As part of its Signature Event Series, Looking for Lincoln will welcome visitors to the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area April 29-May 1st for the Link-on to Lincoln Festival in Coles County – the first Signature Event of 2016. The Festival includes a variety of museum exhibits, lectures, hands on living history programs and an historical dinner theater production held throughout Coles County as a celebration of the Lincoln stories and legacy throughout the area.
The weekend activities will be anchored by a series of living history demonstrations at the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site in Lerna, Illinois, and performances of the popular Lincoln’s Trial & Tribulations dinner theater in Oakland. On Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30, attendees will journey back in time to 1847 to relive the story of bittersweet daring and historical mystery involving a young lawyer named Abraham Lincoln as he takes on one of the most divisive issues of the day – slavery. Tickets for the 6pm theater performances can be reserved by calling 217-508-9113.
Living history enthusiasts can visit the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site on Saturday, April 30 from 10am – 4pm to experience the process of turning raw sheep’s wool from the Lincoln farmstead into finished cloth. Once the wool is shorn, visitors will have the chance to participate in hands-on demonstrations including: sorting and washing the wool, teasing and carding it for spinning, and actually spinning it into yarn. Some of the yarn will be used to knit into items following actual 19th century patterns. Period interpreters will also explain and demonstrate wool dying and weaving on the site’s mid-19th century looms. Activities scheduled throughout the weekend include:
Friday, April 29
- Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum Tours (Charleston) – 9am-4pm
- Political Campaign History Exhibit, Coles County Historical Museum (Mattoon Railroad Depot) – 10am-4pm
- 1850s Tent Revival/Camp Meeting, Independence Pioneer Village (Oakland) – 3:30pm-5:30pm
- Lincoln’s Trial & Tribulations Dinner Theater (Oakland) – 6pm
Saturday, April 30
- Special Lecture: Rights of Slaves in the Lincoln Era by Bob Sterling and Museum Tours, Lincoln Douglas Debate Museum (Charleston) – 9am-4pm
- Political Campaign History Exhibit, Coles County Historical Museum (Mattoon Railroad Depot) – 10am-4pm
- IL State Historical Society Marker Dedication, Coles County Courthouse (Charleston) – 10:30am
- Sheep to Clothing Living History Event, Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site (Lerna) – 10am-4pm
- Coles County Courthouse & Historic Tunnels Tour/ Mr. Lincoln Meet ‘n Greet (Charleston) – 1pm, 2pm
- 1850s Tent Revival/Camp Meeting, Independence Pioneer Village (Oakland) – 3:30pm-5:30pm
- Lincoln’s Trial & Tribulations Dinner Theater (Oakland) – 6pm
Sunday, May 1
- Lincoln-Douglas Debate Museum Tours (Charleston) – 9am-4pm
- Special Presentation: Brushy Fork 19th Century Free Black Community with Michael Bradley, Dudley House Museum (Charleston) – 1pm-2pm
The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition is the coordinating entity for the 42-county Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. It is a partnership of organizations and individuals dedicated to enhancing the communities and landscapes of central Illinois through recognition and support of their significant natural, cultural and historical legacies. Few individuals have so profoundly influenced American history as did Abraham Lincoln. Millions around the world are inspired by the story of Lincoln’s rise from humble beginnings to President of the United States, his qualities of integrity and courage and his decisive leadership – traits that carried a fragile nation through one of its most trying periods. For more information about the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition and the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, go to www.lookingforlincoln.com.
