Six days after his assassination, the Lincoln’s funeral procession trainride, dubbed the Lincoln Special, traveled through 180 cities with stops in from Washington to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Richmond, Ind., Chicago, and Springfield.

Over a million mourners paid their final respects to the man who forever changed the world.

…Mushrooms?

Tis’ the season for the hunt of Merrel Mushrooms, and Lincoln State Park is full of them.

That is what I heard from Abe…

Phil, who is the Assistant Property Manager for Lincoln State Park, thought Abe needed to a break from the office grind and to embrace the Great Outdoors. (Actually…Phil wanted an extra set of eyes to help find mushrooms)

And they found mushrooms alright…

…Some as tall as Abe!

At 4:30 a.m., on April 12, 1861, Confederate troops fired shots at Fort Sumter to begin the bloodiest and deadliest war our nation ever endured, The Civil War.

During the four years of battle, over a half million soldiers died in the war to save the Union and to end slavery.

The leader of the Union forces was President Abraham Lincoln, a boy born in Kentucky and raised in Indiana. He moved to Illinois with his family to embark on new opportunities. With less than a year of formal education, Lincoln was a self-made man and started his political career with the Illinois State House of Representatives in 1834.

From 1846 -48, he served his only term as a congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives. He gained national attention in 1858 during his failed attempt to be elected into the U.S. Senate.

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president elected to the United States of America. Just months after Abraham Lincoln was elected,  South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union in December of 1860.

In March of 1861, when Abraham Lincoln was during his first inauguration speech, he declared he would not accept states to secede from the Union.

By April 1861, seven states have seceded: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.

“In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free – honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last, best hope of earth.”

–Abraham Lincoln

What is the promotion, you may ask?

The 5 W’s and H:

Who: Lincoln Amphitheatre Guests

What: You Have the Last Laugh Ticket Promotion “Buy a ticket to “The Wizard of Oz”, get a ticket of equal or lesser value to “Our American Cousin” FREE.”

When:  Friday, April 1, 2011 from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. CDT.

Where:  Lincoln Amphitheatre box office or website.

Why:  Because we want to.:0)

How: Call the Lincoln Amphitheatre Box Office at 800-264-4223 or visit www.LincolnAmphitheatre.com.

Exclusions: Not redeemable for cash. No double discounts. Not valid for group sales purchases. Promotion expires 04/01/2011 at 6:00 p.m. CDT.

If you have any other questions about the productions, call us at 800-264-4223, and we will be glad to help.  If you happen to catch us when all the phone lines are busy, please dial ext. 221 or 222 and leave a message. A representative will return your call as quickly as possible.

“The Wizard of Oz” will take the stage July 21 – August 7, Thursday – Saturday evenings and a Sunday matinee. “Our American Cousin” will run August 19 -27, Friday and Saturday evenings and a Sunday matinee.

Bobblehead Abe took a little vacation to visit his friends at the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World.

Inside, he saw a line of people waiting to get their  pictures taken with THE Mouse himself.

Mickey Mouse.

Mickey was dressed in his colonial best as if he knew a head of time about his special visitor.

A-B-R-

A-H-A….M?

Hmm..Sorry, Abe, the song doesn’t quite fit.  Let’s leave that one for Mickey.

Lincoln Amphitheatre partnered with two area businesses, Spencer County Bank and Holiday Foods, in a $1 fundraising drive in honor of Abe’s birthday to last until February 28.

You can donate a $1, sign a Lincoln log card, and have it displayed on a wall/door front of the business.

Remember, every George Washington counts in benefiting Lincoln Amphitheatre.

Participating Stores:

–Spencer County Bank Locations: Santa Claus, Dale, Grandview, Richland, and St. Meinrad.

–Holiday Foods Locations:  Santa Claus, Dale, Jasper, and Ferdinand.

So…do you know what that means? A ticket contest!

Lincoln Amphitheatre is giving away a pair of tickets to see The Wizard of Oz live on stage sometime between July 21- August 7, Thursday – Saturday evenings with Sunday matinees.

Since tickets don’t go onsale to the general public until April 1, what we will do is give you two certificates/vouchers in the meantime.

The question:  Name the exact date, month, and year, the Lincoln Boyhood Drama Association, INC., the governing board for Lincoln Amphitheatre, became incorporated as a non-profit organization.  

The person who guesses the correct answer first or the closest to the correct date by Monday, February 14, at 6:00 p.m. CDT, will win a pair of tickets to see The Wizard of Oz this summer.

Rules and Regulations:

1. You must be at least 18 years or older to participate.

2. You have maximum of two guesses.

3. In order for your answer to count, you must post your answers as a comment through this blog post.  Anywhere else on the page will not count.

4. Keep it clean, and Keep it friendly.

5. You are ineligible to play if you are employed, have been employed, or served on the governing board for Lincoln Boyhood Drama Association, INC.  Relatives of former and current employees and board members are also ineligble to participate.

6. Make sure to have fun!

“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”

–President Lincoln, Proclamation of Thanksgiving

I wonder who won?