Abraham Lincoln by Kevin Wood

November is one of Mr. Lincoln’s two busiest months of the year (the other being February, of course), with 55 appearances scheduled in MI, OH, IL, & IA (plus a virtual program in NJ), and only one day off from today through Thanksgiving Day. Over 30 of these are for his “Lincoln and Thanksgiving” program & 8 for “Lincoln on the Gettysburg Address”. See his full schedule at www.mrlincoln.com. [The photo is of Mr. Lincoln pardoning a turkey at Indian Prairie Public Library in 2017.]

Mr. Lincoln is in SE WI this week with programs at 11 senior residences, along with 3 programs open to the public:
Tues. 10/10 at 6:30 pm: Greenfield Public Library: "A New Birth of Freedom"
Wed. 10/11 at 6:30 pm: Muskego Public Library: "Lincoln on the Gettysburg Address"
Thurs. 10/12 at 6:30 pm: Oshkosh Vintage Society Civil War Soirée: "Lincoln as Story-Teller" (with other events from 4:00 to 8:00 pm including VIP session with Mr. Lincoln from 4-5 pm)
For my full schedule, see https://www.mrlincoln.com/

Mr. Lincoln will be at the La Salle County Burgoo Festival in North Utica, IL this weekend. He will speak on the main stage about his involvement with the I&M Canal at 1:00 pm & 4:00 pm today (Saturday) and at 9:30 am & 1:30 pm on Sunday. [Note: the delicious burgoo (pioneer stew) is only available on Sunday.]

How much do you know about our local history? Stop in our LaSalle County Historical Society Museum at the corner of Mill and Canal. Our Canal Warehouse (built in 1848 along with the I & M Canal), Aitken One Room School, and Blacksmith Shop and Barn will be open to the public both days of our 53rd Annual Burgoo Festival. Live blacksmithing demonstrations and re-enactors both days as well!!
Thank you to our Family Activities Sponsors for providing some entertainment & history for all ages!
La Salle State Bank
Hometown National Bank
Grand Bear Resort
Impact Networking
Looking For Lincoln

At this midpoint of National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct. 15), Mr. Lincoln reminds you that he is also “Señor Lincoln”, offering many of his programs in Spanish. See a complete list – and read and listen to the Gettysburg Address in Spanish, too (as well as in French and German) – at
http://www.mrlincoln.com/Languages.html
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Abraham Lincoln by Kevin Wood: A Multi-Lingual Lincoln (Foreign-Language Programs) Did you know that Abraham Lincoln studied German back in the 1850s in Springfield?  Or that his wife Mary was fluent in French?  In that spirit, I am pleased to be able to present to modern audiences – in addition to the English-speaking "Mr. Lincoln" – a fluent Spanish-speaking "Señor Lincol...

On this , Mr. Lincoln is a bit confused and disturbed by all this making light of pirates. You do understand that piracy was – and still is – criminal activity, right? In fact, it was through piracy that US merchant ships were being attacked and even that Africans were still being transported to the Americas to serve as slaves when Lincoln became President. In his first annual message to Congress, he noted how his administration had taken strong action against piracy, having already seized five slave ships, condemned to death the captain of one of the ships (Nathaniel Gordon: a pirate), and fined and imprisoned three other persons involved in the slave trade.

Mr. Lincoln had two programs in West Virginia yesterday, his first appearances in “The Mountain State”, making it the 33rd state in which he has appeared (although to be fair, in eight of these states he has only made “virtual” appearances so far).

Mr. Lincoln will be in two very familiar places in suburban Chicago today: Lemont’s 150th Anniversary Fest (his 25th appearance in Village of Lemont) followed by the Forest Park Juneteenth Family Pool Party (his 22nd appearance in Village of Forest Park). The only places he’s had more appearances are Chicago (66), Oak Park (40), and Springfield (27). In fact, these five Illinois cities account for 10% of all of Mr. Lincoln’s appearances!

Don't Miss Out on Celebrating Lemont's 150th Anniversary! Join us on Saturday, June 10 from 1 PM to 6 PM for Anniversary Fest.

