News Local/State

ENCORE: Live from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum; Illinois’ Bicentennial Beer; Music from ‘The Dulcimer Guy’

By Niala Boodhoo, Robin Linn and Alan Montecillo
 

Pictured from left to right: Host Niala Boodhoo talking with ALPLM executive director Alan Lowe, state historian Samuel Wheeler, sixth grader Lily Ha, 'Dulcimer Guy' Mike Anderson, and Hand of Fate founder Mike Allison. Robin Linn/Illinois Public Media

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All this week, we’re revisiting some of our favorite conversations about history from the show. Illinois is more than 200 years old, and back in February of last year, we broadcast a live from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to celebrate the state's bicentennial.

We heard music from the era of early statehood with Mike Anderson - who calls himself ‘The Dulcimer Guy.’ We also spoke with kids who won a statewide art contest for Illinois. And - we tasted the official beer of the Illinois Bicentennial.       

We started off by speaking with Alan Lowe, the executive director of the Lincoln Library and Museum, and Sam Wheeler, our state historian, about some of the museum’s new acquisitions at the time, including an angry letter written by Abraham Lincoln:

 

Plus -

There were lots of commemorative items made for the state's bicentennial last year. One of them was a nice, official, cold one. 

Hand of Fate brewing company in Petersburg, just outside of Springfield, produced a beer called 1818 Prairie State Farmhouse Ale that was chosen as the official beer of the state’s bicentennial. Mike Allison is Hand of Fate’s founder and head brewer. We asked him how one goes about making a beer to represent Illinois. 

Then - 

We heard about all the activities that the museum planned for Illinois’ bicentennial. One of them was an art contest for students of all ages from schools all over the state. The theme? "Happy birthday, Illinois."

Genevieve Kaplan is the director of education at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. We spoke with her and Betsy Dollar, the executive director of the Springfield Art Association, along with two of the art contest winners.