Postville Courthouse celebrates Lincoln’s Birthday
The Dulcimer Guy shares his love for the instrument with guests at Postville Courthouse

 

[February 12, 2024] 

The 215th birthday of Abraham Lincoln was celebrated on Saturday, February 10th at the Postville Courthouse on Fifth Street in Lincoln. The open house event began at noon and ran through 4 p.m.

Guests were greeted by Postville Site Director Denise Martinek along with volunteers Diana and John Skelton.

Former site director Stu Churchill also paid a visit along with Lincoln City Treasurer Chuck Conzo.

As a part of the celebration, cake, cupcakes and punch were served to guests to enjoy as they listened to and visited with Mike Anderson, the Dulcimer Guy from Jacksonville.

The Dulcimer is well established in American history as having arrived in America in the late 1600’s, perhaps a product of Germany. It was popularized by the citizens of the Appalachian Mountain region as a ‘sing along” instrument. Anderson explained that the dulcimer is a relatively easy instrument to learn, did not require that the player be able to read music, but did require the player have “an ear” for music. Anderson said that anyone who spent 30 minutes with the dulcimer would come to recognize notes and pick out tunes and melodies without a whole lot of effort.

Anderson spent a lot of time talking with guests, who asked questions not only about the instrument and its music, but also about Anderson and his love for the dulcimer.

Anderson said that he had learned to play and had also taught the dulcimer. He spoke about the children he had taught and the performances they had given at places such as at a White Sox baseball game, where they learned to play the Star-Spangled Banner and performed it in center field in front of thousands of strangers.

Guests enjoyed the history of dulcimer music and the highs and lows in the history of the instrument. Anderson said the popularity of the dulcimer died out with the industrial revolution because that was when the world became noisy, and the quiet dulcimer could not compete with the louder instruments such as the banjo.

It was then revived during the 1960s and 70s as an instrument of the “hippies and beatniks.” Anderson talked about some of the people who had made the instrument popular again.

As guests came and went, Anderson captured their attention with the music he most enjoyed playing.

He also took the time to give a young visitor a lesson, leading her through the playing of “Mary had a Little Lamb.”

VIDEO: Mike Anderson teaches a young guest to play the dulcimer

In addition to Anderson, there were other attractions inside the courthouse on Saturday.

A poster board cutout of Lincoln’s hat and beard offered visitors an opportunity to mimic the great man while posing for a picture beside a cardboard cutout of the same.

Martinek has expanded the gift shop area, and there were a lot of trinkets and treasures guests could purchase to remember their day at the courthouse.

In addition, guests could register to win a gift basket that included gift items as well as tickets to the Lincoln heritage Museum in town.

Throughout the first 90 minutes of the afternoon there was a good turnout, with hopes that the rest of the afternoon would go equally well.

The actual birth date of Abraham Lincoln is February 12th. While most in Illinois will recognize this day, the federal holiday of President’s Day will be Monday February 19th, to commemorate the birth of the 16th president as well as the nation’s first president George Washington.

[Nila Smith]