✨ Live Music and Performances from Lemont High School Band, Lithuanian Folk Dancers, Slovenian Youth Group Marela Dancers, Irish Dancers, and a Pierogi Eating Contest.
✨ Children's Fest with Face Paint, Balloon Animals, Carnival Games, Rock Mining Game, and a special appearance from Archie and Mr. Lincoln.
✨ Food, Food, and More Food! From Lemont's bars and restaurants.
✨ Live DJ from GAC Entertainment.

Arrive early to find great parking, bring blankets and chairs, no outside food or drink will be allowed inside the Fest. Get more info on parking at lemontdowntown.com/news/parking

Tag a friend who needs to join you!

Attention runners in central IL: this weekend you have two opportunities to run with Mr. Lincoln in Springfield! While in town for the Legacy of Giving Music Festival, he will also participate in the Legacy of Giving 5K/10K on Friday evening at Lincoln Park (5:30 pm). He will run the 5K, because the next morning he will also participate in the Lincoln Memorial Garden 8K Trail Race (7:30 am). In between and afterwards, he will spend many hours at the music festival. A busy weekend to be sure!

On this Memorial Day holiday weekend, I invite you to re-read my blog about the first notable Union casualty of the Civil War, a young man who was a personal friend of President Lincoln himself. On Monday, Mr. Lincoln will participate in the parade and remembrance ceremony in Tecumseh, MI.

On Sacrifice and Suffering: Lincoln’s Preview of Memorial Day Our national holiday of Memorial Day, on which we remember those who died while serving in our armed forces, had its origins in the aftermath of the Civil War. Back then it was called Decoration D…

After 2 weeks close to home with programs in MI, Mr. Lincoln hits the road again this week with programs in SE WI at 7 schools, 1 corporation (for “Lincoln on Leadership”), and evening programs at 2 libraries & 1 senior residence:
*Mon. 5/22 at 6 pm: Genoa City Public Library: “Lincoln on the Gettysburg Address”
*Wed. 5/24 at 6:30 pm: Tudor Oaks Senior Living Community (Muskego): “Lincoln on Immigration & America’s Place in the World”
*Thurs. 5/25 at 7 pm: Brookfield Public Library: “Lincoln as Story-Teller”

Mr. Lincoln wishes Brandon Johnson the best as he is inaugurated as Chicago’s new mayor today (Chicago Mayor's Office). May he have the wisdom, fortitude, compassion, and humility to lead the nation’s third-largest city in the face of many difficult issues. [photo from Forest Park Juneteenth Family Pool Party on June 16, 2018]

When Mr. Lincoln lived in the Oak Park/River Forest, IL area, he participated in various events sponsored by Celebrating Seniors. Even though he couldn’t join them for “Celebrating Seniors Week” this year, he made the cover of the Resource Guide! [photo by Matt Baron in 2018]

The 2023 Resource Guide is available!!

Keep an eye out -- and pick one up -- at various local government offices and other venues!

Mr. Lincoln will be in eastern & central Iowa Wednesday thru Friday, with programs at 5 senior residences, 1 school, and 2 libraries: Clive Public Library on Thursday 5/4 at 6:15 pm (“Abraham Lincoln: A New Birth of Freedom”) and Winterset Public Library on Friday 5/5 at 6:00 pm (“Lincoln as Story-Teller”). As always, you can see his full schedule at www.mrlincoln.com.

In honor of May being National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Mr. Lincoln encourages you to get out there and get moving!

Mr. Lincoln is in north central Ohio the rest of this week, with programs at 6 senior residences in Erie, Sandusky, & Lucas Counties, plus at these 2 libraries: Ashland Public Library Ohio (today at 5:30 pm) and Ritter Public Library in Vermilion (Thursday at 5:30 pm). Then next week it’s on to Iowa. As always, you can see his full schedule at https://www.mrlincoln.com.

In honor of (today), (4/23-29), & (April), plus on 3/27, Mr. Lincoln reminds you that in his program “Lincoln on Literature & the Theatre” he talks all about his enjoyment of literature, including Shakespeare & poetry, and the dramatic arts, and how these influenced him throughout his life. See the video for some excerpts, and let me know if you’d like to BOOK (pun intended) this or any of my 14 programs, all available in-person & virtually.

Lincoln on Literature and the Theatre (excerpts) Selected excerpts from Mr. Lincoln's full-length program in which he talks about his enjoyment of literature, including Shakespeare and poetry, and the drama...

Here are a few photos from Mr. Lincoln’s time this past weekend at the Association of Lincoln Presenters annual conference, which was held this year in Springfield, IL. These photos are courtesy of Tom George Davison.

Mr. Lincoln is back in Illinois this week, starting today with a celebration of the 175th anniversary of the opening of the Illinois & Michigan Canal with 3 free events along the canal route in the I&M Canal National Heritage Area (11:00 am Joliet, 1:30 pm Morris, 4:00 pm Ottawa) & then a 6:30 pm program at Graves-Hume Public Library in Mendota. Other events this week open to the public include programs Tues. 7:00 pm at Lake Villa District Library (“Lincoln on Literature & the Theatre”) & Wed. 6:30 pm at Somonauk Public Library District (“Lincoln on the Gettysburg Address”). Then it’s on to the Association of Lincoln Presenters conference Thurs.-Sun., being held this year in Springfield.

Here are a few photos of Mr. Lincoln at the Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon in Springfield, IL this past Saturday.

Mr. Lincoln has now made 100 appearances in Michigan (his current home state), the fourth state to reach that mark after Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Which state will be next? Indiana (currently at 74)? Pennsylvania (69)? Ohio (61)? Maybe even Louisiana (46) or Kansas (32)? If you want to help it be yours, ask your local library, school, senior residence, museum, church, etc. to arrange a program!

Mr. Lincoln heads back to Ohio for the remainder of this week:
*Thurs., March 23 at 5:30 pm: Perry County District Library (New Lexington): “A New Birth of Freedom”
*Fri., March 24 at 3:00 pm: The Forum at Knightsbridge (Columbus): “A New Birth of Freedom”
*Sat., March 25: The Kelton House Museum & Garden (Columbus): 11:00 am “Lincoln on Leadership” (members only) and 2:00 pm “Lincoln as Story-Teller” (open to public)

Mr. Lincoln is in eastern Ohio today & tomorrow and then the Cincinnati area Thursday to Saturday, with programs at Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County (Schiappa Branch, Steubenville), Puskarich Public Library (Cadiz), Westover Retirement Community (Hamilton), Berkeley Square Senior Community (Hamilton), The Kenwood by Senior Star (Cincinnati), LifeSpring Christian Church (Cincinnati), & Greene County Public Library (Bellbrook). You can see his full schedule at www.mrlincoln.com.

Here are a few photos from Mr. Lincoln’s appearances last week at 6 libraries and 5 senior residences in east central Iowa.

Mr. Lincoln is in east central Iowa from today through Friday, with programs at 5 senior residences and these 6 libraries: Eldora Public Library, Hampton Public Library, Barlow Memorial Library (Iowa Falls), Manchester Public Library, Cascade Public Library, and Monticello Public Library - Ross & Elizabeth Baty.

Here are some photos from Mr. Lincoln’s nearly 60 appearances (!) during the month of February.

In stark contrast to modern U.S. Supreme Court nominations, all five of Abraham Lincoln’s nominees were approved by the Senate in one week or less with little drama. But that doesn’t mean that the Court wasn't a controversial topic in Lincoln’s day, or that Lincoln didn’t have a great impact on it. Read all about it in this post from 2018 (from the time of the Brett Kavanaugh nomination).

Lincoln and the Supreme Court: Little Drama, Much Impact During his four-year, one-month Presidency, Abraham Lincoln nominated five judges to the U.S. Supreme Court, including one Chief Justice. All five were approved within one week. That’s right: no …

Mr. Lincoln will be on the road from today through Saturday, visiting 9 senior residences, 3 schools, 2 libraries, and 1 museum. His travels will take him to various cities and towns in Ohio today and tomorrow (Columbus, Hamilton, and Cincinnati) and then in Illinois the rest of the week (Forrest, Fairbury, Bloomington, Normal, Mahomet, Champaign, Savoy, and Collinsville). He hopes that his horse holds up through all those miles!

When coronavirus hit 2 years ago, Mr. Lincoln had 60+ programs canceled from mid-March through the end of May 2020. He is therefore very happy that in 2022 he has nearly 80 in-person programs scheduled for the same period of mid-March through the end of May (and only 4 virtual ones). He does much prefer being in the same room (or outdoor venue) as his audience, even if it means that he can’t wear his house slippers! [Be sure to read the captions!]

You have two opportunities tomorrow (Thurs., March 3) to see live, virtual presentations of Mr. Lincoln’s program about his Illinois years, entitled “From Obscurity to Greatness: Illinois and Lincoln, 1830 to 1861”. The Zoom presentations will begin at 11:30 am (CST) via the Dunlap Public Library District and at 7:00 pm (CST) via the St. Clair County Genealogical Society of Illinois (the latter program is sponsored by Illinois Humanities Road Scholars).

Here are a few more photos from Mr. Lincoln’s time at the Chicago Travel and Adventure Show last weekend, representing Visit Springfield.

Mr. Lincoln is at the this weekend, representing Visit Springfield. Stop by and see us from 10:00-5:00 today or 11:00-4:00 tomorrow. Or better yet, plan a trip to Springfield!

This week is your opportunity to see up to 3 of Mr. Lincoln's most popular VIRTUAL programs, all open to the general public (all times CST):
*Tues., Feb. 15 at 6:30 pm: Palos Heights Public Library: “Lincoln on Slavery, Emancipation, and Equality”
*Wed., Feb. 16 at 7:00 pm: Eisenhower Public Library: “Abraham Lincoln: A New Birth of Freedom”
*Thurs., Feb. 17 at 11:30 am: Dunlap Public Library District: “From Obscurity to Greatness: Illinois and Lincoln, 1830 to 1861”

The name of the organization sponsoring Mr. Lincoln’s program this afternoon – the Ansel Brainerd Cook Chapter-DAR (Libertyville, IL) – has a special relevance to me (Kevin). Mr. Cook was my 5th cousin 4x removed. He is also the namesake of the Cook Memorial Public Library District as he donated his home & land for use as a library & park. His house is HQ of the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society & is on the Nat'l Reg. of Historic Places. Ansel & I are also related to David Brainerd, the 18th-century missionary to Native Americans.

Despite a few cancellations, Mr. Lincoln has another very busy week ahead of him, with 18 programs in the Chicago area from today through Sunday. Programs open to the public include (in some cases, reservations may be required; some also offer a virtual option):
* “Lincoln on Slavery, Emancipation, and Equality” at Tinley Park Public Library (Mon. 2/7 at 7:00 pm), Geneva Public Library District (Wed. 2/9 at 1:30 pm), Elmhurst Public Library (Wed. 2/9 @ 7:00 pm), St. Charles Public Library--St. Charles, IL (Thurs. 2/10 @ 1:00 pm, virtual only due to library closure), & Oak Brook Public Library (Thurs. 2/10 @ 6:00 pm);
* “A Visit with Mr. Lincoln” (children’s program) at Manteno Public Library District (Mon. 2/7 at 4:00 pm); and
* “A New Birth of Freedom” at The Center at Palos Park (Tues. 2/8 at 12:00 noon; $26 fee includes luncheon & program) & North Riverside Parks & Recreation North Riverside Parks & Recreation (Wed. 2/9 at 11:00 am; $25 fee includes apple pie with Abe).
For Mr. Lincoln’s full schedule, see www.mrlincoln.com.

Abraham Lincoln by Kevin Wood Abraham Lincoln portrayals by Kevin Wood (English)

Mr. Lincoln’s very busy month of February begins today (a day early!). He has 13 programs in WI this week: 5 at libraries, 5 at senior residences, & 3 at schools. His library programs (open to the public) are:
*Mon., Jan. 31 at 6:00 pm: Fox Lake Public Library (program at Community Congregational Museum)
*Tues., Feb. 1 at 3:00 pm: Germantown Community Library
*Tues., Feb. 1 at 6:00 pm: USS Liberty Memorial Public Library (Grafton Public Library)
*Wed., Feb. 2 at 6:30 pm: Mayville Public Library
*Thurs., Feb. 3 at 5:30 pm: Juneau Public Library Juneau Public Library
The program at Germantown is “Lincoln as Story-Teller”, while the other four are his standard “A New Birth of Freedom”.

Here are a few photos from Mr. Lincoln’s trip earlier this month to Louisiana, where he attended the American Historical Association annual conference and also did programs at 2 libraries, 2 schools, and 1 senior residence.