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Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum helps downtown Springfield celebrate the holidays
November 26, 2022 @ 9:00 am - December 21, 2022 @ 7:00 pm
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) will join the fun of downtown Springfield’s Holiday Walks with ballet performances, craft tables for children, amazing lights and special effects, and free admission during special hours.
The Holiday Walks take place every Wednesday and Saturday from Nov. 26 to Dec. 21. Downtown stores and historic sites will offer a wide variety of festive activities.
At the ALPLM, the fun begins with colorful, ever-changing lights that will decorate Union Square Park throughout the holiday season. Inside, visitors can take pictures as snow fills the air, courtesy of our special effects team. There will also be a beautifully lit selfie station.
On Holiday Walk days, the ALPLM will remain open until 7 p.m. Visitors will be able to tour the entire museum, visit the “Stories of Survival” exhibit and enjoy the famous “Ghosts of the Library” show.
Admission will be free on those evenings for anyone who donates personal-care items for people in need. The ALPLM will accept travel-sized shampoo, deodorant, soap and toothpaste, disposable razors, tampons and sanitary pads, socks and gloves. All items must be new.
The Copper Coin Ballet Company will perform selections from “The Nutcracker” in the museum’s Union Theater each Wednesday and Saturday, beginning Nov. 26 and running through Dec. 17. The performances take place at 5:30 p.m., but we begin distributing free tickets at 4 p.m., so arrive early to ensure you get a seat. “The Nutcracker” follows the magical adventures of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince as they battle with the Mouse King and journey to the Land of the Sweets.
The fun also includes arts and crafts activities for children at the Winter Wonder Workshop. They’ll get to transform cups into adorable penguins and polar bears, make “melted” snowmen, create a friend wearing a paper hat, and more.
The Old Capitol Holiday Walks turn downtown Springfield into a winter wonderland with the help of presenting sponsors INB and the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln. Downtown businesses and historic sites pull out all the stops to offer an entire month full of holiday cheer that the whole family can enjoy, with visits from Santa, hot cocoa, ice skating and more. Visit www.downtownspringfield.org/holiday-walks for the full schedule of events.
The ALPLM offers free parking at its garage at the northwest corner of 6th and Madison. On Saturday afternoons, a shuttle bus will circulate around downtown Springfield and make stops at the ALPLM’s historic Union Station.
The mission of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is to inspire civic engagement through the diverse lens of Illinois history and sharing with the world the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. We pursue this mission through a combination of rigorous scholarship and high-tech showmanship built on the bedrock of the ALPLM’s unparalleled collection of historical materials – some 12 million items from all eras of Illinois history.
For more information, visit www.PresidentLincoln.illinois.gov. You can follow the ALPLM on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
