picked your side for you instead of asking, only because I’m trying to keep the two walls even. Swap if you feel strongly.
Here’s the whole weekend
Friday, September 18 · 6:00 PM
Paint night
Legacy Museum of African American History, Activity Center
403 Monroe Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504
This is my actual birthday, and I’d love you to join me for some laughs and some painting. No skill required. Food and drinks are handled, so just show up.
$10 to participate, and if money is an issue, please just come.
All supplies provided. Canvas, paint, brushes, aprons. Bring nothing but yourself.
Too far to drive? Paint at your own kitchen table. Say “virtual” when you reply and I’ll email you the link a few days ahead. Five Below has canvas, acrylics, and brushes for next to nothing, and that’s genuinely all you need.
Saturday, September 19 · 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Coffee, tea, poetry and prose
Common Grounds Cafe at the Lodge of the Fishermen
Church of the Covenant, 4415 Boonsboro Road, Lynchburg, VA 24503
If you want to write a poem or a piece of prose and don’t know where to start, or you just want a space with others thinking the same thing, join me. A structured workshop led by Teresa Harris, with a long table, good coffee, and whatever you’ve been sitting with.
This is also where you write your Then or Next, if writing suits you better than painting. You'll leave with something ready for the wall.
This is the room where Dr. King was served lunch in March 1962, on the day of his “American Dream” speech at E.C. Glass, because no restaurant downtown would seat the group.
Saturday, September 19 · [6:30 to 10:00 PM]
Opening night
Legacy Museum of African American History
403 Monroe Street, Lynchburg, VA 24504
By evening, whatever you brought is on the wall with your name beside it, in a house that’s been standing since 1897 and now holds this city’s African American history. Then food, toasts, and a DJ walking us through fifty years of records in order, starting in 1976.
Dress up. Wear gold if you like, and don’t if you don’t. The only rule is that you like how you look.
Saturday, September 19 · [10:00 PM to 1:00 AM]
Karaoke
To be announced
If you want to keep the party going, join me for karaoke. I’m going, and being a good singer is not a requirement. No shame, no judging, and none of it leaves the room.
track
Sunday, September 20 · [10:00 AM to 12:00 PM]
One more walk
Sweet Briar College, 134 Chapel Road, Sweet Briar, VA 24595
About 20 minutes north of Lynchburg
For anyone not driving home yet: easy trails, mountain air, nothing scheduled and nowhere to be. Coffee at the trailhead. Wear shoes you don’t mind getting muddy.
If it rains, we move to a local café for brunch or a cup of coffee or tea indoors instead. I’ll text everyone who says yes by 8 AM that morning.
Kindly reply by [DATE]
Count me inJust let me know:
- Which days you can make
- Paint night: in person or virtual
- Karaoke: yes or no
- Sunday walk: yes or no
- Whether you want two minutes on the mic Saturday night
- Who’s coming with you, so I can count heads
Paint night in person is capped at [NUMBER], so tell me soon if that’s the one you want. And if you’re not sure yet, just say you’re interested and I’ll keep you in the loop.
Fifty years of records, in order, starting in 1976. This is what Saturday night sounds like. Play it now if you want a head start.
Everything else you might be wondering
Street parking is available at the museum on Monroe Street. Parking details for paint night to come.
The museum is an 1897 house. There is a step-free entrance at the back of the building, and you’re welcome to use it whether you need to or not.
I can’t wait to fill a room with the people and the stories that made my life golden. Come help me make a record of it.
- Artist
- Leslie King
- Released
- September 18, 1976, Lynchburg
- Format
- Mixed, ongoing
- Certified
- Gold, 2026
- Status
- Still charting
Love,
Leslie King