This Saturday, April 18th starting at 1 PM, the Friends invite everyone to the Lincoln Amphitheatre parking lot for our annual Kite Day & Spring Egg Hunt. You are encouraged to bring your own kite, but we will have a few kites available for loan or purchase for those who do not have one. There will also be bubbles, sidewalk chalk, free popcorn, and drinks available for purchase. We will fly kites from 1 until 3 PM and the Egg Hunt will begin at 3 PM. Admission is free, but the per vehicle park entrance fee will apply. (Unless you've already purchased your Annual Entrance Permit!) In the event of rain, the event will be rescheduled for Saturday, April 25th. Visit our website for more information and we'll see you there!

This year will prove to be a challenging one for many people and organizations including Lincoln State Park. Funding for parks has been cut greatly and seasonal interpretive staff have been affected also. While seasonal interpretive staff have not been eliminated, their hours have had to be reduced. According to Interpretive Naturalist, Michael Crews, "We still maintain our goals of keeping our facilities open as many hours as possible while sustaining our programming and roving activities."

This is where friends and volunteers like you come in. Tough times call for working together and pitching in to make a difference. One priority for the interpretive staff is to keep the Col. Jones Home open for regular hours. Volunteers are being sought who could volunteer to help staff the Col. Jones Home on Saturdays or Sundays from 12-3 PM. Training is available for anyone interested. Whether you can volunteer for one day only or on a regular basis, your help would be greatly appreciated. For more information, contact Michael Crews at (812) 937-4710 or drop us an e-mail at info@lspfriends.org and we'll get you connected.

The new Lincoln Bicentennial Plaza is under construction at Lincoln State Park. The dedication of the new public artwork commissioned by the Indiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission is scheduled for June 12, 2009 at 10:30 AM (CDT). The plaza is located just past the park entrance gate on the left where the Oak Grove shelter house was once located. The photo shows the progress of construction and was furnished courtesy of Melissa Miller, Executive Director of the Spencer County Visitor's Bureau.

2009 renewal notices recently went out in the mail and we thank everyone who has responded and renewed their membership. Despite the tough times, the response to our 2009 campaign has been strong. In just two short weeks, over 50% of our members have already reaffirmed their support for the Friends of Lincoln State Park. Our goal is 100% rentention of all our members, so please keep those renewals coming in and don't forget that you can conveniently pay your dues online through our website as well.

Auditions April 21

With casting for the 53 roles in the new LINCOLN production coming to a close, one final cast member must still be found. "We've held auditions coast to coast, and now it's time to cast our young Abraham," says Scott Lank, Lincoln Amphitheatre's artistic director. "We believe we'll find that special young actor here in southern Indiana, where young Lincoln grew up." Those interested in auditioning are asked to follow these guidelines:

• Must be available from May 16 to August 15; rehearsal schedule will be discussed during auditions.
• Must be able to portray an age range of 7 – 14.
• If a resume and headshot are available please bring them to the audition.
• All participants must arrive at 7:00 p.m. CDT.
• Participants are asked to please prepare and memorize a short monologue for the audition.

Auditions will be held at 7:00 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, April 21, at Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Indiana. Please contact Lincoln Amphitheatre at 812-937-4493 with any questions.

The world premiere of LINCOLN, written by Ken Jones, will take place this summer at the Lincoln Amphitheatre. Lincoln Amphitheatre will offer a "Lincoln Experience" that includes an Amish-style meal, pre-show activities for children and adults, and theatre under the stars. Enhanced by multimedia projections and period music, the production of LINCOLN will leave audiences with a deep understanding of the role Indiana played in forging the character of America's 16th president. Opening night is scheduled for June 12; tickets are available online or by calling the box office. For more information about Lincoln Amphitheatre visit http://www.LincolnAmphitheatre.com or call 1-800-264-4223.

Lincoln Funeral Reenactment

A reproduction of President Abraham Lincoln's casket will lay in state in the Spencer County Courthouse in Rockport, Ind. as guards in period uniforms keep watch. A wreath Laying ceremony will begin at noon. For more information visit www.ThinkLincoln.org or call (812) 489-0365.

Lincoln Bicentennial Speaker Series

The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial will present featured speaker Seth Bongartz of Hildene, the home of Robert Todd Lincoln located in Vermont. For more information visit www.nps.gov/libo or call (812) 937-4541.

Indiana Lincoln Penny Release

The second in a series of four new 2009 one cent coins will be made available to the public for the first time here in Spencer County - Lincoln's Boyhood Home. A special ceremony will be held Thursday, May 14, at 10 a.m. CDT at the Lincoln Amphitheatre in Lincoln State Park. The event is free and open to the public. It includes musical performances, artisan demonstrations and much more! A local bank will be on hand to sell the new pennies following the ceremony. They may be purchased at face value at a minimum of two rolls and a maximum of 10 rolls per person. Groups over 15 people interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP. Due to parking limitations and restricted traffic flows, people are urged to arrive at least one hour in advance.

More information also is available by calling 888-444-9252 or emailing thinklincoln.net