News Release

December 9 Holiday Walks feature Holiday Activities and Historic Christmas Programs

Date: December 8, 2017
Contact: Laura Gundrum, 217-391-3215
Contact: Jessie Kulek, 217-391-3257
Contact: Lisa Clemons Stott, 217-544-1723

Springfield, IL: Listen to stories, make Victorian-era crafts, get your photo taken with Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln, and participate in many other activities at Lincoln Home National Historic Site, from 1pm-4pm, on December 9. Lincoln Home is one of many historic sites that are participating in this year’s Downtown Springfield Inc. Old Capitol Holiday walks. Other sites participating in the December 9 Holiday Walk are the Old State Capitol State Historic Site, Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site, Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum, Elijah Iles House, Illinois Military Museum, Grand Army of the Republic Museum, and First Presbyterian Church. There is no admission charge at most historic sites.

Visitors to the Holiday Walks can park once and then ride a FREE holiday walks bus between downtown shops and historic sites. On December 9 the bus takes a circular route through downtown Springfield with stops at numerous historic sites, from the African American History Museum in the north to the Dana-Thomas house in the south.

As always, parking is FREE on the streets of downtown Springfield on Saturdays. Convenient parking is also available in the underground garage beneath the Old State Capitol on Saturdays until 6pm; the cost is 75 centers per half hour.

Below is a schedule of Holiday Walk activities for December 9.

Saturday, December 9 Schedule of Events

Details at downtownspringfield.org/event/holidaywalks2017

Time	Activity	Location
9:00 am – 5:00 pm	“Holidays at the White House” special exhibit	Lincoln Presidential Museum
9:00 am – 5:00 pm	Holiday Tours – last tour starts at 9:15	Dana-Thomas House
1:00 -4:00pm	Historic/holiday crafts for all ages	African American History Museum
1:00-4:00pm	Horse drawn carriage rides	Downtown Springfield
1:00-5:00 pm	Open house exhibit with Civil War artifacts	Grand Army of the Republic Museum
1:00-5:00 pm	Holiday tours, children’s activities	Elijah Iles House
1:00 pm	Seraphim concert	Old State Capitol
2:00-2:30 pm	Meet Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln	Lincoln Home
2:00-5:00 pm	Make crafts & meet Santa & living history characters	Old State Capitol
2:30-3:00 pm	Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln share Christmas Stories	Lincoln Home
4:00 pm	Old Capitol Choral Singers	Old State Capitol
4:30pm-8:30 pm	Christmas at the Front with local school choir performances	Illinois State Military Museum
6:00pm-8:00 pm	Christmas Lessons and Carols with Abraham and Mary Lincoln	First Presbyterian Church
7:30 pm	Jaycees Christmas Parade	5th and 6th Streets between Jefferson and Monroe

From November 25 through December 20 holiday walks take place in charming downtown Springfield, on Wednesday evenings, from 5pm-8 pm and, Saturday afternoons, from noon-6 pm. On these days there are specials at downtown shops and restaurants, visits with Santa, free horse-drawn carriage rides around the Old State Capitol Plaza, window displays, chestnuts roasting, a lighted Christmas tree and Menorah, History Comes Alive living history interpreters, and much more. The Holiday Walks are produced by Downtown Springfield Inc. and its partners. They are made possible through a public-private partnership of corporate, family and municipal donors, including the City of Springfield, Illinois National Bank, and Downtown Springfield Heritage Foundation.