Abraham Lincoln Symposium Feb. 11-12 in Springfield

Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner will be the featured speaker at the annual Abraham Lincoln Association Symposium Banquet on Sunday, February 12 in Springfield, and four Lincoln authors and historians will highlight the Abraham Lincoln Symposium February 11 - 12.

The Symposium Banquet, held to observe the 208th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, will be held at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel in downtown Springfield. A reception starts at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $85 each and can be obtained online at www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org or by calling (866) 865-8500.

The banquet is one of many activities scheduled each year to commemorate Lincoln's birthday. The annual Abraham Lincoln Association-Benjamin Thomas Symposium begins Saturday, February 11 at 6 p.m. in the Old State Capitol Hall of Representatives with a free presentation by author and Lincoln historian Daniel Crofts of the College of New Jersey, who will present “The Paradoxical Emancipator: Abraham Lincoln and the other Thirteenth Amendment.”

The Thomas F. Schwartz Symposium luncheon, which begins at noon on Sunday, February 12 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, features speaker Noah Andre Trudeau, author of the new book Lincoln's Greatest Journey: Sixteen Days that Changed a Presidency (March 24 – April 8, 1865). The luncheon is $30 per person and reservations can be made at www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org or by calling (866) 865-8500.

The Symposium resumes at 1:30 p.m. February 12 in the Presidential Library with “Bringing Lincoln and his White House to Life.” Author Burt Solomon will discuss his new murder mystery, The Murder of Willie Lincoln, and author James Conroy will talk about his new book, Lincoln's White House: An Inside History. The author presentations are free and open to the public.

The Symposium Banquet featuring Gov. Rauner ends the two days of activities.

The Abraham Lincoln Association Symposium is co-sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, The University of Illinois Springfield, The Old State Capitol State Historic Site and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. For more information about the Abraham Lincoln Association, visit www.abrahamlincolnassociation.org.