Obama returning to Illinois for Lincoln's 200th

For the first time since before his inauguration, President Barack Obama will return to Illinois later this month to commemorate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln.

Obama is set to speak at the Lincoln Association's banquet in Springfield the night of Feb. 12.

Obama, a Chicago Democrat, has long said he admires Lincoln and has tried to draw parallels between himself and the legacy of the president credited with saving the Union in the 1860s. He was sworn into office on Lincoln's Bible and announced both his presidential campaign and his vice presidential pick on the steps of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield where Lincoln served.

Obama's attendance at the evening event on Feb. 12 is expected to draw national attention to the bicentennial celebration, which has been planned for years and will include a symposium of Lincoln scholars as well.

"As our country's economic challenges grow, President Barack Obama will be called on to show leadership and courage similar to that shown by Lincoln during one of the most difficult periods in our history," said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Springfield Democrat, in a statement regarding Obama's attendance.