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Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

135-16                                                                                                                                  Contact:

October 13, 2015                                                                                                               Matthew Mittelstaedt

                                                                                                                                               Site Manager

For Immediate Release                                                                                                     (217) 345-1845

Halloween hike and wiener roast

Start your Halloween festivities with torchlight tour of Lincoln Log Cabin site Oct. 28

LERNA, Ill. – What better way to kick off Halloween 2016 than with a spooky torchlight tour, an evening of stories and music, and delicious hot dogs and s’mores? The fun takes place Oct. 28 at Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site.

The evening also explores the customs of Halloweens past, with a look at the connection between Abraham Lincoln, Halloween and the Scottish poet Robert Burns.

The free Torchlight Halloween Hike and Wiener Roast runs 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Visitors are encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes and stroll the torch-lighted paths between our historic farms, where spooky seasonal stories will be told by candlelight.

The Visitor Center will offer live music around the bonfire and join in on the weenie roast. The Lincoln Log Cabin Foundation will sell hot dogs and s'mores to roast over the fire, with all proceeds benefiting the site’s educational and interpretative programs.

The evening also includes a Jack-o-lantern contest. Bring your hand-carved masterpiece for everyone to enjoy during the festivities. Visitors will vote for their favorites, and prizes will be awarded at the end of the evening.

At the Sargent’s Farm section of site, the spotlight will be on Robert Burns and his poem “Halloween,” first published in 1786. The poem describes the pranks, games and customs of Halloween night. Visitors will get to play some of the fortune-telling games described in the poem.

Lincoln was a huge fan of Burns’s poetry. It “was his inseparable companion on the circuit,” according to an 1860 campaign biography, and friends said Lincoln could “quote Burns by the hour.” 

Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site is part of the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. It re-creates the 19^th century home of Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln, father and step-mother of the president.

The site is eight miles south of Charleston and is open Wednesday through Sunday for free public tours.

For more information about the site and its programming call (217) 345-1845 or visit www.lincolnlogcabin.org. You can also follow the site on Facebook: www.facebook.com/lincolnlogcabin.   

The site is operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. IHPA protects the state’s historic resources, which contribute to education, culture and the economy. IHPA sites include ancient burial mounds, forts and buildings erected by settlers, and homes connected to famous Illinoisans.