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Contact: Mike Litterst, 202-245-4676 Washington –The National Park Service and the Lincoln Birthday National Commemorative Committee will observe the 206th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln during a ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday, February 12 at 12 p.m. The program is free and open to the public. Speakers will include Dr. Johnnetta Cole, Director of the National Museum of African Art and Karen Cucurullo, acting superintendent of National Mall and Memorial Parks. Kate Reed of the Severn School in Severna Park, Maryland, will be awarded the Frederick Talley Drum Hunt History Award by the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Peter Arrott Dixon, chairman of the Lincoln Birthday National Commemorative Committee, will serve as master of ceremonies.
The Military District of Washington will serve as color guard for the ceremony, and music will be provided by a quintet from the United States Coast Guard and the Lincoln Memorial University Select Quartet. At the conclusion of the ceremony, wreaths will be presented by the Diplomatic Corps (represented by the Embassy of Mexico), the U.S. Department of the Interior, District of Columbia, Lincoln Birthday National Commemorative Committee, and more than a dozen Abraham Lincoln-themed commemorative organizations.
Following the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in 1922, members of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States resolved to commemorate the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth each year at the Memorial, starting on February 12, 1923. The Lincoln Birthday National Commemorative Committee continues this tradition, together with the National Park Service and the Military District of Washington.
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Last updated: April 10, 2015