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.
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.
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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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