Lincoln Heritage Museum participating in National Museum Day on Sept. 25

Free admission and fun, family-friendly activities planned

[September 13, 2010]  For the first time in history, the Lincoln Heritage Museum is participating in Smithsonian magazine's National Museum Day, which will be on Sept. 25.

Museum Day is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian magazine. Participating museums across the country open their doors for free to anyone presenting a Museum Day ticket. The ticket provides free admission to one person, plus a guest.

According to Smithsonian officials, last year more than 1,000 museums across the country participated in this special one-day event. Museum Day 2010 is poised to be the largest to date, outdoing last year's record-breaking participation. Over 300,000 museum-goers and 1,300 venues in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico participated in Museum Day 2009.

Click here for more information on Museum Day and to print your Museum Day ticket: http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/.

The Lincoln Heritage Museum is considered one of the top sites in Illinois for Lincoln-related activities and history.

"We're both honored and excited to be a part of National Museum Day," said Ron Keller, chief curator and museum director. "It's wonderful recognition for the museum to be affiliated with other prestigious museums around the country. It's also going to be a lot of fun!"

Museum staffers have planned a fun, family-friendly day of activities.

Rare Lincoln artifacts on display will include a copy of "Mortality," Lincoln's favorite poem, written in his own hand; an 1860 copy of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, signed by Abraham Lincoln; and an 1852 original copy of "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

Family-friendly activities:

• Enjoy a slice of Mary Todd Lincoln's yummy white almond cake.

• Abraham Lincoln coloring sheets for the littlest visitors.

• Abraham Lincoln trivia contest for big kids and parents.

• Parent-child scavenger hunt lets you explore all of the museum's nooks and crannies.

• Fun craft projects include choice of making your own mini stovepipe hat or one of the popular games for kids of the era, including the ball and cup or button "whizzers."

• Reading corner filled with books about Abraham Lincoln.

• Costumed interpreters greet visitors throughout the day.

More on the Heritage Museum:

The Lincoln Heritage Museum is located at 300 Keokuk St. in Lincoln, Illinois. It is wheelchair-accessible. More information on its collections, directions and hours of operation are available online at www.lincolncollege.edu/museum/index.htm.

[Text from file received from Lincoln College]