 On Sunday, there was an abbreviated event with the Abraham Lincoln
National Railsplitting Contest during the Logan County Fair. Several
of the other Railsplitter activities have been rescheduled as well.
On Friday, Sept. 20, there will be a Civil War Ball and more at the
Lincoln Park District complex on Primm Road. A pork loin dinner,
style show and silent auction are set to begin at 5:30 p.m.,
followed by the ball at 7 p.m. Ticket information will be released
soon, or you can contact the Logan Railsplitting Association, using
information at the end of this article.
On that same weekend, Sept. 20-22, the Dan Tackett Bluegrass
Festival will take place at Hickory Lanes Campground, Atlanta.
Beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, there will be a casual jam. Music
continues on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with casual
jams and stage time availability.
There will be a silent auction as well.
Vendors, donations and demonstrations are welcome. Contact Misty
Bell at 217-871-0388.
The Railsplitter Festival began because Abraham Lincoln once
referred to himself as a rail splitter. It used to be a normal
routine for pioneers to split rails used for fencing.
So is it any wonder that in the "Land of Lincoln," there would be
railsplitting contests. The territory includes not only Illinois,
where Lincoln lived his adult years before heading for Washington,
but also Kentucky, where Lincoln was born, and Missouri.
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 Splitting rails harkens back to a more innocent time, when young
children played at their mother's skirts and the older ones did
chores, played outside or with homemade games, usually with siblings
or maybe with a few neighbors during the occasional gatherings, such
as when bringing in the harvest or at a barn raising.
Organizers for the Abraham Lincoln National Railsplitting
Festival set out to preserve our understanding of this important way
of life by re-creating pioneer activities and demonstrations that
the whole family could enjoy.
So, while the traditional festival has taken a little break this
year, organizers are keeping some of the elements of that period
going in hopes of seeing the full festival return to the Logan
County Fairgrounds next year or in the future.
Also, as part of the fundraising, the Logan Railsplitting
Association provides decorative split rails for purchase. Sales
support future contests and festivals.
To order rails or learn more about future events, contact the
Logan Railsplitting Association at P.O. Box 352, Lincoln, IL 62656;
or email
loganrailsplitting@yahoo.com.
To keep up-to-date on what is being planned or to learn more
details, visit
http://www.railsplitting.com/.
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