Abraham Lincoln Themed Historic Events in Springfield, Illinois

Springfield, Illinois, is holding a 60 day run of activities honoring history during the summer of 2010. The State Capital of Illinois is holding events to build on the number of people who visited Springfield in 2009 to celebrate the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Family friendly activities in Springfield this summer include historic re-enactments, musical performances and plays.

The mayor of Springfield, Tim Davlin, compared the summer's event to the 'living history' of Colonial Williamsburg.' "These are things that are going to change the way downtown Springfield is looked at, and I'm not just talking about visitors," Mayor Davlin said during a March 23, 2010 conference in the House chamber of the Old State Capitol.

'History Comes Alive - A Living History Program' is a program of events that will be held seven days a week from June 15 to August 15, 2010. The program received a $325,000 state grant to pay for professional re-enactors, musical acts and performers for the events.

The 'History Comes Alive' program is also a kickoff event for a series of sesquicentennial celebrations. The celebrations begin with the commemoration of the 150^th anniversary of Lincoln's election to the U.S. Presidency.

'Events through a 42 county heritage area will remind visitors of the important role that the region played in Lincoln's rise the the presidency and how he guided the nation through the Civil War,' according to Hal Smith, Director of Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition.

The full schedule of events for 2010 have not been released yet, but following are some of the themes you can expect in Springfield this summer.

Free interpretive events, with costumed re-enactors explaining the history of key locations, including the Lincoln Home, the Old State Capitol and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

"Mystic Chords of Memory," will begin each Saturday at the Lincoln Home and conclude at the Old State Capitol, featuring among other events a re-creation of Lincoln's first inaugural address.

"Mr. Lincoln's World" includes historic portrayals and programs on the portico of the Old Capitol and the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office. There will be ice-cream socials each Thursday evening on the lawn of the Vachel Lindsay Home

A Civil War Medical Encampment will be held at the Old Capitol on June 11-13.

"Once Upon a Prairie Story Festival" on July 10. The festival will coincide with "Taste of Downtown."

Theatrical performances will be held at the presidential museum and Union Park. The performances will include Civil War period medicine and music, as well as vintage baseball.

Concerts and historic re-enactments will be held at the Executive Mansion every Wednesday.

The Vachel Lindsay Home will host "Little Turtle Story Hour" and "Poets in the Parlor."

The Lincoln Troubadours will perform daily at Abraham Lincoln sites and throughout downtown Springfield.

The 'History Comes Alive - A Living History Program' is a 60 day event that will give visitors to Springfield a perspective of the important place that the region played during an important historic era.

Source: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, National Park Service

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