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Looking for Lincoln Celebrates 10 Years

An Abraham Lincoln impersonator poses with guests at Looking for Lincoln

Looking for Lincoln Celebrates 10 Years

 

Lincoln’s Home State Coalition Contributes $3b Annually to Illinois

(St. Louis, MO – June 21, 2016) – The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition (LFL) and master planner PGAV Destinations are thrilled to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Looking for Lincoln experience.

“Looking for Lincoln has been a wonderful program for celebrating and exploring President Lincoln’s life while positively impacting the State of Illinois,” said LFL Executive Director Sarah Watson. “Today The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area encompasses 42 Illinois Counties, 10 National Historic Monuments, 51 Historic Districts, and contributes more than $3 billion in annual visitor expenditures to the State of Illinois!”

Destination designer and consultant PGAV Destinations completed the ten-year master plan in partnership with the LFL in 2006, helping structure the vision and strategic management of the unique collaboration and program.

“President Lincoln’s life was so rich, deep, fascinating, and impactful that it would be tremendously difficult to capture it and do it justice in the course of a single destination or event,” said Mike Konzen, principal and chair of PGAV Destinations. “The innovative, statewide approach of LFL unites communities across the State in educating about and exploring [his] life – and it’s simply fantastic to have been a part of that program’s success.”

Over the course of the last decade, the LFL has implemented a number of successful Small Rifleinitiatives to continue to enact phases of the master plan while growing the reach of the program. The six “Gateway Communities” of Springfield, Bloomington/Normal, Quincy, Alton, Charleston, and Danville have been designated as the main visitor entry points to the Heritage Area, while a new “Community Designation Program” has been established to continue to incorporate new President Lincoln-associated Illinois communities into LFL.

In partnership with Southern Illinois University Press, LFL has also published the first two books in a series about Lincoln’s Illinois legacy: Looking for Lincoln in Illinois: Lincoln and Mormon Country and Looking for Lincoln in Illinois: Lincoln’s Springfield. In addition, the Coalition oversees annual “Signature Events” around the State, including Lincoln’s Festival, History Comes Alive, Lincoln Days Civil War Reenactment, and Lincoln’s Trial & Tribulations, together attracting more than 100,000 visitors annually. With the recent rebranding and launch of a new marketing program as well as the integration of the Looking for Lincoln Endowment Fund Bequest Society, LFL is making great strides in keeping the program and National Heritage Area alive and flourishing for future generations.

“Our ten year master plan laid out bold goals to create a strong foundation in structuring and growing a fantastic program,” says Watson. “We’re now looking ahead to the next ten – fifty – years, and visitors to Illinois can look forward to exciting additions to the LFL program such as tailored Travel Itineraries, new Gateway Exhibits, the continuation of our book program, statewide refreshing of our signage, and the launch of the great LEAD/Spirit of Lincoln Program!”

About The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition
The Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition (LFLHC) is a consortium of Illinois communities and sites that share the legacy of Abraham Lincoln. The purpose of the coalition is to tell the stories about Lincoln unique to each site and each community. But Lincoln history alone is not enough. The Lincoln stories must be shared in a creative way. So, in order to create a real visitor experience each site in the LFLHC program must offer some level of interpretive programming. While focusing upon Lincoln, the coalition also encompasses the rich history of each participating community in order to create a broader context for Lincoln and his times.

The participating communities and sites are not only linked to each other, but are also tied closely to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. The Looking for Lincoln program makes it possible to extend the reach of the Library and Museum so that the museum exhibits are just the beginning of the Lincoln adventure. We want visitors to actually go to the real places where Lincoln spent time. http://www.lookingforlincoln.com/Home/Index

About PGAV Destinations
PGAV Destinations is a global leader in the planning and design of unique destinations. Now entering its sixth decade, the practice has evolved to become the ideal destination-consulting partner, skilled at developing growth-oriented master plans and translating those plans into successful projects. No other firm offers such an integrated approach to destination planning. 

PGAV’s key clients include industry leaders such as Delaware North Companies, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, the Biltmore Companies, Bass Pro Shops, Ameristar Casinos, Universal Studios, The Gettysburg Foundation, the Saint Louis Zoo, and many others. Recent assignments include planning and design at many of the world’s “must see” destinations, including the Grand Canyon, Biltmore Estate, Space Shuttle Atlantis, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, the Georgia Aquarium, the Hoover Dam, and SeaWorld Adventure Parks. www.PGAVDestinations.com

 

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