Lincoln earns first place in
Illinois tourism    

[OCT. 24, 2003]  Lincoln's sesquicentennial committee continues to meet and wrap up details following their two-year endeavor to give Lincoln a celebration to remember. The committee was highly successful in providing 10 days of fun, honorable and historic events Aug. 21-31. At the Wednesday, Oct. 22, meeting members learned of top accolades resulting from their efforts.

Lincoln Mayor Elizabeth Davis announced that Lincoln and Logan County placed first in the state for tourism at the Illinois State Municipal Convention.

Ron Keller, museum curator and instructor at Lincoln College, also announced that the Lincoln Group of New York recently nominated Lincoln College Museum's video about Abraham Lincoln's connection to Logan County, "From Surveyor to President: A. Lincoln in Logan County," for the Lincoln Award of Achievement. This award is presented to the year's best original work of scholarship on Abraham Lincoln.

"Whether or not we win, it's an honor just to be nominated," said Keller.

Anyone who wants to recall memories from this year's sesquicentennial celebration or those who missed out on some of the fun and want to know what went on are in luck. Picture This Photography, in conjunction with the sesquicentennial committee, is planning to release a special compilation of photographs that capture every aspect of the celebration from start to finish. The committee had the opportunity to view this photo documentary for the first time at their meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

Stephen Klemm and three additional photographers from Picture This spent 10 days documenting every event associated with the sesquicentennial. The result was over 3,000 candid photographs of Lincoln and its citizens celebrating the town's 150th anniversary. Especially impressive are several images of the hot-air balloon launch, which are shown in sequence and seem to be gradually inflating before the eyes. Also eye-catching are the images of the balloon illumination, where the balloons seem to light up like giant light bulbs.

"I tried to approach this with my staff as a journalistic thing. I tried to show what the whole event was about," said Klemm. In doing so, Picture This created a photo montage that unfolds chronologically, telling the story of the sesquicentennial celebration from opening to closing. The photographs are mostly candid, so anyone who attended the sesquicentennial might find themselves the subject of a photograph.

The photographs will be available for purchase as a DVD, as a CD for the computer and, if there is enough demand, as a VHS tape. Each format will feature a slide show of approximately 1,000 photographs of the sesquicentennial set to background music, with a running time of about an hour and 15 minutes.

These compilations will be sold at local businesses and banks. In addition, Picture Perfect will make a booklet of numbered proofs available showcasing the images on the CD or DVD. Anyone interested in individual photos will be able to buy still shots in a variety of sizes by referring to the guide number in the proof book.

Half of the profits from the sale of these photographs will be donated to the town of Lincoln.

Klemm anticipates being ready to take orders by mid-November and will continue through the holiday season.

The sesquicentennial committee is enthusiastic about the photo compilation. They believe it will become a treasured keepsake to citizens of Lincoln, local business owners, balloon pilots and anyone who attended the celebration. It also serves as a unique document of the history of Lincoln for future generations. The committee members watched the photo show with Lincoln's bicentennial celebration in mind.

"This is going to be something nice for people 50 years from now," said Mayor Davis.

[Erika Rozinek]