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Lincoln-Douglas debate returns Sept. 13 and 14

Thursday, September 4, 2008 9:46 PM CDT

The Southern

JONESBORO - Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas will return to Jonesboro next weekend, 150 years after their famous 1858 senatorial debate there.

Historical impersonators of Lincoln and Douglas will be in the Jonesboro Square and at Lincoln Memorial Park, the debate site, Saturday, Sept. 13 and Sunday, Sept. 14. The event, set up by the local chapter of the Lincoln-Douglas Sesquicentennial Debate Committee, honors the 150th anniversary of the debate.

The weekend kicks off with a dinner featuring the debaters at 6 p.m. Friday at Great Boars of Fire lodge in Anna. Tickets are $25 each and reservations are required.

A community festival takes place at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Jonesboro Square, featuring crafts, demonstrations, food, music, games and historical displays.

At 2 p.m., a procession will move from the square to the park along the "Walk Where Lincoln Walked" path. Debaters will take questions about returning to Jonesboro a century and a half after the debate.

The celebration wraps up at 1 p.m. Sunday with an old-fashioned picnic in the park.

For more information or for reservation information, call the Southernmost Illinois Tourism Bureau at (800) 248-4373 or visit www.southernmostillinois.com.