Having a ball at the Lincoln museum, literally
Lincoln Presidential Library continues anniversary celebration with Civil War Ball on Nov. 14

[October 29, 2015]  SPRINGFIELD – It’s time to put on your dancing shoes and strike up the band! The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is hosting a Civil War Ball on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Anyone can have fun at the ball, whether they’re experts wearing period costumes or beginners in street clothes. Dancers and dance callers will teach the steps to everyone who is unfamiliar with the waltzes, reels and minuets of the period.

The evening of music and dance, plus light refreshments, is reasonably priced and includes discounts for museum members.

The ball begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Presidential Museum, 212 N. Sixth Street, Springfield.

Make your reservation by visiting www.presidentlincoln.illinois.gov and clicking on “special event reservations.”
 

Music for the ball will be provided by the 33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment Band under the direction of Jim Achenbach. The 33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment Band is a re-creation of an actual band that was mustered out of McLean County in 1861. Musicians are recruited from the same part of Illinois, and the band’s instruments and playing style are as close as possible to what Civil War soldiers would have heard.

Max & Donna Daniels of Wheaton will portray President and Mrs. Lincoln at the ball.

Connie and Larry Wachtveitl will call the dance and several other couples from the Central Illinois Civil War Dance Society will be on hand to demonstrate the dances.

The last time the presidential library hosted a Civil War Ball was in 2009 for the 200th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. This time, the ball is part of a year-long celebration of the 10th anniversary of the museum and the 150th anniversary of the end of the war. For information on other events, visit www.TenYearsLincoln.com.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln documents, photographs, artifacts and art. It has some 12 million items pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history, making the library one of the nation’s leading institutions for genealogy and history research.

[Christopher Wills, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum]