Chautauqua Performance: Abraham Lincoln – Portrayed by Jim Sayre
Saturday, February 20, 2pm
Audubon Museum
Born on a farm in what is now Larue County, Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln spent his early years in the Commonwealth. His family moved to Indiana when he was seven, partly because of his father’s opposition to slavery, and never returned. But as his native brilliance and burning political ambition carried him to the presidency and greatness—a panel of historians recently chose him as the most influential American who ever lived—Lincoln always had connections with his native state.
In his law office in Springfield, Illinois, he had a law partner from Green County, Kentucky—William Herndon, who later wrote a biography of Lincoln. His best friend in Springfield was Joshua Speed, a son of Louisville’s prominent Speed family; and in Springfield he found a wife from Kentucky—Mary Todd, the daughter of a well-known Lexington family. Lincoln visited Kentucky to see the Speeds and his in-laws, and took the great Kentucky statesman Henry Clay as his political hero. During the Civil War Lincoln was very unpopular in Kentucky, but when he said, “I too am a Kentuckian,” no one could dispute it. This program was funded in part by the Kentucky Humanities Council, Inc. and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Staff Contact: Jackie Crowley Office at (270) 826-4424 or jja.rec@ky.gov Cost: Free
Seven Owls of the Tri-State: Presented by Sharon Sorenson
Sunday, February 21
1:30pm
Audubon Museum
More often heard than seen, owls carry a mystery all their owl. Legend has it that their calls are an omen of death, but they’re a symbol of wisdom. Are they wise? What makes owls different from other birds – even other raptors? How do they find food in the dark of night? Do they migrate? Where and when do they nest? Learn the answers to these questions and more when Sharon Sorenson, newspaper columnist and author of Birds in the Yard Month by Month, shares the stories of these silent fliers. Books available for purchase at discounted price of $20.00.
Staff Contact: Jackie Crowley Office at (270) 826-4424 or jja.rec@ky.gov
Cost: Free