Celebrate Lincoln's Birthday in style this year in McHenry County

Someone has a birthday coming up, and we are all invited! This February, McHenry County will celebrate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln with special programs and events in every town, school, and library.

Here in Huntley, the celebration has begun. "We've got Lincoln banners up all around town, and the (village) board will probably pass a proclamation," said town clerk Rita McMahon. "It's a huge deal, especially when you realize that it's only two years' difference from (the birth date of town founder) Thomas Stillwell Huntley."

"It makes you wonder if, maybe, they were acquaintances or something. I like to think they might have been."

On Sunday, Feb. 1, McHenry County College will kick off the festivities with "An Afternoon with the Lincolns," featuring Max and Donna Daniels, professional "Abe" and "Mary" impersonators who appear frequently in living history events throughout the Midwest. Families are invited, the program is free, and tickets will be available by the door.

The McHenry County Historical Society will co-sponsor the event, and visitors may tour their new "Lincoln, The Man" exhibit inside "The James," a mobile museum bus that often travels to schools, libraries, and special events throughout the county. Costumed members of local Civil War Round Tables will also take part in the activities.

More details are posted at www.alincoln200.com, the Web site of McHenry County's Lincoln Birthday Committee, which has planned several countywide activities for February and beyond. Local schools will hold Lincoln-themed art contests, and raise money for their libraries by collecting Lincoln pennies. On Lincoln's Birthday, Feb. 12, groups throughout the county will meet at 1:30 p.m. to read the Gettysburg address, and a Lincoln's Birthday Celebration Gala is planned on Feb. 21, at the Dole Mansion in Crystal Lake.

The black-tie affair includes Civil War-era music and dancing, says chairman Tina Hill, plus a "Lincoln-style" menu catered by the 1776 Restaurant. Entertainers will be the Woodstock Squares, the Century Air Minstrels (a St.-Charles based Civil War-period string band), and pianist Charise Bradley, with Sun City Huntley resident Gary Cooney appearing as President Lincoln himself. Formal or Civil War period dress is suggested. Tickets are $100 each; details and order forms are at www.alincoln200.com, or call Hill at (815) 347-4222.

On Tuesday, Feb. 2, Huntley High School will host Springfield actor Fritz Klein, a noted Lincoln impersonator who has appeared on the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, and C-SPAN. Throughout the day, Klein will perform free programs for student in the Performing Arts Center, speaking in the persona of President Lincoln. His visit is funded by a grant from the District 158 Education Foundation, and he will also attend a Lincoln Birthday Luncheon in the Learning Resource Center with foundation members, school officials, and invited guests.

"We're trying to keep it in line with what they might have eaten when they were in the Civil War," said school librarian Ann Christiansen. So, does that mean hardtack and stagnant water? "No, but meatloaf and gravy, and maybe some pumpkin pie," she said.

Huntley High School students have until Tuesday, Feb. 2, to submit their "Lincoln Contest" entries of art, videos, slide shows, posters, or other creative projects that will be displayed Feb. 3 in a "Lincoln Tunnel" gallery near the Performing Arts Center.

Library plans Lincoln activities: On Lincoln's Birthday, Feb. 12, at precisely 1:30 p.m., the Huntley Public Library will join others throughout the county in a group recitation of the Gettysburg Address. Residents are invited to stop by the library and take part. Copies of the address will be provided, and participants will receive a commemorative bookmark.

From Feb. 1-March 31, the library will hold a Lincoln Penny Drive to benefit their Summer Reading Program, and on Monday, Feb. 10, children in grades K-4 can celebrate Presidents Day with Lincoln-themed arts and crafts at 11 a.m. in the old village hall. The library is also hosting a "Lincoln Look-Alike" contest. Dress up like Lincoln, take a photo and submit it at the reference desk. Pictures will be displayed throughout the month of March, and a winner will be announced on April 5. The contest is open to all ages.

Local readers may join McHenry County's "One County - One Book" initiative by reading this year's selection, "Lincoln: A Photobiography," by Russell Freedman. The book contains rare photos and details of Lincoln's early life family, and is fascinating for children and adults, says Carol Donahue, whose Friday Book Club will review the book on Feb. 27. The library has several copies in circulation, and you can sign up on a waiting list if they are all checked out.

The Huntley library will host public discussions of "Lincoln: A Photobiography" for adults from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 5; for sixth- to 12th-graders from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 19; and for fourth- to eighth-graders from 4 to 5 p.m. Monday, March 9. All will take place at the old village hall; register at the library, by phone at (847) 669-5386 or online at www.huntleylibrary.org.

Ladies of all ages are invited to attend "Civil War Fashions and Accessories," at 1 p.m. March 14. Hosted by the Huntley Area Public Library, this Civil War-era fashion show and reception features ladies of the McHenry County Civil War Round Table in authentic costumes of the period. Or bring the whole family to "Meet the Lincolns" at 7 p.m. Friday, April 17, with Abe and Mary re-enactors Michael Krebs and Debra Ann Miller. The free programs will be held at Faith Community Church, 10547 Faiths Way in Huntley. Contact the library to register in advance.

Order Huntley photo book now: Around this time last year, Huntley historian and writer Nancy Bacheller appealed to local residents to share their photos of early Huntley scenes - houses, businesses, local schools, people - for use in a book that she was writing. That book is now completed, and you can pre-order a copy of "Huntley: Images of America" at the library or at upcoming Huntley Expo on Feb. 21-22. The cost is $20 and profits will benefit the Friends of the Huntley Library.

For several years, Bacheller and her friend Mary Beth Manning have volunteered hundreds of hours of work to preserve and catalog Huntley's local history - photos, books, records, mementos - at the Huntley library. No one knows or cares more about Huntley's heritage than these two ladies, and the new book is a result of that dedication. Orders may be picked up the public book-signing set for March 10 at the Huntley library. The book is a limited edition, but extra copies may be available for sale. For details, call (847) 669-5386.