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 Martin and Rolfs were at the school representing the
Abraham Lincoln Statue Committee. They came to the school to thank
the 2013-14 fifth-grade class of Northwest School for their
fundraising efforts for the statue. Because the children are now in
the sixth grade and have changed schools, the meeting was held at
the Junior High.
When all the kids were assembled, Rohlfs read aloud to the students
of the Northwest fifth-grade Class of 2014 a Declaration of
Educational Benefit.
The declaration acknowledged that the students' penny drive for the
statue and their participation in the educational tour of the State
Bank of Lincoln and the Logan County Genealogical and Historical
Society.
After the reading of the declaration, the kids were asked to sign a
document that would become a part of the history of the erection of
a new statue on the Logan County Courthouse lawn.
Rohlfs told the kids that the statue committee had gone to see the
life-size clay figure last week, and had approved it for being cast
in bronze. She said the statue is expected to be completed by the
end of the year. With the winter coming, she said it is not
anticipated that the statue can installed on the courthouse lawn
until warmer weather next year.
Martin and Rohlfs also presented a print of the Lincoln Speech on
the steps of the Logan County Courthouse given on October 16th,
1858. The print is a copy of the original work done by Jennifer
Boeke, which now hangs in the new Lincoln Heritage Museum on the
campus of Lincoln College.
The print will be taken back to Northwest school and will hang in
the school library.
Martin also presented the students with the Christmas ornament that
depicts the statue that was produced last year as a fundraiser by
the committee. She said the students could decide what they would do
with the ornament, send it to Northwest or keep it at the junior
high. Each student also received a special commemorative postcard
that has a photo of the miniature Lincoln statue on it.
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 Rohlfs and Martin thanked the kids for their support and told
them that they were now a part of history in Logan County
because documentation behind the new statue will include all
their names as contributors.
The statue committee officially reached their fundraising goal
earlier this year. Support for the statue came from a variety of
fundraisers including the sale of the miniature bronzes,
postcards, ornaments, support from individuals and groups such
as the students of Northwest, and a grant from the Woods
Foundation.
Plans are being made for one more fundraising push. The “Old
Bob” fundraiser will be conducted to raise money for the
official dedication of the statue and for future maintenance
costs.
Old Bob was the name of the horse Abraham Lincoln wrote in his
circuit days in Logan County. Old Bob has been turned into a
carousel horse which is now on display at the National
Rent-To-Own store at the corner of Kickapoo and Broadway Streets
in downtown Lincoln.
Chances to win the horse are being sold by the historical
society. Anyone who buys a chance on the horse will have their
name added to the historical record of the statue as a
contributor. The final record of all those who contributed will
be maintained at the historical society.
Anyone wishing to buy a chance for Old Bob may do so by
contacting JoAnne Marlin at 217-828-0650 or Wanda Lee Rohlfs at
217-735-2057.
[Nila Smith]
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