Finlandia Foundation National, the premier Finnish-American history, heritage, and cultural organization in the United States, will host the premier of the short, one-act, historical play MORTON: The Forgotten Founder on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 6:00pm at Minnehaha Park as part of this year’s FinnFest.

This is the world premiere of a commissioned piece by Finlandia Foundation National and Frank Theatre that tells the story of John Morton, a signatory to the Declaration of Independence. The story comes at an unique time during the 250 anniversary year of the signing of Declaration. This piece highlights the lesser-known founding father, John Morton, whose ancestry is Finnish.

The event will kick-off with an introduction of who John Morton was and a brief history from Finlandia Foundation National’s Lecturer of the Year Jay Smith.