President Barack Obama’s visit to Springfield tomorrow will include a private event at the Hoogland Center for the Arts.
Obama is scheduled to speak to the Illinois General Assembly tomorrow at the Illinois Statehouse, but a private event is scheduled for the Hoogland afterward. The president’s other engagements in Springfield have been kept secret.
The Hoogland event is by invite only, as a thank-you to Obama’s early campaign supporters. Crowd control gates had been set up outside the Hoogland doors on Tuesday afternoon, and more gates were stacked inside the building’s lobby, where about a dozen people were waiting.
Doors to the Hoogland event open at 12:45 p.m., but it’s unclear what time the president will arrive. His address to the General Assembly is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The Hoogland event is closed to the press, and Obama’s speech at the capitol will restrict press coverage to a viewing room separate from the Illinois House chamber where Obama will speak.
Illinois Times previously reported on Feb. 1 that Gov. Bruce Rauner contacted Obed and Isaac’s Microbrewery and Eatery about a possible visit from the governor and Obama. Obed’s co-owner Karen Conn said at the time that the meeting was far from certain. The microbrewery is just steps from the Hoogland and will be within the no-parking zone established for Obama’s visit.
Contact Patrick Yeagle at pyeagle@illinoistimes.com. Â Â
This article has been corrected to state that crowd control gates were set up on Tuesday, not on Wednesday. The author is not in possession of a time machine, or apparently, a calendar. This article previously stated Obama may speak at the Hoogland. It has also been updated to reflect confirmation of the event.
This article appears in Feb 4-10, 2016.
