With the sesquicentennial anniversaries of Appomattox, Lincoln’s assassination, and Lincoln’s funeral around the corner, there are a lot of special events going on here in Springfield. I’ll be involved in two of them.

I’ll be a guest speaker at the “Pursuit to Appomattox Court House” program this Thursday, April 9, 6:30 pm at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. This is the last in an excellent series of sesquicentennial commemorative lectures given by the library’s oral historian, Mark Depue, and I think he has a lot of unique and interesting elements planned for his final foray. Tickets are free but you need to reserve a seat here.

On April 29 at 6pm, I’ll give a full talk on “Music in Lincoln’s Time” at the Prairie Art Alliance in the Hoogland Theater. My favorite talks are always the ones when I get to appear with live musicians and this program has paired me with the local group, Wild Columbine, so it should be a great show. It’s free and open to the public but I recommend coming early to make sure you grab a seat and get to spend a little more time with the band.

I also have a potentially very interesting radio appearance in the works but I can’t talk about it yet. Stay tuned.