Published: August 16, 2008 08:58 pm      

Dinner kicks off bicentennial

DANVILLE — What did Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln talk about on that fateful night before going to Ford Theatre in Washington, D.C.?

People can find out at an event called “Dinner with the Lincolns” — the first local Lincoln-related event to celebrate the president’s upcoming 200th birthday.

Max and Donna Daniels of Wilmette will portray the famous couple at the dinner, which will start at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Vermilion County Museum, 116 N. Gilbert.

Tickets are $40 a couple and $25 a person, and may be purchased at the museum. Seating is limited to about 80-90 people.

The Vermilion County Museum Society and Illiana Civil War Historical Society will sponsor the dinner, with proceeds going to those groups.

The Danielses will give a skit, and guests will be able to chat with the Lincolns before they leave for the theater. On April 14, 1865, during the play, Lincoln was shot by actor John Wilkes Booth, and died the next morning.

The Danielses have an extensive background in community theater and have been portraying Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln professionally since 1988. They won an award for “Best Abraham and Mary Lincoln Team” in 1994, given by the National Association of Lincoln Presenters.

They research and write their own original scripts, presenting the programs in an entertaining way. They are popular attractions at Civil War Re-enactments throughout the Midwest and make more than 250 appearances each year for schools, libraries, and other organizations, according to the couple’s Web site.

Besides enjoying some of Lincoln’s favorite foods, people at the dinner will have a chance to hear the music of the Ol’ Vermilion String Band.

The four-piece band is made up of Jim Divan on guitar, Andy Weathers of Ridge Farm on mandolin and fiddle, Dave Borders of Hoopeston on string bass and Bobby Dalton of Farmer City on banjo.

The musicians will wear period clothing and play songs of Lincoln’s era, such as “Red River Valley,” “Turkey in the Straw” and “Camptown Races.” They’ll also play “Lakes of Pontchartrain” and “Ashokan Farewell.”

“It’ll be a lot of fun,” Divan said. “We’re looking forward to it.”

The band also will perform at Civil War Days, Sept. 27-28, at Kennekuk County Park.

Debate set

Another event coming up will be a Lincoln-Douglas debate at 7 p.m. Oct. 17 and 18 at the Danville Area Community College Bremer Conference Center, 2000 E. Main St. Admission is free, but seating is on a first-come basis.

Lincoln and Stephen Douglas didn’t actually debate in Danville, so the script will be based on speeches given by the two men at different times. The event will be in the form of a town hall meeting.

Students in Glenda Boling’s theater class at DACC will portray the characters. The script was written by historian Don Richter.

Cemetery tour

Although not strictly part of the Lincoln bicentennial, “Behind the Tombstone” cemetery walk will involve figures who knew Lincoln.

Residents of Spring Hill Cemetery — many of them historic figures — will give guided tours at 6 and 6:30 p.m. Sept. 12; from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 13 and from 12:40-3 p.m. Sept. 14. The tours on Saturday and Sunday will leave at 20-minute intervals.

Tickets are available at the museum and cost $12 in advance and $15 on the day of the event.

Sue Richter, director of the museum, said a popular character will return this year — Luther the gravedigger. His sidekick Abner, however, had an unfortunate grave-digging accident, so he will be replaced by his sister, Abigail.

“They should be pretty good this year,” Richter said.

Another new twist is that there will be a professional mourner roaming the cemetery, she said. In the past, people were hired to mourn at gravesites when there weren’t enough friends and family to grieve for the departed.

The walk is sponsored by the Vermilion County Museum Society and Red Mask Players, with proceeds going to those groups.

FYI

Tickets are available at the Vermilion County Museum, 116 N. Gilbert St., for “Dinner with the Lincolns” on Sept. 26 and “Beyond the Tombstone” cemetery walk on Sept. 12-14. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Its number is 442-2922.

ON THE WEB

Learn more about Max and Donna Daniels at their Web site, http://www.abeandthebabe.com