Happy birthday, Mr. President
Presidential library to celebrate Lincoln’s birthday with free admission, special events


 

[February 08, 2019] 

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield will celebrate Lincoln’s birthday Feb. 12 by offering free admission, providing music and children’s activities and revealing the winners in a statewide student art contest.

Historic interpreters portraying President and Mrs. Lincoln will visit with guests, and a roundtable of Lincoln scholars will discuss the 16th president’s legacy.

There will be no charge to visit the museum on Tuesday, Feb. 12 – Lincoln’s 210th birthday. Admission usually costs $15 for adults and $6 for children.

“Abraham Lincoln’s legacy can be felt every single day, but his birthday is an especially good time to take stock of all that he accomplished,” said Alan Lowe, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “By offering free admission and special events, we hope to make that legacy as accessible as possible on this special day.”

The Lincolns (portrayed by Randy Duncan and Pam Brown) will be at the museum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A Civil War soldier and Lincoln’s stepmother, Sarah, will also be on hand to chat with visitors.

Throughout the day, children can take part in arts and crafts activities, from making a mind-bending optical illusion to playing history detective. We’ll also demonstrate a 3D printer by creating a bust of President Lincoln.

The winners of an art contest on the theme “Art Connects History with the Future” will be announced and their work will go on display for the coming year. The contest is sponsored by the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and the Illinois State Board of Education.

The Navy Band Great Lakes Woodwind & Brass Quintet performs at 1 p.m. Musicians from Naval Station Great Lakes have been performing for more than a century. Today, they entertain millions of people each year in 11 states.

The Lincoln Presidential Library will also host a roundtable of historians 2:30 – 4. The free event organized by the Abraham Lincoln Association will include experts on Lincoln’s legislative career, his role as a party boss and his legacy in photographs. Details available at www.AbrahamLincolnAssociation.org.

The authors will sign copies of their books at 4 p.m. in the library. They will be joined by Dan Abrams, legal analyst and author of “Lincoln's Last Trial: The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency.”

Visitors can join the presidential library’s foundation for half price on Lincoln’s birthday. Membership includes free visits, special previews of new exhibits and other benefits. And anyone who spends more than $20 in the museum store that day will be entered in a drawing for a Lincoln gift basket.

The presidential library and museum uses a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship to immerse visitors in Lincoln’s life and times. Visitors can see ghosts come to life on stage, watch TV coverage of the 1860 Presidential election, roam through the Lincoln White House, experience booming cannons in a Civil War battle and come face to face with priceless original Lincoln artifacts.

The library holds an unparalleled collection of Lincoln books, documents, photographs, artifacts and art, as well as some 12 million items pertaining to all aspects of Illinois history.

For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov. 

[Christopher Wills]