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(Continued from above)
About 18 people enjoyed a pre-convention tour of Saint Meinrad's Abbey.
One of our members is an alumni of St. Meinrad's, so prior to studying
Lincoln’s youth, he was able to enjoy and share special memories of his
own youth. Friday’s events included Gerald Swick’s speech about
Lincoln’s brother-in-law, GRC Todd. Awards were presented,
including special awards to Dan Bassuk and Jim Sayre for their
dedication to the ALP. The men and women were treated to separate
socials. At the ladies’ strawberry party, a special dessert was
served – a pecan cake that originated in the kitchen of Mary Lincoln’s
childhood home. The ladies enjoyed a lesson about the language of
flowers during early Victorian times. The men enjoyed a discussion
about Lincoln’s Indiana poetry and were served one of Lincoln’s favorite
desserts – gingerbread.
Saturday morning began with
workshops about performing, the media, the Nancy Hanks Cemetery, and the
Lincoln Amphitheatre. After lunch, we traveled to Buffalo Run for
the dedication of an 1830’s log cabin which is believed to have been
visited by Abraham Lincoln. Buffalo Run is located on the farm
which had belonged to Dennis Hanks and his wife, Elizabeth Johnston.
The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Lincoln Boyhood Farm National
Site. Members walked the farm where Lincoln had lived as a youth –
visited Nancy Hanks’ grave – visited the museum – and some attended a
presentation about 19th century clothing. That evening
we were the dinner guests of the Spencer County Historical Society.
For me personally, Saturday brought two convention highlights. One
was surprising Macon Ray with the scholarship that had been established
in his honor. Macon worked at the Lincoln Amphitheatre for 13
years, and the scholarship was established to commensurate his work
there and his dedication to education. The other highlight was the
balloon glow of the 80-foot hot air balloon which was brought to
convention by Jay Gillespie.
Sunday morning gave us an
opportunity to worship together and to hear one of our members, Pastor
Chris Small, tell the story of Christ’s crucifixion through the eyes of
Barabbas. It was indeed a powerful service. In the
afternoon, we traveled to the Lincoln Amphitheatre, Colonel Jones State
Historic Site, Lincoln Pioneer Village, and then back to the hotel.
Nineteen gathered together for a wonderful meal at Windell’s Diner.
On Monday, the crowd was growing
much smaller as people had to make their plans to travel home.
Those who remained traveled to the site where Lincoln operated a ferry –
just half way across the river. The next stop was the Squire Pate
home, the place were Lincoln defended himself in his first law trial.
The home is a private residence – complete with the old family cemetery.
The house itself has remained in the Squire Pate family, and even though
it has been added to and remodeled, the huge old logs are still visible
on the front side. The journey ended at the Buffalo Run
restaurant. But before everyone left, several of the Lincoln’s
ventured outside to feed the buffalo. After lunch, everyone said
good-bye, and spoke of looking forward to the next time we all gather on
the Lincoln trail.
Donna McCreary
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