Girl Scouts 100th anniversary exhibit through May at Lincoln Presidential Museum

Special activities for Girl Scouts on May 5

[April 21, 2012]  SPRINGFIELD -- The Girl Scouts are celebrating their 100th birthday this year, and a special commemorative exhibit of original Girl Scout items may be seen now through the end of May at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield. As part of this commemoration, the presidential library and museum will have special activities for Girl Scouts on May 5.

The main Girl Scout exhibit case is located in the "Ghosts of the Library" show queue area at the presidential museum. The exhibit features original artifacts loaned by the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois Council, including:

• 1919 Girl Scout uniform

• 1943 intermediate Girl Scout uniform and yellow scarf (from Decatur)

• Four, 4-cent Girl Scout postage stamps

• A Little Golden Book, "Brownie Scouts"

• Fall 1953 Girl Scout equipment catalog

• 1950, 1962 and 1973 membership cards

• Cylindrical cookie tin imprinted with uniform designs from 1919-2000

• "50th Anniversary of Girl Scouting" book

• Brownie Scout Handbook

• Trefoil board game

• Daisy Low comic book

• "America Needs You" sheet music

• 1949 cookie sale receipt booklet

• "Sing Together" two-record set

• Two first-aid kits and a sewing kit

• Utica pocket knife and box

• A Brownie doll and a Girl Scout doll

• 1934 Girl Scout diary

• Two belt pouches -- one with a folding knife, fork and spoon, and another with a change purse

Another display is in the museum store and includes a Springfield Troop 7 banner, 1950 Girl Scout uniform and a 1962 Brownie Girl Scout uniform.

"Girl Scouts of Central Illinois is proud to partner with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum to celebrate the centennial of Girl Scouting," said Pam Kovacevich, CEO of Girl Scouts of Central Illinois. "This event marks a celebration of the accomplishments of the work Girl Scouting has done to provide leadership opportunities for girls."

Paid museum admission is required to see the main exhibit, while the display in the store may be seen free of charge. Girl Scouts will receive a special reduced admission rate of $4 to the presidential museum on May 4 and 5 in conjunction with Girl Scout Day at the Illinois State Capitol. Girl Scout leaders will receive a reduced admission rate of $7.

Special activities for Girl Scouts will also be offered on May 5 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

May 5 activities at the presidential library

No admission charge; free activities except where noted.

• Historic craft workshops, 9-11 a.m. and 12:30-2:30 p.m.
  
  Girl Scouts will create a keepsake corn husk doll and decorate a one-of-a-kind bonnet. Both items will be special treasures to mark the 100th Girl Scout anniversary. The fee is $5 per person, and seating is limited to first 25 participants

• "Visit with Three Illinois Civil War Women," 11 a.m.
  
  Three Illinois women will come to life in this first-person presentation. Learn how one woman successfully hid her true identity and fought as a man, another woman nursed soldiers, and a third woman attended the victory parade in Washington, D.C. Betty Kay's program will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Free admission to the first 200 guests.

May 5 activities at the presidential museum

Museum admission required.

• "Mrs. Wade" performance, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
  
  An actress will portray real-life character Mrs. Wade, who will speak to the audience from the museum's Ford's Theatre exhibit about the weeks after the assassination of President Lincoln, based on a letter from 1865. Mrs. Wade's brother had been in attendance the night Lincoln was shot and wrote to her about the experience.

• "From My Front Porch," 11 a.m. and noon
  
  "From My Front Porch" is a short, one-woman performance in the museum's Union Theater during which a Springfield woman in 1863 will talk to the audience, telling stories about Springfield, the Lincoln family and Civil War happenings. This show has been a big audience-pleaser since it premiered during the summer of 2007.

Presidential museum admission prices are $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 5-15, $9 for senior citizens 62 and over, $9 for students with ID, and $7 for military personnel with ID. Children under 5 are free. The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit www.presidentlincoln.org for more information.

[Text from Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum file received from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]