Reservations are available until April 16 for the 2026 Finney County Historical Society Annual Banquet and Meeting, where the 2026 Finney County Horizon Award will go to the James and Maurita Koerperich family.
The gathering is set for 6 p.m. April 25 in the Christian Life Center of the First Southern Baptist Church, 2708 N. Third Street in Garden City. Dinner is $20 per person, payable by cash or check. Reservations may be made at the Finney County Historical Museum, 403 S. Fourth Street in Garden City, or by calling 620-272-3664.
The annual gathering has featured one or more Finney County Pioneer Awards each year since 1974, recognizing the impact on the community’s history made by local families, couples, individuals and now businesses or organizations. Since that time, more than 133 recipients have been honored.
The series was updated in 2024 to add the Horizon Award. Pioneer honors are considered for those who arrived in Finney County between 1879 and 1940, with Horizon Awards for those present since 1941 and later.
In addition, the Pioneer Award is based on 40 years of presence in the community, with Horizon honors based on 25. Selections are made by the Pioneer Committee of the FCHS Board of Directors, with the first Horizon Award going to Ardis and the late Dr. Luther Fry in 2024. For 2026, there were three Horizon and eight Pioneer nominations.
The Koerperiches are Western Kansas natives who arrived in Finney County approximately 55 years ago and opened J&M Paint and Decorating Center in 1974. Their business, located at 1615 Buffalo Jones Avenue, now serves customers from eastern Colorado to central Kansas, including sSouthwest Kansas and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles.
The couple’s five grown children are part of the Garden City and Marienthal communities.
In addition to the dinner and award presentation, the evening will include an election, open to all attending members of the historical society, since half of the 18-person FCHS Board of Directors is voted in each April. This year there will be a vote on amending the FCHS bylaws to clarify the number of terms that board officers may serve.
There will also be a report on the society’s challenges and accomplishments during 2025, as well as a silent auction to raise funds for museum exhibits and FCHS programs, events, activities and services for the community. Cash or checks are welcomed from bidders.
The annual banquet is a tradition that goes back to 1949, one year after the FCHS was founded in 1948. The event has been sponsored for many years by Homestead Assisted Living of Garden City and by Fry Eyes Associates.
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