Feb 12, 2008 1:42 pm US/Central
State Prepares For Lincoln Bicentennial In A Year
In Kentucky, 199th Birthday Celebration For Lincoln Called Off Due To Bad Weather
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, photographed by Mathew Brady, undated (ca 1860-1865) B&W portrait on black.
AP
Some government offices and Chicago Public Schools are closed Tuesday for Lincoln's birthday. But next year, it will be the bicentennial celebration of Lincoln's birth.
The Illinois Abraham Lincoln bicentennial commission has awarded $700,000 in grants to small towns around the state to mark the occasion.
The funds will go toward 25 projects, including preserving historic sites, creating new statues to honor Lincoln, and building new museums.
Meanwhile, Abraham Lincoln's birth in a small Kentucky cabin coincided with harsh wintry weather, and this year, another winter storm forced the cancellation of a celebration at his birthplace near the central Kentucky town of Hodgenville. It was to help kick off a two-year bicentennial commemoration.
First lady Laura Bush was scheduled to speak at the 90-minute ceremony Tuesday marking Lincoln's 199th birthday, but a treacherous combination of snow and ice kept her from visiting Kentucky.
Organizers had expected about 5,000 people at the event, and the guest list was to include Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, Gov. Steve Beshear, members of Congress and actor Sam Waterston.
"It's a tremendous disappointment," said Tommy Turner, judge-executive of LaRue County, where the birthplace is located, and a key organizer of the event.
Linda Friar with National Park Service said concerns about hazardous driving conditions around the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site just outside Hodgenville led to the cancellation.
David Early, spokesman for the national Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, said it was too soon to discuss possible plans to reschedule the ceremony. Turner said two other events honoring Lincoln still would take place later Tuesday -- a luncheon put on by members of the community and a dedication ceremony for the first marker for the Lincoln Heritage Trail.
Hodgenville residents had spent years gearing up for the celebration that promised to shine the national spotlight on the town of about 3,000. "The community was ready to shine," Turner said.
Turner, who was to serve as master of ceremonies at the celebration, said he was hopeful that another event could be scheduled at the birthplace.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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