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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-12-09 Announcing 2009 Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Events – in South Bend and Communities across Northern Indiana For Immediate Release Date: February 12, 2009 Contact: Jan Shupert-Arick, Indiana Lincoln Highway Association Announcing 2009 Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Events – in South Bend and Communities across Northern Indiana The City of South Bend and the Indiana Lincoln Highway Association will co-host the 2009 Lincoln Highway national conference from June 15-20, 2009. The national conference will highlight Indiana’s leadership in building of the nation’s first coast to coast road from New York City to San Francisco and Indiana’s significant automobile and road building heritage. The conference host sites in South Bend include the Holiday Inn downtown, Century Center, Studebaker National Museum and the Center for History. Endorsements: This conference has been endorsed by the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Indiana Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission. CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS Attendees will be introduced to the places and people that created the Lincoln Highway and that continue to sustain the historic corridor. The conference activities will highlight four anniversaries: ? The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial (200 Birthday) 1809-2009 th ? The 100 anniversary of Alice Ramsey’s drive across America in a 1909 Maxwell th auto – Alice was the first woman to drive coast to coast – the Alice Ramsey Centennial touring team will be in South Bend on June 16 at Century Center th ? The 100 anniversary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 1909-2009 (founded th by Carl Fisher and James Allison of Lincoln Highway fame) – conference includes a tour to Indianapolis ? The 90 anniversary of the 1919-2009 Transcontinental Motor Convoy by the th U.S. Army (with Lt. Dwight D. Eisenhower) – conference includes a 90 th anniversary Lincoln Highway Day parade with 100 military vehicles, antique cars and more through South Bend on June 19, 2009 1 Pre-Conference Tour - Monday, June 15 th Auto caravan from South Bend to Mishawaka, Goshen, and Elkhart along the Lincoln Highway. Participants will explore downtown Goshen, visit the Goshen Historical Society featuring a traveling exhibit on the History of the Automobile, visit the famous Police Booth built as a WPA project to protect local citizens and Lincoln Highway travelers from Midwest gangsters, visit the restored Hattle Hotel that advertised in the Lincoln Highway Driving Guide to early auto travelers, and will dine at the original Olympia Candy Shop and Diner. Then the group will be off to explore the Old Bag Factory adjacent to the historic Lincoln Highway metal truss bridge and shop at the unique artist shops (quilts, pottery, art galleries, antique shops, furniture makers, a candle shop and a sculptor’s studio) that now fill the historic factory building. They will listen for the factory whistle that was once powered with steam and take a tour of the historic factory believed to be haunted by former workers. A visit to Elkhart will include a tour and lecture at the RV Hall of Fame and Museum where the Tin Can Tourists will display and open their vintage trailers for conference attendees for the public. The Holiday Inn in downtown South Bend will be the host hotel and the location for conference registration along with a vendor and book room. Wednesday morning, June 17 Attendees will board a charter bus south bound for th Indianapolis along Carl Fisher’s other road - the “Dixie Highway” - to the Hoosier capitol. They will explore the early auto industry and stop at sites relevant to the LHA including beautiful Crown Hill Cemetery (4 largest in U.S.) and a visit to the Fisher th Mausoleum. Next, they will tool through the auto corridor north of town, and have lunch at the old German House known as the Anthenaeum (now the Rathskellar) where Carl Fisher and James Allison held the first meeting to form the LHA in 1912. The return trip will include a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and “millionaire row” to view the estates of Carl Fisher and James Allison that are now part of the Marian College campus. Thursday June 18 Back in South Bend for Lincoln Highway programs including th sessions at the Century Center, an authors’ and artists’ reception, and a relaxing day along the river and highway. A marked dedication will be held at the intersection of the Lincoln and Dixie Highways followed by an evening campus tour of the University of Notre Dame Campus (advertised in the 1924 LH Driving Guide). Friday, June 19 The Transcontinental Motor Convoy vehicles will motorcade th through town for the entire community to enjoy. They will then stop and convene at the South Bend Regional Airport for a ceremony at the Military Honor Park on Lincolnway West. Attendees and the general public will have opportunities to view the convoy moving through the city and will be able to take an up close look at some 85-100 units that will be stationed in several locations around the city following the motorcade. The day will feature tours and LH presentations at the Studebaker National Museum - Center for History campus. Special exhibits at these facilities will include Studebaker vehicles, the Lincoln carriage that the Lincolns rode in to Ford’s Theatre on the night of the assassination, a Lincoln exhibit entitled Abraham Lincoln: The Man You Thought 2 , and a Lincoln Highway exhibit entitled You KnewA Call to the Patriots: The Lincoln . Memorial Highway POST CONFERENCE TOUR - Saturday, June 20 th An auto caravan will depart South Bend for a tour of Lincoln Highway sites through the towns of New Carlisle, La Porte, and Westville, Valparaiso, and Deep River. To register for this conference visit: www.indianalincolnhighway.com or call 260-471- 5670. Register early as tour space is limited. Suggested Interviews for Media Stories (call 260-471-5670 to arrange interviews): David Hay – President, Indiana Lincoln Highway Association Todd Zeiger – Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana Mikki Dobski – City of South Bend, Director of Communications & Special Events Bill Arick – 2009 LHA conference chair Andy Beckman – Studebaker-Packard Archives including Lincoln Highway archives Images: LaSalle Hotel, South Bend, IN Oliver Hotel at the corner of Washington and Main Streets is now the site of the Holiday Inn downtown South Bend. The Oliver Hotel served at the Control Station for the Lincoln Highway in South Bend where tourists could receive travel and route information and reset their odometers to zero before traveling on to the next Lincoln Highway town. The Oliver Hotel was one of the very best hotels on the Lincoln Highway. 3 City of South Bend Indiana Lincoln Highway Association Mikki Dobski, Director, Jan Shupert-Arick, Past Communications and Special Projects Pres./Conference Committee 1400 County-City Bldg/So. Bend, IN 46601 260-471-5670 574-235-5855 w/574-876-1564 c janshupert@yahoo.com 574-235-9892 fax mdobski@southbendIN.gov Indiana Lincoln Highway Association 402 W. Washington Street South Bend IN 46601 www.indianalincolnhighway.com # # # 4