Abraham Lincoln likely never ate a bagel, but you can combine a taste with a visit to some of his haunts if you head to the Mattoon-Charleston area this summer. Outdoor fun and history brought to life also make this area less than 100 miles southeast of Springfield worth a day trip.
Mattoon produces more bagels than anywhere in the world, according to Mindy White, the city's special events coordinator. "And we are home to the world's largest bagel breakfast," she says. It is part of a four-day Bagelfest, this year July 18-22.
Murray Lender, who built a manufacturing plant in Mattoon, started the free bagel breakfast 37 years ago. Bimbo Bakery now runs the former Lender's plant and continues the tradition, serving 2,000 people an assortment of bagels, cream cheeses and jellies. White assures visitors there is no shortage of bagels, with any leftovers donated to local food pantries and shelters.
The festival used to be held downtown but moved to Peterson Park to accommodate the crowds. A 32-block-long parade, 5k and 10k races, weightlifting competition, pageants, carnival and concerts add to the festivities.
Downtown Mattoon is worth a short visit to see four historical outdoor murals and the refurbished Illinois Central Railroad depot, still in service. The depot hosts the small Coles County Historical Society Museum, but it is only open Saturday afternoons or by appointment. Current exhibits focus on Native American artifacts and women's suffrage.
Lake Mattoon is 1,050 acres and offers camping, fishing, boating and a public beach. For more exercise, hop on a bike or lace up your walking shoes to hit the flat 12-mile Lincoln Prairie Grass Trail between Mattoon and Charleston.
Charleston offers outdoor fun just south of town at the 440-acre Lake Charleston, Warbler Ridge Conservation Area and Fox Ridge State Park, each sporting hiking trails. You can rent kayaks and paddleboards at the lake and enjoy scenic views, camping, playgrounds, fishing, hunting, picnicking and playgrounds at Fox Ridge.
Also south of town is the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site near Lerna. Abraham Lincoln's father, Thomas, and stepmother, Sarah, built a two-room cabin and farm in the 1840s. Abraham never lived there but visited often while riding the Eighth Judicial Circuit. According to a volunteer docent, he would arrive every six months with 20 pounds each of sugar, white flour and salt and a $20 gold piece to help his family.
Today the farm, with its replica cabin, gets 60,000 to 80,000 visitors a year, including a slew of summer camps, workshops and festivals. Costumed interpreters in the summer, a second farmstead of the Lincolns' neighbor, a short introductory video and a small museum add insight into rural life in the mid-1880s.
The site will host a Thomas Lincoln impersonator on June 3, a bluegrass jam Aug. 12 and vintage baseball on June 18, July 2 and 23, and Aug. 6, 13 and 20.
Nearby is Moore Home Historic Site, the home of Abraham's stepsister and site of his last visit to the area as president-elect. You can head a few miles west to the cemetery next to Shiloh Presbyterian Church, where Thomas and Sarah are buried.
In northwest Charleston at the Coles County Fairgrounds, the only museum in Illinois dedicated to the Lincoln-Stephen Douglas debates is open every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. A self-guided tour tells visitors about the series of debates held around the state in 1858, when the two were rivals for the U.S. Senate.
Downtown Charleston has wall murals, historical markers and an imposing courthouse. The mural project began in 1998 with a goal of 12-15 murals. Lori Henderson, tourism director, says she is working to find funding to repaint some that are fading.
Visitors may be more familiar with Charleston as the home of Eastern Illinois University, where Old Main still dominates the front of campus. The Doudna Fine Arts Center has concerts, art shows and theatrical productions, mostly during the academic year.
The city of Charleston picks up the slack in the summer with community band concerts on Thursdays and theater productions the last weekend of July, all in Kiwanis Park. Also on tap are Red, White and Blue days July 3 and 4 and the Coles County fair July 30-Aug. 6.
Mattoon has free music Aug. 4 in Heritage Park downtown, an outdoor quilt show June 10, a band concert Aug. 26 and a photo show Sept. 7-9. And bagels.
For more information, go to https://mattoon.illinois.gov/government/tourism/, www.charlestontourism.org and www.lincolnlogcabin.org.
Mary Bohlen, a Springfield travel writer, fondly remembers her two years attending EIU in Charleston, especially working on the Eastern News in the Pemberton Hall basement.
