Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum brightens winter with array of activities

 

[December 04, 2024]  SPRINGFIELD – The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will brighten the winter months by offering performances of “The Nutcracker,” participating in downtown Springfield’s holiday walks, setting up an outdoor skating rink and displaying a Christmas tree that honors families that have lost loved ones serving in the military.

The presidential museum will welcome participants in the Downtown Springfield Holiday Walks on Wednesdays and Saturdays through Dec. 21. That means free admission 4-8 p.m. on those days, although we encourage everyone to “pay” by bringing new personal hygiene items for people in need. Examples include travel-sized shampoo and toothpaste, disposable razors, tampons and sanitary pads, and socks.

The ALPLM will offer skating in Union Square Park on the days of the holiday walks. The rink’s surface is a polymer material that doesn’t melt like ice but still lets people zoom around on regular ice skates. It will be available Wednesdays 4-8 p.m. and Saturdays noon-8 p.m. free of charge, but a donation is suggested to help defray the cost of skate maintenance. Plus, skating will continue every weekend Dec. 22 to Feb. 16.

And on Wednesdays and Saturdays from Dec. 11 through Dec. 21, the ALPLM will welcome the Copper Coin Ballet Company to perform “The Nutcracker Suite.” Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic follows the magical adventures of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince as they battle with the Mouse King and journey to the Land of the Sweets. There will be two half-hour performances each evening, at 5:30 and 6:30. The ballet and museum admission are free during these evenings, but seats must be reserved in advance on the ALPLM website’s Events page.

During the holiday walks, the ALPLM’s historic Union Station will be home to a pop-up store. Visitors can buy ornaments, hoodies, mugs, plush toys and our Presidential Perk coffee. They can also warm up with hot chocolate, warm apple cider, hot dogs, mini donuts and more. The regular museum store will also be open, offering a wider array of Lincoln-themed gifts and souvenirs.

We’ll have winter-themed crafts for children and amazing lights for everyone to enjoy. Our famous “Ghosts of the Library” show will be presented those evenings at 5:15, 6:15 and 7:15, and choirs from local high schools will perform holiday music.

The ALPLM parking structure at Sixth and Madison will be free every Wednesday 4-8 p.m. and all day on Saturdays through Dec 21.

Other downtown partners are also participating in the holiday walk fun. Find out more at https://www.downtownspringfield.org/holiday-walks/.

The ALPLM will be home to Illinois’ official Gold Star Family Christmas Tree beginning December 9, following the lighting of the tree. Decorated with personalized ornaments, the tree commemorates 349 Illinois heroes who lost their lives in combat. Please visit the tree to honor and remember their sacrifice.

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 – roughly 13 million items from all eras of Illinois history.

For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov. You can follow the ALPLM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 

[Text received from Christopher Wills
Director of Communications
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum]