6 to 7 hundred 4th and 5th grade students from South Spencer, North Spencer, Dubois, and Cannelton elementary schools were attentively listening to the Lincoln and Mary presenters on Friday at the Lincoln Amphitheater in Lincoln City.
The presenters characterize The Association of Lincoln Presenters organization that chose their 2016 convention to take place in Spencer County, Indiana which couldn’t be more appropriate with the Bicentennial of the Lincoln family arriving to Spencer County and also the ongoing commemoration of the crossroads of America with Indiana’s Bicentennial.
On Saturday night the presenters and guests enjoyed a night of 1800′s period music, dancing, silent auction of Lincoln valuables, and more during the gala dinner at the Santa’s Lodge.
During the gala dinner Dean Dorrell, from Washington,IN, who portrays Lincoln for the Spencer county area, described that the series of events started on Thursday, April 14th with artist Jerry Bomb, then the Lincoln Amphitheater, exploration of the Lincoln parks and Bicentennial Plaza, the public was able to join in a tour that reached a number of Lincoln related historical sites in Kentucky and Indiana, and finally a business meeting and the Gala dinner on Saturday with a Sunday church service at the Lincoln Boyhood Memorial location.
Dorrell has portrayed Lincoln for 20 years and has been a member of the Association of Lincoln Presenters for 19 years. He is also a member of Think Lincoln and elaborates on the significance the organization serves for Spencer County.
The Think Lincoln volunteers prepared for 2 years to bring Lincoln, Mary, and other presenters from the association to Indiana, many of which were also coming from the Midwest, Georgia, Florida, and California. Nancy Kaiser, a volunteer for 10 years at Think Lincoln, shared that she has been involved for the passion of conserving valuable information about Abraham Lincoln.
Dorrell also described that about 35 Lincolns and around 10 Marys were present at this convention with over 52 registered participants from all over the nation. He also stated that their dedication to portray President Abraham Lincoln is valuable and relevant today.
The Association of Lincoln Presenters started as a small group in 1990 inaugurated by Dan Bassuk and is a non profit organization with the mission “to preserve the legacy of Abraham and Mary Lincoln, to honor their words and works, and walk in their footsteps.”
For more information on the Think Lincoln organization visit their website at Think Lincoln: Think Spencer County,Indiana and for more information on The Association of Lincoln Presenters visit their website at http://www.lincoln-presenters.org/ .
