Next Convention Information:
Conference dates are April 12-15, 2012 in Decatur, IL., at the Decatur Conference Center & Hotel:
Dear Members and Friends of the Association of Lincoln Presenters,
We cordially invite you to Decatur, Illinois – A City of Lincoln Firsts – in April 2012 for a time of learning and camaraderie during the 18th annual conference of the Association of Lincoln Presenters.
This year’s conference headquarters is the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel, an excellent full-service hotel whose meeting rooms will allow us to hold many of our events on-site. Information about the hotel and contact information about making reservations are enclosed.
The general conference commences at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12, when sculptor John McClarey will share his special insights of rendering an image of Abraham Lincoln. We will be viewing several of Mr. McClarey’s works the next day during our tour of Decatur.
Our first full day of events – Friday, April 13 – will begin with a visit to some of the sites of “Lincoln Firsts,” including that of his first political speech and the place of his first acclamation as “The Railsplitter” and his first nomination for the presidency. We also plan to visit the Macon County History Museum, home to the log structure that served as the courthouse of the first Illinois county (Macon County) where Lincoln was a resident. The day’s tour will end with a visit to the site of the Lincoln homestead where Thomas Lincoln and his extended household (including Abraham) first settled in Illinois and where the family weathered the “winter of the deep snow.”
On Friday evening, we will hold our annual business meeting at the hotel.
Noted scholar Gerald Prokopowicz, formerly of the Lincoln Museum in Ft. Wayne, Ind., and author of Did Abraham Lincoln Own Slaves? and Other Frequently Asked Questions About Abraham Lincoln, will jumpstart Saturday’s Lincoln Colloquium, which is open to the public. Other scholars will offer presentations on Lincoln’s connection with surrounding Illinois communities, upon religion in Lincoln’s society, and what Mary Todd Lincoln “wished Abraham Lincoln had known” (19th-century etiquette). A participatory workshop on children’s games of Lincoln’s day is scheduled to end the afternoon’s activities.
The day’s activities will conclude with a social hour/banquet, followed by the conference’s keynote speech -- “The Hardest Question: Lincoln and Equality” --by Dr. Prokopowicz. Attendees will then have the opportunity to try country-style dancing in the style of the 19th century. An experienced dance caller will help us with contras and squares, while the Motherlode string band plays dance tunes on acoustic instruments.
Kathleen Jensen, a member of the Conference Planning Committee, has made arrangements for a post-conference event in Springfield. Those interested in doing so may attend the 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday, April 15, at the First Presbyterian Church -- the same congregation where Lincoln and his family attended (and rented a pew). There is no cost for attending the service, but the church would appreciate knowing how many plan to attend. Please note your intentions on the enclosed registration form.
Other post-conference activities are in the planning stages and may be dependent upon the number of members who are interested in participating. Please see enclosed forms for more information.
We are hopeful central Illinois will be on its best behavior during your visit. If so, the weather will be dry, with temperatures in the mid-sixties. However, temperatures as high as 90 degrees F or as low as the mid-forties (with high winds, rain and/or the odd flake of snow) would not be unheard of. We advise you to pack accordingly.
And while you’re packing… As in the past, we will hold a silent auction. Larry and Mary Elliott, along with Betty Mansfield, have agreed to coordinate the event. If you can, please bring items to donate.
Some of you may find the meal prices high. Perhaps it may ease the sting to consider that our use of the hotel’s meeting rooms is, in part, based upon our spending a certain amount of money with the hotel. Thus, with your meal price, you are helping to pay for the use of the hotel’s facilities for the duration of the conference. However, please note that the hotel has its own restaurant; there is also a sandwich shop located near the hotel and other restaurants that can easily be found within a couple of miles from our host site.
Also, we remind those conference attendees with health concerns to consider typing a list of conditions, history and medicines to carry on their persons in the event of a medical emergency. Please note that the ALP assumes no liability for any injury, loss or damage to participants at the annual conference; by registering, attendees assume full responsibility and expressly release the ALP and conference planners from any and all claims for injury, loss or damage.
We wish you a safe journey to Decatur and hope to see you in April!
Warmly Yours,
Joe and Vicki Woodard
2012 Hotel Information and Registration Form