Trifter

The Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission has issued a preliminary schedule of events in the coming months to commemorate the 200th birthday of the 16th president on February 12, 1809.

A quick review of some of the events:

Sat, Feb 7. More than 20 Lincoln authors, historians, and advocates will be inducted as Laureates of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois at the Lincoln Presidential Museum.

Sat, Feb 7. “Our American Cousin,” the play the Lincolns were watching at Ford Theater when the president was shot by John Wilkes Booth, will be held at Springfield’s Hoogland Center on Feb 7, 8, 13, and 14.

Tues, Feb 10. The vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site will host a free public Lincoln reception.

Wed, Feb 11. Lincoln’s 1861 Fareweel Address as he departed Springfield for Washington will be reenacted at Springfield’s Prairie Capital Convention Center. 10:30 am.

Wed, Feb 11. Lincoln Home National Historic Site will provide several living history, musical, and scholarly programs starting this date and extending until Feb 14.

Wed, Feb 11. The illinois Symphony Orchestra performs in a free evening concert.

Thurs, Feb 12. On Lincoln’s birthday, Illinois elementary school students in class are being asked to read the Gettysburg Address simultaneously along with the rest of the state.

Thurs, Feb 12. All churches will be asked to ring their bells.

Thurs, Feb 12. A wreath-laying is scheduled for 10:30 am at the Lincoln Tomb.

Thurs, Feb 12. New US citizens will be sworn in during a 3pm Naturalization Ceremony at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site. It was there that lawmaker Lincoln made his famous “House Divided” speech.

Thurs, Feb 12. A special US Postal Service stanp cancellation with be available at the Old State Captiol

Thurs, Feb 12. The Lincoln Presidential Museum will host a period ball with ladies and gentleman in Civil War era dress, dancing in the style of the mid-1860’s.

Thurs, Feb 12. A 200th birthday banquet will be held by the Bicentennial Commission and the AZbraham Lincoln Association. Invited speakers are Illinois Senator Barack Obama and Richard Durbin and US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

There are numerous other events being planned.

For example, the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, the oldest music festival in North America, will mark the Lincoln Bicentennial starting this summer with a full-evening dance theater piece on Lincoln commissioned from Tony-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones, a major musical work featuring jazz, gospel, and spoken-word parts commisssioned from Chicago jazz legend Ramsey Lewis, and Sep 7, two Lincoln-inspired piano trio works commissioned through a composition contest will be premiered, along with a new work on the relationship between Lincoln and Mexico’s Benito Juarez, and performances by jazz singer Patricia Barber, paino prodigy Emily Bear and Sugar Strings.

Also, the 150th anniversary of the Lincoln-Douglas debates are being reenacted this summer and fall in Bement, Ottawa, Freeport, Jonesboro, Charleston, Galesburg, Quincy, and Alton, where the original debates were held See lincolndouglasreunion.com for details.

The Bicentennial plans can be reviewed along with relevant news updates (such as the Illinois State Museum’s plans for a special Bicentennial exhibit) at lincoln200.net.

Naturally, numerous Illinois communities will have their own events.