Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to mark 214 years since Lincoln’s birth
Events include free museum admission Feb. 11 and 12
 

[February 08, 2023]    The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is throwing a birthday party, and you’re invited! In honor of Lincoln’s birthday, museum admission will be free Feb. 11 and 12, the birthday boy himself will visit on both days, and we’ll celebrate Lincoln’s love of reading by collecting books for children.

On Saturday, Feb. 11, the museum will be free all day. Actors portraying Abraham and Mary Lincoln will mingle with guests and answer questions from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The ALPLM is also teaming team up with Compass for Kids and Springfield’s public library, the Lincoln Library, to host a read-a-thon that day. Community leaders will read their favorite children’s books during the live, day-long event, which can be enjoyed in person or online. The event’s purpose is to collect books and donations for Compass for Kids.

Donors can drop off new books at the presidential library or the Springfield public library. They can also buy books or gift cards at the Springfield Barnes & Noble and donate them there. Another option is buying an online gift card and emailing it to enrichment@
compassforkids.org.

Sunday, Feb. 12, is 214 years since Lincoln’s birth in Kentucky. ALPLM admission will be free that day, too, and a historic interpreter portraying the president will visit from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“It’s been a tradition to offer free admission on Lincoln’s birthday. We’re delighted to expand to two free days this year!” said Christina Shutt, executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “It’s a birthday gift everyone can share in.”

The festivities will continue later in the month with “Leap Into Lincoln,” a demonstration of Lincoln-era dances by the Copper Coin Ballet Company.

The Copper Coin dancers will perform about 10:15 on Feb. 21. It’s an opportunity for everyone, but especially children, to experience the styles of dance popular from 1809 to 1865. It will feature segments of ballets from the Romantic era, stately court dances and American folk dances, such as jigs and square dances.

The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and sharing with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – some 13 million items from all eras of Illinois history.

For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov. 

[Christopher Wills]