PHOTO BY NEW SALEM STATE HISTORIC SITE Enjoy the rich history of Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site during the annual Candlelit Walk Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, from 7-9 p.m. The village will be illuminated with campfires, fireplaces, lanterns and glow sticks during the only annual opportunity to see the historic village at night. […]
Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site
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Not your average fall festival
PHOTO BY DAVID HINE For most of us in the 21st century, fall is synonymous with fun. It’s a time for parties, pumpkin carving, corn mazes, costume contests, apple cider, trick-or-treating, haunted houses and more. However, in Lincoln’s 1830s New Salem, fall meant it was time for pioneers to prepare harvest and homestead for the […]
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Just Abe
There are two days left to catch John O’Connor as Mr. Lincoln in the Theatre in the Park production Mr. Lincoln that opened with two amazing performances earlier in the month. A one-man play written by American playwright Herbert Mitgang and directed by central Illinois’ Carly Shank, Mr. Lincoln brings to the stage a portrayal […]
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Not a sleeper
PHOTO COURTESY THEATRE IN THE PARK Theatre in the Park at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site presents the Tony Award-winning musical comedy Pajama Game on Aug. 15-17 and 21-23. Directed by Sean Rose of Jacksonville, the storyline follows the clash between workers and managers at Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory. The production stars Becky Bertram (Petersburg) […]
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Loveable con man
Theatre in the Park at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic site opens with the Tony-award winning musical, The Music Man, directed by Bill Bauser Jr. “With a cast of 50, there’s plenty of action to see, and you’ll get to hear many song favorites like ‘76 Trombones,’ ‘Lida Rose,’ ‘Wells Fargo Wagon,’ ‘Till There Was […]
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Unwavering spirit
The Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Dairy of Anne Frank opens Theatre in the Park’s summer season May 30. There will be six performances in the outdoor theatre at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site in Petersburg. “The play transports the audience back more than 70 years to experience what it was to be a Jew […]
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Bird in hand
Sangamon River Chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society, Illinois Audubon Society and Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site host their annual Hummingbird Festival on Sat., Aug. 10, at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site. This is your chance to see these unique birds up close during a capture and banding as the birds are migrating south. […]
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Sisterly story
American life in the 19th century comes alive in Little Women, The Musical with beautiful musical numbers and a touching script presented by an amazing local cast, Aug. 9-11 and 15-17, at Kelso Hollow in Lincoln’s New Salem. Theatre in the Park presents the classic tale of the March family living in Concord, Mass., a […]
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Ghost writer
Local songwriter, guitarist and singer, Tom Irwin, performs a one-night show outside at Theatre in the Park, Kelso Hollow in Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site, on Saturday, July 7, at 8 p.m. Sangamon Songs, the name of Irwin’s latest CD and this program, includes stories and songs inspired by the 1893-94 journal of 16-year-old […]
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Fun farewell
Theatre in the Park at Kelso Hollow in Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site presents the comedic musical Bye, Bye Birdie. Sean VanAusdall-Rose directs this classic that opened on Broadway in 1960 featuring a story based loosely on the media circus of Elvis Presley’s 1958 Germany departure that had him giving one last kiss to […]
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Wedding daze
Theatre in the Park at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site starts its summer season with the comedy Father of the Bride by Caroline Francke. Set in the early 1950s, the play is about a father coping with his daughter’s upcoming wedding. Directed by Leona Edwards, the production boasts a cast of 16 locals. A […]
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Scottish tragedy
Shakespearean actor Rob Clare and television and off-Broadway actress Reiko Aylesworth return to the Theatre in the Park outdoor stage in a 90-minute adapted performance of MacBeth. Clare’s credits include the UK National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. Aylesworth stars in “24” and “Lost.” The show also includes Kevin Purcell […]
