Music under the summer stars
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library presents a ‘Night of 19th Century Music’ on July 25
 

[July 23, 2015]  SPRINGFIELD – The music of the past will fill the air July 25 when two bands perform a free concert under the stars outside the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

One group is a full brass band, the same kind that would have served in the military during the Civil War. The other is a three-person string band, playing and singing everything from patriotic airs to foot-stomping dance tunes to sentimental ballads.

“A Night of 19th Century Music” begins at 7:30 p.m. in Union Square Park, just across the street from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (212 N. Sixth Street, Springfield).

Limited seating will be available. We encourage guests to bring their own lawn chairs. Hot dogs, chips, popcorn, soda, bottled water and cookies will be for sale.
 

Reservations are requested, but no ticket is required for entry. Make your reservations at www.presidentlincoln.illinois.gov.

The concert features Illinois’ own 33rd Illinois Volunteer Regiment Band, an authentic re-creation of the actual Civil War band that was mustered at State Normal University in 1861. They play authentic antique instruments of the 1860s.

The 33rd was re-created in 1996 by central Illinois musicians. Like the original band, the musicians were recruited from the same geographical area and come from all walks of life. The band's uniforms, sewn from natural wool fibers, are authentic in every detail and patterned from actual specimens worn by Union soldiers.

The concert also includes the 97th Regimental String Band from Largo, Florida. The group recreates an actual string band of the Civil War era, singing a wide variety of traditional songs in authentic, "living history" style.

The trio consider themselves a "musical time machine" through which audiences enjoy the same lively show that entertained soldiers and civilians before radio and television. Their shows emphasize spirit, sentimentality, exuberance and a lot of audience participation.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is celebrating its 10th anniversary with an incredible line-up of special events.

The once-in-a-lifetime exhibit “Undying Words: Lincoln 1858-1865” is open now, and “With Firmness in the Right: Lincoln and the Jews” opens in August. The 10th of every month is Family Day, and a special “Pets in the White House” event is coming in September.

For details on all this and more, visit www.TenYearsLincoln.com.

[Chris Wills, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum]