Lincoln Circuit Rider program, New Salem, October 18

PETERSBURG – Abraham Lincoln’s 23 years of riding on horseback from town to town to provide legal services to the citizens of Illinois will be focus of a special lecture by Lincoln historian Guy Fraker on Sunday, October 18 at 3 p.m. in the
Visitor Center auditorium at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site.  The program, sponsored by the New Salem Lincoln League, is free and open to the public.

Fraker has spent several years researching Abraham Lincoln’s days riding the judicial circuit, and will speak about Lincoln’s experiences and how they shaped his political career.  Between 1837 and 1860, Abraham Lincoln and other attorneys and court officers visited courthouses in the Eighth Judicial Circuit of central Illinois, bringing legal services to far-flung rural communities.  These annual jaunts meant that Lincoln would be away from home from four to six months each year, but they also provided willing audiences that would serve him well in his political career.

Fraker’s book, The Eighth Judicial Circuit:  Lincoln’s Ladder to the Presidency will be published by Southern Illinois University Press next year.  Fraker was recently featured in the public television documentary, “Lincoln:  Prelude to the Presidency”.

The October 18 program will include musical entertainment by Mark Mathewson, and refreshments will be served after the program. 

The New Salem Lincoln League is a not-for-profit organization that supports Lincoln’s New Salem Historic Site.  The League provides financial support for theatrical, musical, educational and other cultural programs at Lincoln’s New Salem.

Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (www.Illinois-History.gov), is a re-creation of the 1830s log village where Abraham Lincoln lived for six years.  It is located along Route 97 about two miles south of Petersburg and 20 miles northwest of Springfield, and is open Wednesday through Sunday for free public tours.

Sangamon Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition Reception October 9

For years, Sangamon Watercolor Society has assembled an annual gallery exhibition of paintings by its members in the lobby at Chase Bank in cubist downtown Springfield. It’s a BIG lobby.  That’s changed this year, and the exhibition will be at Watts Copy Systems, 2860 Stanton Ave., Springfield.

Stanton is eastbound street off Taylor Avenue which is a northbound street off Stevenson Drive and runs from Stevenson to South Grand. If you’re in the city, take Ash and turn south (right at Southeast High School and as you approach Stevenson, look for Stanton on your right.

The reception is THE PLACE TO BE early Friday night if you want to meet the talent behind the paintings. (Closed circuit to the Saturday morning literary sex — make that sects. GIVE Robbie’s a PASS this one night, come out and expand your horizon!) I’ve attended several over the past 10 years, for the prodigious volume of finger food and wine I can consume (poets and other starving artists call it “dinner”) and because I find watercolor so appealing as a visual medium.

I was dazzled by the work of Dong Kingman when I was in junior high, and have been hooked since. It seems to be ecologically simpler than petroleum-based oil paints and almost as versatile; certainly as delightful to the eye, and sometimes even. both eyes. Both media bless my walls. Springfield is exceptionally fortunate to be inhabited by major watercolor talent. To name my favorites would be to draw light from others whom YOU might like even more. I have six favorites — just counted on my left hand (<– humor) — and most of them know who they are (RIM shot!).

The reception begins at 5:30 at Watts and continues through 7:30. The exhibit is open during normal business hours Monday through Friday, 9 to 5.

I will attend, and I hope you will too.

Live long . . . . . and proper.

UIS Chorus to Sing at Vachel House October 17

 “Let us be bold with our songs” series  at Vachel Lindsay Home to  feature October 17 performance by U. of I. at Springfield Chorus 

        SPRINGFIELD – The program series “Let us be bold with our songs” continues Saturday, October 17 at the Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site in Springfield with a 2 p.m. performance by the University of Illinois Springfield Chorus.

 “The ‘Let us be bold with our songs’ series is an educational and entertaining experience,” said Vachel Lindsay Home Site Manager Jennie Battles.  “The program, drawing its title from Vachel Lindsay’s own words, is an opportunity for residents and guests of Springfield to enjoy Illinois artists in the setting of the famous artist’s historic residence.” 

        The University of Illinois at Springfield Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Sharon Graf, is comprised of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members.  Their October 17 performance at the Lindsay Home will feature music from a variety of countries, cultures and historical periods, including songs from Russia, China, and a selection sung on Swahili.  This will be the group’s first performance of the semester and their first ever at the Vachel Lindsay Home.   

 Limited seating is available.  Refreshments and tours of the Lindsay Home follow the October 17 program.

         The Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Site at 603 S. Fifth Street, Springfield, is the birthplace and longtime residence of poet, author and artist Nicholas Vachel Lindsay, 1879-1931.  It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for free public tours.  

“How Lincoln Learned to Read” – October 20 at ALPM

Author of book about the education of great Americans

to appear October 20 at Presidential Museum

SPRINGFIELD – The author of a critically acclaimed book about the educations that made some of America’s greatest people, including Abraham Lincoln, will hold a book discussion and signing Tuesday, October 20 at 7 p.m. in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum’s Union Theater.  Reservations are required for this free event, and may be made by calling (217) 558-8934.

Daniel Wolff is the author of How Lincoln Learned to Read:  Twelve Great Americans and the Educations That Made Them.  The book was an editor’s choice at the Chicago Tribune; received a starred review from Kirkus calling it “a riveting, original examination of education inside and outside the classroom;” and was hailed by The Christian Science Monitor as “a terrific book…rich and thought-provoking.”

Wolff has also written 4^th of July/Asbury Park:  A History of the Promised Land.  He wrote Grammy nominated liner notes for The Complete Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers CD, and his producer credits include the forthcoming Jonathan Demme documentary about New Orleans, Right to Return.

Copies of Wolff’s books may be purchased in the Presidential Museum Gift Shop.  Visit www.presidentlincoln.org for more information on exhibits and programs at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

2010 Illinois Historic Site Calendars

2010 H istoric Illinois Calendars available

SPRINGFIELD – Twelve historic sites from the Prairie State’s vast array of landmarks are highlighted in the 2010 Historic Illinois Calendar which is now on sale.

The calendar, produced by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA), features 12 full-color photographs of historic sites managed by IHPA and taken by photographers Nels Akerlund of Rockford and Gregg Daniels and Ron Ackerman of Springfield.  Each photo carries a brief description of the site and where it is located.

The 13 by 10 inch calendar’s design rivals those found in bookstores for nearly twice the price.  The calendars are $7 each or just $5 each if you order five or more.   You may order the calendars by sending a check or money order, payable to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, to:  Historic Illinois Calendar, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 1 Old State Capitol Plaza, Springfield, IL  62701-1512.  For more information, call (217) 524-6045.  The calendar may be previewed on the Historic Preservation Agency website:  www.Illinois-History.gov/calendar.htm.

The 2010 Historic Illinois Calendar contains the following photographs:

City and County         Month Site

Ellis Grove (Randolph)  January Pierre Menard Home
Bement (Piatt)                  February        Bryant Cottage
Vandalia (Fayette)              March           Vandalia Statehouse
Galesburg (Knox)                April           Carl Sandburg Home
Brimfield (Peoria)              May             Jubilee College
Cahokia (St. Clair)             June            Jarrot Mansion
Metamora (Woodford)     July            Metamora Courthouse
Galena (Jo Daviess)             August          Ulysses S. Grant Home
Petersburg (Menard)             September       Lincoln’s New Salem
Springfield (Sangamon)  October Dana-Thomas House (cover image)
Bishop Hill (Henry)             November        Bishop Hill
Bloomington (McLean)    December        David Davis Mansion

Lincoln’s fave poetry at Lincoln Tomb October 10

Lincoln’s favorite poetry to be presented during “To Write So Fine a Piece” October 10 at Lincoln Tomb

SPRINGFIELD – Abraham Lincoln’s favorite poetry will be performed during “To Write So Fine A Piece,” a new special event scheduled for Saturday, October 10 at 2 p.m. at Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site.  The event is free and open to the public.

The one hour program will include several poems that Lincoln had committed to memory, including Herman Melville’s “The Martyr,” Henry W. Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life” and “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” and Thomas Hood’s “The Haunted House.”  Works from other poets will be featured, including William Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Edgar Allen Poe, William Knox, and Thomas Campbell.

The readers will include speech students from Glenwood High School, the theatre director from Glenwood High, and Lincoln Tomb volunteers.  Chairs will be set up on the lawn at the Caretaker’s House just west of the tomb, and lawn chairs will also be welcome.  The event will be cancelled if there is inclement weather.

Lincoln Tomb State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is the final resting place of the 16^th President, his wife, and three of their four sons.  It is located in Springfield’s Oak Ridge Cemetery and is open Tuesday through Saturday for free public tours.

Storytelling Festival: Springfield, IL, October 16 & 17

Stories like Lincoln used to tell

“Once Upon a Prairie” Storytelling Festival October 16 – 1 7

SPRINGFIELD – A weekend of storytelling for the entire family, including tales about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, a new set of nighttime scary stories, and a cookies and milk session for kids, will be featured when the “Once Upon a Prairie” Storytelling Festival returns to Springfield on Friday and Saturday, October 16 and 17, in downtown Springfield.  All of the sessions are free and open to the public.

“Classically Scared:  READ into it what you will!” is a new session that will kick off the storytelling festival on Friday, October 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Vachel Lindsay Home at 603 S. Fifth Street.  Performer-readers will be located in several rooms of the historic home, reading from classic stories and poems of suspense.  The evening will feature the sounds and sights of the All Hallows season, and hot chocolate and cookies will be served by lantern light in the back garden.  The session is free and is suitable for those middle school age and older, but reservations are required due to the limited amount of room.  Call (217) 524-0901 to make reservations.

“Stories like Lincoln Used to Tell” will be presented Saturday, October 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m. at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in downtown Springfield.  Storytellers will include Anne Shimojima of Morton, Illinois, who has delighted youth and adult audiences of all sizes with her graceful and spirited tellings of folktales from her Asian heritage and around the world; Linda Gorham, who inspires audiences by using movement, humor, and sometimes zaniness as she tells imaginative multicultural folktales updated “with attitude;” and three-time Emmy Award-winning host of the CBS-TV show “Gator Tales,” Bobby Norfolk of St. Louis.

Families are invited to a special “Cookies and Milk” Story Hour on Saturday, October 17 from 2 to 3 p.m. at Café Moxo, 411 East Adams in downtown Springfield.  Free cookies and milk will be provided for kids, and this event is timed so no one will have to miss any of the other storytelling sessions that day.

“Once Upon a Prairie” will conclude at 6 p.m. Saturday, October 17 at the Old State Capitol with “In the Shadow of Lincoln,” presented by nationally-renowned storyteller Bobby Norfolk. In this celebration of Lincoln’s 200th birthday and the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Norfolk will tell the story of Lincoln, the Civil War, and the trials and triumphs of African Americans living in the shadow of slavery.  Portraying a freed slave named Jacob around 1865, Norfolk will use first person narratives, poetry, and song to highlight the key players, events, and political forces that brought ordinary men and women into extraordinary circumstances.

The “Once Upon a Prairie” storytelling festival is sponsored by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which administers the Old State Capitol and Vachel Lindsay Home State Historic Sites; and Café Moxo.

The news above is shared through the courtesy of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and approved by Halsted Jernigan.

Welcome to Central Illinois Arts!

On Friday afternoon I drove into the heart of downtown Springfield to photograph Katherine Pippin Pauley’s new featured art at Prairie Art Alliance’s terrific HD Smith Gallery. I also visited RMD Gallery and tried to visit Robert Morris College Gallery but it was closed and I walked away. I did not want to get assailed by the local gendarmes for entering without a key. On the way home I visited the birthplace and final home of Springfield artist and poet Vachel Lindsay. His art and his mother’s art are well-displayed in the restored 19th Century Victorian home, and any artists or art enthusiast has missed the boat if you’ve not visited that place. More about old Vachel’s art in a future blog.

On the way home, I decided to ask readers of my everyday blog, Honey and Quinine if they would enjoy a new blog devoted to the art of central Illinois. By the time I walked in the door, I decided to chuck the asking part and “just do’t.”

This blog is intended to share your contributions of news of what’s coming to town, birthdays of artists, exhibit openings, mini reviews of exhibitions and artists and darn near anything not profane (“You’re pro fane. You prob’ly think this blog’s about you.”) or obscene (and not heard). All but two or three links posted in the Blog Roll on the right will be links to other arts blogs. For arts web site links, visit www.civag.com/artslinks.htm and read all about them.

I will be adding additional content to my profile as Central Illinois Arts gets rolling. In the meantime, thanks for dropping by and reading this much. Tell artists and arts fans about Central Illinois Art. This will be as much your site as it is mine, and I hope, happily so.

Stroke well.