|
 Actor Reggie Guyton will read King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at
10:30 and 1:30 in the museum’s main plaza.
King originally delivered the speech on the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial during a 1963 civil rights march in Washington, D.C. He
praised Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation as “a great beacon light
of hope” but said African-Americans were still chained by
segregation and discrimination.
The Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum honors King’s birthday
each year by hosting Community Day. Not-for-profit groups that serve
the public can visit the museum free of charge if they register in
advance. Other organizations are allowed to set up booths in the
museum to tell the public about their work.
 In addition, the ALPLM is offering the public a chance to help
others and enjoy the museum at a reduced price. Every Sunday in
January and on the King holiday on Monday, Jan. 16, a group of four
people can tour the museum for just $10 total if they bring a new,
unopened board game for donation to Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of
Springfield, Illinois.
King once said, “Not everybody can be famous, but everybody can be
great because greatness is determined by service.” Each year,
thousands upon thousands of Illinoisans turn that philosophy into
action by joining groups to improve education, clean up
neighborhoods, help the needy and much more.
Free admission to the presidential museum for prescheduled groups is
meant to honor that service and to help children appreciate another
great American who prized liberty and equality. Reservations are
required and can be made by calling the Group Tours office at
217-558-8939. The usual admission price is $15 for adults and $6 for
children 5 to 15.
Groups bringing children must have one adult chaperone for every 10
children. (Extra chaperones above that ratio will have to pay for
their tickets.) The children can range in age from 4th grade to high
school seniors.
[to top of second column] |
Informational booths will be located in the museum plaza from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
to highlight area non-profit groups and their contributions to the community.
They include Canine Companions; Big Brothers, Big Sisters; the Compass
after-school program, and Jared’s Keepers, a suicide-prevention group.
The 4-H Dancers, from the University of Illinois Extension’s 4-H Program, will
perform at 1 p.m.
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, a division of the Illinois
Historic Preservation Agency, is dedicated to telling the story of America’s
16th president through old-fashioned scholarship and modern technology.
The library maintains an unparalleled collection of Lincoln documents,
photographs, artifacts and art. It also 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.
For more information, visit www.presidentlincoln.illinois.gov.
[Christopher Wills]
 |
