Lincoln-related activities slated for July 16-17 in Elkhart

[June 29, 2010]  ELKHART -- On July 16 and 17, the historic town of Elkhart is offering events and activities with a Lincoln-related theme.

The Elkhart Public Library, 121 Bohan St., will have a special display of books related to Lincoln on July 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and July 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The library was built in 1904 and is a historic building to visit, with many of the original furnishings still in place.

Birdsong -- Books & Vintage, on Gov. Oglesby Street in historic downtown Elkhart, will have all Lincoln-themed items, including books and postcards, marked 10 percent off July 16 and 17. Birdsong in historic downtown Elkhart will be open until 5:30 p.m. July 16 for shoppers attending the Elkhart Historical Society's dinner lecture.

Two tours of historic Elkhart Hill will be given on July 17 at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. For information and a reservation form, see www.elkharthistoricalsociety.org. The tour includes historical and political sites and will stop at the Looking for Lincoln wayside exhibit near the Elkhart Cemetery.

The historic chapel in Elkhart Cemetery will be open for two tours on July 17 at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Rarely open to the public, the Gothic Revival style chapel was built in 1890 and is the only privately owned and operated church in Illinois. The tour includes a demonstration played on the chapel organ, one of the three oldest working pipe organs in the state. Reservations are recommended but not required. More information is available at www.elkharthistoricalsociety.org.

There are plenty of dining options in historic downtown Elkhart. Hudson's Talk of the Town restaurant at 115 Gov. Oglesby St. will offer a Friday night dinner special July 16 and will be open on for lunch on July 17 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with a full menu. The Blue Stem Bake Shop, 107 Gov. Oglesby St., will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 16 and 17 and will offer free coffee with a pastry purchase for participants in the historical hill tour. The Wild Hare Café, 104 Gov. Oglesby St., will be open for lunch with a tour special: choice of two homemade soups, homemade herbed cheese biscuit and drink of your choice for $6.99. Reservations are recommended. Call 217-947-2100 after your tour reservations have been confirmed.

On July 17 from 4 to 5 p.m., enjoy a special organ recital in the St. John the Baptist Chapel at Elkhart Cemetery by organist Marcy Brooks. A tour of the chapel is not included in the recital. The online, printable reservation form is at www.elkharthistoricalsociety.org.

Take the short drive from Elkhart into Springfield to see "History Comes Alive -- A Living History Program." Bob McCue, speaker at the July 16 Elkhart Historical Society dinner lecture, will be performing as a re-enactor in this new program about Springfield as Lincoln knew and loved it. Re-enactors, musicians and theater performers (even Mr. Lincoln himself!) will be at the historic downtown Springfield and Lincoln historic sites this summer. More information is available at www.nps.gov/liho/index.htm and www.alplm.org.

On July 16 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at The Wild Hare Café, 104 Gov. Oglesby St. in historic downtown Elkhart, the Elkhart Historical Society's dinner lecture series will feature "Lincoln's Life on the 8th Judicial Circuit" and "DAR 8th Judicial Circuit Markers." Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m., with the talks from 7 to 8 p.m. Reservations and prepayment are required, and space is limited. Cost is $17.99, and the reservation deadline is July 12. For information and the online, printable reservation form, see www.elkharthistoricalsociety.org.

If you plan to enjoy the lecture and all the activities on July 16 and 17, overnight accommodations for Elkhart are available at the Best Western Lincoln Inn, just minutes north of Elkhart on historic Old Route 66. Mention your visit to Elkhart and receive a discount on the regular room rates. The Best Western Hotel is home to the Railsplitter Covered Wagon, the largest covered wagon in the world. It is featured in the Guinness Book of World Records. The wagon weighs 5 tons and measures 40 feet long, 12 feet wide and 24 feet tall. Abe Lincoln, seated in the front of the wagon reading a book, weighs 350 pounds and measures 12 feet tall. The wagon was recently voted by Reader Digest's "Best of America: Readers' Choice 2010" as the No. 1 Best Roadside Attraction in America.

[Text from file received from Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County]