Happy 200th, Mr. President

"I have stepped out upon this platform that I may see you and that you may see me, and in that arrangement, I have the best of the bargain," said Abraham Lincoln.

In route from Illinois to Washington, D.C., to assume his elected position as president of the United Sates, Lincoln repeated those sentiments at numerous whistle stops along the way during February 1861.

Now seven score and eight years later, a plethora of national, regional and local events honor the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth on Feb. 12, 1809. This time it is our turn to benefit from learning about the 16th president of the United States.

This is a story about Naperville's Pre-emption House, Lisle's Lincoln Highway, Benedictine University's Lincoln collection and the local events that celebrate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln.

• The Lisle High School Band department presents a Lincoln Bicentennial Birthday Celebration of patriotic music with a PowerPoint presentation on Lincoln at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the school, 1800 Short St. Music selections include "Lincoln Celebration," Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture," Aaron Copland's "Lincoln" and "Lincoln Portrait," and John Phillip Sousa's march "Liberty Bell."

• The Lisle Library book discussion group meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the library, 777 Front St., to discuss "Age of Lincoln" by Orville Burton. Burton relates a complete profile of Abraham Lincoln's presidency. Call (630) 971-1675, ext. 1506, to register.

• The Naperville Public Library will present "Lincoln: Commander in Chief" with artist and speaker Jim Weren at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at the 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Drive. Advance registration and library card are required. Call (630) 961-4100, ext. 2231, to register.

• Fourth-grade students at Schiesher Elementary School will enjoy stories by actor Fritz Klein portraying Abe in a theatrical presentation on Tuesday, Feb. 17. It will complete the students study of the 16th president.

• A life-size cutout of Lincoln stands in the youth department at the Lisle Library to draw attention to its program on Lincoln at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. Actor Scott Sawa as honest Abe takes his character back to age 8 to re-enact his childhood in Kentucky, and then Lincoln's move to Illinois, his years as a lawyer, congressman and rise to president. Sawa says the role looks at the values and character of Lincoln.

"Abe traveled to New Orleans working on a flatbed when he was around 12 years of age where he witnessed slavery for the first time," Sawa said. "There he begins to form his ideas against slavery."

In his portrayal, Sawa finds Lincoln's great thirst for knowledge and dedication to educating himself impressive. From the character, Sawa said he hopes to show his audience Lincoln's gentle spirit and capture the underlying message that great leaders must follow their morals and values to succeed.

All ages are welcome; children accompanied by an adult. Limit 100.

• Lincoln Highway that runs north to south through Lisle, designated as Route 53, was named to honor Abraham Lincoln, said historian David Clark, who will address the subject "The Roads that Lead to Lincoln" in a program for adults at 7 p.m. March 31 at Naperville's Nichols Library, 200 Jefferson Ave.

"Lincoln made sure that the railroad that needed an East-West system would run through his home state," Clark said. "Due to his efforts it happened."

In Lincoln's lifetime, Clark said the railroad system created corridors of commerce between Chicago and the West so when automobiles came along highway planners took advantage of the same corridors to place new highways.

"People who planned the first marked transcontinental highway from New York to San Francisco, could not think of a better person to name it after than President Lincoln," Clark said. "Lincoln Highway marked the best roads to promote travel by car in the '30s."

To reference that Lincoln was once in Naperville, Clark read a passage from the book, "Following in Lincoln's Footsteps," by Ralph Gary.

"According to the Aurora Beacon News dated Oct. 10, 1942, Lincoln stayed in the Pre-emption House in Naperville," Clark read. "The boy who was supposed to take bags to the room ran off to tell the townspeople that Lincoln was there. The people demanded a speech and Lincoln spoke from the roof of the porch."

• Some of Benedictine University's Lincoln collection will be displayed in its library in two showcases on the first and fourth floors. Included are books, pictures, artifacts and a couple functional pieces from the Lincoln funeral train. A set of miniature books on Lincoln were handwritten and painted, said special collections librarian Jennifer Merriman. The library is open 7:45 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays; call (630) 829-6050 for weekend hours.

Most of the university's Lincoln collection was donated to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield and is called the Thomas Dyba Collection because Dyba, a Lincoln author and enthusiast, was a former provost at the university.

"The Dyba collection is a marvel of modern assiduousness," e-mailed James Cornelius, Lincoln collection curator at the state-of-the-art Illinois museum. "There are at least a thousand books and pamphlets, including speeches, programs and other ephemera. There are hundreds of prints and photographs on up through 1980s."

Included in the collection is a bowl from Mt. Rushmore, a tea towel from the Gettysburg Address and stamps bearing Lincoln's image. A 15-foot model of the funeral train meticulously created by a former Benedictine professor Wayne Wesolowski and his son Steve is among the largest and finest items, according to Cornelius. The other is a 26-inch plaster bust by artist Daniel Chester French, a model for his sculpture at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C.

The model train is permanently on display in Union Station across the street from the museum. Following Lincoln's assassination, millions mourned the president as the train carrying his body moved slowly along 1,700 miles through more than 180 small cities and towns along its route.

• At 2 p.m. March 7, the Glen Ellyn History Center, 800 N. Main St., stages "Abe Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt in Dialogue." At 7 p.m. April 2 the center presents "Lincoln as a War Leader."

• The Salt Creek Civil War Round Table Annual Banquet will include presenters Abe and Mary Lincoln at the Lisle Hilton Hotel at 6 p.m. June 19. Information is at saltcreekcwrt.org.

• Watch for the Lisle Library Friends for Lincoln related programs. Friends President Doug Cunningham is a member of the Lincoln Bicentennial Coalition and working on securing a Frederick Douglas portrayer and a Lincoln-Douglas debate. Check the calendar of listings at lislelibrary.org for the presentations at 2 p.m. Sundays.

• "Naperville in the Age of Lincoln" is a special exhibit running through June 28 at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville, that looks at life in Illinois in the 1830s to 1860s.

• The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, opened in 2005, contains 46,000 square feet of exhibit space. Its informative Web site is alplm.org.

• Joan Broz writes about Lisle. E-mail her at jgbroz@yahoo.com.