 Keller has outlined actions that the city of Lincoln's Abraham
Lincoln Bicentennial Commission has taken in preparation for the
anniversary of Lincoln's birth in 2009.He writes:
Since this community shares with Abraham Lincoln a special
heritage that no other in the nation can boast, our motto is: "The
First City to Live the Legacy," and our mission is: "To commemorate
the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, emphasizing his unique
connection to our city, and celebrating the contribution of his
thoughts and ideals of freedom, democracy and equal opportunity for
all."
We have decided that the best way for us as a commission to
implement Lincoln is to work with organizations and their existing
successful annual events and activities, and encourage those groups
to bring in a Lincoln theme the best way they see fit as part of
their regular event planning for 2008 and 2009.
The following is a list of organizations and events that have
expressed interest in participating with Lincoln-related events in
2009:
-
Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce Art & Balloon Festival
-
Logan Railsplitting
Association
-
Heritage Days
festival committee
-
Main Street Lincoln,
for their Main Street Day and Christmas parade
-
Lincoln Community
Theatre
-
Lincoln Area Music
Society spring concert
-
Logan County Fair
board
-
Christening
re-enactment committee
-
Both Democratic and
Republican parties
-
Postville Courthouse,
for the many special events they host
-
Both Lincoln College
and Lincoln Christian College to possibly host a join symposium
featuring major speakers
-
LCCS, for their
annual Christmas in the Chapel
-
Lincoln Community
High School, especially for their homecoming parade
Additionally, the commission has three essential goals. One is to
sponsor at least one additional community event a year. This year's
event is a Lincoln look-alike contest on Thursday (today) between 6
and 8 p.m. at Latham Park, during the Heritage Days festival.
These events will serve to alert the community to what we are
doing and will generate enthusiasm in our city for more bicentennial
events in 2008 and 2009.
A second goal is to help develop educational programs, so that
our young people may be granted the opportunity to know more about
Lincoln and the rich heritage in this city and in this nation.
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 A third goal is to establish some sort of tangible legacy in this
city after 2009, as a constant physical reminder to us of the
guiding footsteps that walked our city in the 1850s. We are still
deliberating what that will be.
Our commission has garnered credibility and prestige just in a
few months' time. U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood, co-chairman of the national
Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, remarked that our commission here
in Lincoln really helps jump-start our opportunities to have a real
say in what goes on in Illinois.
Kay Smith, coordinator for the Illinois Abraham Lincoln
Bicentennial Commission, has called our commission "very impressive
and organized" and has told me that the state is "very interested"
in what we are doing here and how it might be replicated across the
state.
We invited our state and national elected officials to be
honorary commissioners, and the response was overwhelming. Those who
said yes to be honorary commissioners are Sens. Richard Durbin and
Barack Obama, state Sens. Larry Bomke and Bill Brady, and state
Reps. Rich Brauer and Bill Mitchell.
The local commission is comprised of individuals who bring to the
table knowledge in Abraham Lincoln history and successful experience
in community leadership and event organization. Our commissioned
members are Mayor Davis, who serves as co-chair, Bobbi Abbott,
executive director of the chamber of commerce; Shirley Bartelmay,
director of Postville Courthouse Historic Site; Darlene Begolka,
president of the Logan Railsplitting Association; Paul Beaver and
Paul Gleason, both Logan County historians; John Hutchinson,
president of Lincoln College; Geoff Ladd, executive director of the
Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County; Charles Ott,
longtime Abraham Lincoln interpreter; Wanda Lee Rohlfs, executive
director of Main Street Lincoln, and myself, as co-chair with the
mayor.
In the coming months, Mayor Davis will submit three more names of
Lincoln citizens to serve on the commission. Those are Erika
Nunamaker, researcher for the Papers of Abraham Lincoln; Keith Ray,
president of Lincoln Christian College and Seminary; and Richard
Sumrall, director of the Lincoln Public Library.
Paul Beaver, Paul Gleason, John Hutchinson and I all serve on the
Advisory Committee of the national Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial
Commission.
To make this all successful, we depend on the active input and
involvement from the citizens of this city. The public is more than
welcome to participate in the planning by contacting the mayor,
myself or any of the commissioners.
The commission meets the first Thursday of each month at 3 p.m.
at Lincoln City Hall.
[From the notes of Ron Keller with
contributions by Jan
Youngquist] |
