Party till you drop - Lincoln buff's still standing

The Lincoln Buff had another big day Wednesday, from waking up to find that The State Journal-Register had used the interview with me in their bicentennial coverage to an interview on KBS, a Korean telelevision station, in the afternoon - right in front of the statue I use for the Lincoln image on my blog.

As I walked in the morning drizzle from my car to my first event, I passed under the Lincoln image Chris Killham created in Post-It Notes in the suspended walkway connecting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library (ALPLM).

Springfield's farewell to Lincoln

After blogging most of my morning away, I went to the Farewell from Springfield event at the Prairie Capital Convention Center - an event which commemorated Lincoln's last day in Springfield before leaving for the White House on Feb. 11, 1861. The venue was filled with Springfield fifth graders. When I arrived, the atmosphere was electric, with nearly every voice in the house cheering loudly for Lincoln. I mentioned to the gentleman sitting next to me that this must have been what it was like at the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, where thousands were there to raise their voices for the railsplitter.

It was a very nice event with a band and color guard from Lincoln's era, a series of great little vignettes portraying the months leading up to the Lincoln's leaving and Fritz Klein as Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address. Everytime I hear Klein deliver it, it gives me goosebumps and almost brings me to tears.

The Lincoln Project
From there I walked back to the museum to take in the exhibit, The Lincoln Project, paintings by Don Pollack. The images are riveting and the exhibit one you won't want to miss. Be sure to read the wall plaque which talks about the artist and what his goal is in creating Lincoln works.

ALPLM - Always a good invesment of time
From there, I took in two of my museum favorites, Ghosts of the Library, and Lincoln's Eyes. No matter how many times I see these, they, too, give me goosebumps.

Wednesday was a good day to view and digest the library's exhibits. It wasn't very busy yet, so I could linger and see with greater depth many of the exhibits I'd passed quickly through in earlier visits.

Library staff to the rescue
In the afternoon, I dropped by to use a computer in the Presidential Library so I could see if my blog had had visits from the last two states. In the blog's four-month lifespan, visitors had come from the other 48. To my delight, there was only one holdout. With a little help from an archivist who suggested I call a historical society in the state - and a quick phone call to the number she found - the blog can now boast it's the place where all fifty states come to learn more about the Lincoln legacy.

One Destiny - A look back to Ford's Theatre
Lincoln Buffs who are in Washington, D.C. can visit the Ford's Theatre to take in a great little two-man play, One Destiny, a one-act piece which explores the events leading up to the assassination and the impact of that one night on the theatre and those connected with it. And, this week only, visitors to the ALPLM can see it, too. The play is phenomenal - and moves those in the audience to think a little deeper about that fateful act, the place where it took place and the place the event holds in memory. If you can, go see it.

First former slave to own Illinois land
A little-known and important story in Illinois history is the story of Free Frank McWorter, the first former slave to purchase Illinois soil (after purchasing his own freedom), and the founder of the Pike County town, New Philadelphia. The Illinois State Museum hosted a thought-provoking program with Abdul Alkalimat, great-great grandson of Free Frank. Though I missed what my friends describe as a magnificent symphony concert, hearing this talk was well worth it. McWorter was a contemporary of Lincoln, with parallels between the lives of the two men and their journeys to Illinois, yet Alkalimit touched on even deeper aspects of what community and the legacy all must build and pass on. It was a great event to celebrate Humble Beginnings in Lincoln's Illinois.

Reverence for the railsplitter - Dedication to his documents
I closed the eve of the bicentennial with a return visit to the ALPLM, where the Gettysburg Address, Emancipation Proclamation and 13th Amendment were displayed. Lincoln's legacy and these documents took on even greater meaning after the McWorter event. The crowd was incredible, and as for the visitation of a dear friend or a revered community member, no one complained at having to wait. As of 11 p.m., more than 1,000 had stood in that line.

I stepped into the museum's Union Theatre for readings of some of Lincoln's own words and works by others such as Carl Sandburg, Edward Lee Masters and Doris Kearns Goodwin, done by Lincoln presenter Michael Krebs, Mary Todd Lincoln presenter Debra Lee Miller and others. It was a relaxing way to end my day. I even found myself nodding off a bit - not in boredom, but in that peaceful way as when a loved one is reading a favorite story to put a youngster to sleep.

Lingering image symbolic of lasting legacy
This morning, I awoke to one final image - that of a young sailor in uniform and his family I met on their way to the vigil after 11 p.m. This image seemed so apropro - a tall lanky man, accompanied by a wife bundled against the cold - the couple with one babe wrapped tightly and bundled,too, and another tagging along held by a hand. I couldn't help but compare them to another couple who walked these Springfield streets with youngsters in tow 150-some years ago - another couple who knew what it meant to be American and to leave a legacy - a legacy of service, a reverence for the past, a dedication to the principles on which this nation was founded and for which it stands yet today.

God bless that couple, God bless America and God bless the memory of Abraham Lincoln.
I

It just keeps getting better

Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2009 started off like most mornings - woke up before the alarm, drank a couple cups of coffee while I checked email, read online news and blogged. After breakfast I headed to my first Lincoln destination of the day in my continuing Bicentennial journey - a visit to the new exhibit at the Illinois State Museum -From Humble Beginnings: Lincoln's Illinois, 1830-1861. It opened Feb. 6 and runs through Jan. 1, 2010.

I just can't say enough good things about the exhibit. It is absolutely fantastic! It's a brilliantly done history lesson covering all the forces in play in the prairie state in the years Lincoln was here. I was impressed from the first wall plaque I read through the final piece I laid eyes on. I had to leave to attend my next event, but hated to, knowing I'd not savored the exhibit to the depth I would have liked. The good news is that since it will be there all year I can go back - and so can you!

The next event contained one pleasant surprise after another. I attended an afternoon reception at the Vachel Lindsay Home - with Illinois Lincoln poet Dan Guillory, the period muscians, Prairie Chickens, readings of Lindsey poems by a spunky little retired school teacher with a booming voice and powerful rhythm, Marge Deffenbaugh, a brief history lesson by Springfield city historian Curtis Mann, and a monologue by talented Mary Todd Smith presenter Kathey Reed. I ended up finding my own moment in the spotlight at that event, as State Journal-Register writer Pete Sherman interviewed me and featured me in an article in today's paper. Thanks, Pete.

As if the moment of fame wasn't enough, I also had a brush with greatness. Artist Sacha Newley was at the event. Newly is a brilliantly gifted artist who portrays his subjects with a depth that's nearly unsurpassed - and the son of actress Joan Collins and late actor Anthony Newley. This curly-headed gent is not only gifted and good-looking, but incredibly gracious. Meeting him was a pleasant surprise and a true pleasure. I'll write more about Newly and his work in a future blog.

The evening event was a lecture at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum by the poet and biographer Daniel Mark Epstein, whose The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage is surely the most lyrical Lincoln volume since Sandburg's Lincoln works. The imagery in his narrative is amazing, and it's appears from the rhythms in his prose that he surely must read his work aloud as he writes. Epstein, too, is gracious and appreciative of the loyalty of his readers. Watch for more on him in the coming months as I read his books and share my impressions here.

Another pleasant surprise was bumping into Illinois State Represenative Don Moffitt and a couple of his colleagues. When I was back in Galesburg, working as a grocery clerk (also one of Lincoln's former professions), Moffitt was a customer at the store where I worked. It's always good to see him again.

Now, it's off to another Lincoln adventure...