All voting members of the Friends of Lincoln State Park are hereby notified that the annual membership meeting of the Friends of Lincoln State Park will be held on Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at 7 PM. The meeting will be held at the new Nature Center which is located in the lower level of the dining hall at the Pine Hills Group Camp. Two seats on the board of directors will up for election. Candidates currently slated and running for the two seats on the board are Dan Wilkinson and Tim McCutcheon. All members who paid dues in 2008 are eligible to vote. Following the election of board members, the board will hold an election of officers for 2009.

On Sunday, February 8th from 2-4 PM at the Dale Community Center, the newly formed Dale Optimist Club will sponsor a Lincoln Birthday Celebration. At the time of this newsletter, the event is to include crafts and games from 2-3 PM followed by storyteller Susan Fowler at 3 PM. Local Lincoln portrayer, Dean Dorrell will be at the event which will conclude with cake or cupcakes and the singing of "Happy Birthday" to Abe himself. The Friends of Lincoln State Park are cooperating by presenting pioneer games and a small exhibit on the new nature center as well as providing some financial support.

The Dale Optimist Club meets on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month at Windell's Cafe in Dale at 6 PM. Come and join us for this special birthdy celebration!

Thank you to everyone who helped make 2008 one of the best years ever for the Friends of Lincoln State Park. Once again, the Fall Frolic and Haunted Trail events in October were highly successful and very well attended. Special thanks to the students of the Heritage Hills Drama class and their teacher Sandi Fortune for their help presenting the haunted trail. Also, a special thank you to Girl Scout Troop #139 from St. Meinrad for their help during the Fall Frolic activities. And, of course, thank you to all of our members and the support they provide through their membership dues. We couldn't do it without you!

2009 is here which means the Friends of Lincoln State Park will begin planning and preparation for this year's activities and projects. The sagging economy and state budget constraints will once again put strain on Indiana's state parks. This will make the support of the Friends organization and its members all the more important this year. When you receive your 2009 renewal notice in the mail, please take a moment to return it with your membership dues. If you've given at a higher level in the past and don't feel you can maintain that level of support you are always free to renew at a lower level. Any support you provide will be appreciated and help us to support Lincoln State Park.

Despite the challenges, 2009 should be a very exciting year at Lincoln State Park. The new nature center is still scheduled to open this summer. On June 12, the new Lincoln Bicentennial Plaza will be dedicated and a new production entitled "Lincoln" will premiere at the Lincoln Amphitheatre produced by the Lincoln Boyhood Drama Association. See you at the park!

Congratulations to the following individuals who were selected as winners in the Friends of Lincoln State Park 2008 contest drawing:

Lincoln State Park t-shirt:   Dan Schulz of Evansville
Lincoln State Park hat:   James Boerste of Huntingburg
DNR Camping Gift Card:   Tracy Turner of Owensville
DNR Annual Entrance Permit:   Tella Payne of Tennyson
Outdoor Indiana Subscription:   Neal & Michelle Myers of Evansville
Holiday World tickets:   Mike Sipes of Grandview

Tickets are now on sale

A new theatrical experience, "Lincoln", will premiere at the Lincoln Amphitheatre on June 12 and will run through August 15, Tuesday through Sunday. The new production is being billed as a "complete Lincoln experience" and will include meal service, a Lincoln archives exhibit, guided walking tours, children's pioneer games, period artisans, free popcorn and soft drinks, and an opportunity for a Matthew Brady photograph. Ticket prices include meal and concessions. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the amphitheatre website at www.lincolnamphitheatre.com, or call (800) 264-4ABE.

Dr. James Madison, Professor of History and director of Indiana University's Liberal Arts and Management Program, will be the featured speaker at the annual Lincoln Day program on Thursday, February 12, 2009. The program will begin at 2:00 p.m. (CST) and will be held in the Abraham Lincoln Hall of Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, Lincoln City, Indiana.

Dr. Madison has been teaching at IU since 1973 and is the author of several books, including The Indiana Way: A State History. He is the recipient of the Indiana Historical Society's Hoosier Historian Award and has been a fellow at Harvard University, the Newberry Library, and the Huntington Library. In 2001, the Organization of American Historians named Professor Madison a Distinguished Lecturer.

The 2009 Lincoln Day program will mark the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln and will include presentation of the colors by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, special music presented by the Red Bank Reunion Band, and other ceremonial activities to honor the memory of him and his family.

Following the indoor program, the traditional pilgrimage to the gravesite of Nancy Hanks Lincoln for a wreath laying ceremony will be held. All are invited to a reception in the Memorial Visitor Center at the conclusion of the program. The park entrance fee will be waived for this special event.

For more information, please contact the national park office at 812-937-4541.

Hundreds of students, Commander of USS Abraham Lincoln to attend

INDIANAPOLIS - On Feb. 12, 2009, Indiana will join the nation in acknowledging the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth - but, as the state of which Lincoln once said, "There I grew up," Indiana is planning a lot more than cake and a chorus of "Happy Birthday."

Starting at 10 a.m., the Indiana State House Rotunda and North and South Atriums will be fully dedicated to the celebration of America's 16th president, as organizations from across the state offer Lincoln-related exhibits and displays. During a noon program, Hoosier school children will be honored for their Lincoln-related creations, the Commander of the USS Abraham Lincoln will receive a special gift for his ship and crew, and Honest Abe - in the form of Lincoln presenter Dean Dorrel -will speak.

In addition, visitors will be able to learn about the many other Lincoln-related events, activities and sites in Indiana they can visit in the coming year as a part of the ongoing bicentennial celebration.

Lincoln acknowledged that the years he spent in what is now Spencer County, Indiana, from ages 7 to 21, were integral to his development as a man. Not only was it during those years that he learned to swing an axe and push a plow, but he also developed a love of learning and compassion for his fellow man.

During the celebration, Gov. Mitch Daniels will speak and also will present awards to 18 Indiana students who won contests by writing essays, developing PowerPoint presentations or designing stamps honoring Lincoln. A limited number of calendars featuring the students' art and highlighting significant dates from Lincoln's life will be available for free, and special music performances will be presented.

Also, Captain Patrick D. Hall, Commanding Officer of the USS Abraham Lincoln will be on hand to accept the gift of a special quilt created for the Indiana bicentennial celebration. The quilt, which Hall says will be hung in the aircraft carrier's wardroom, includes a depiction of Lincoln as well as reproductions of manuscripts of the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation, and images of three ships that served the Union during the Civil War.

Created by a group of Hoosier quilters known as "The Scrappers Bee," the hanging will join other Lincoln-related items on the ship that already has a replica of a rifle owned by Lincoln's family, a Civil War-era cannonball and an 1851 Colt Navy revolver.

WHAT: Indiana's Lincoln Bicentennial Birthday Bash
WHERE: Indiana State House, North Atrium, Rotunda and South Atrium
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 12 - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., EST; program at noon EST
COST: Free
INFO: www.IndianasLincoln.org