Jonesboro marks 200 years

Bicentennial celebration planned

The City of Jonesboro is planning a bicentennial celebration.

The Union County community was founded in 1818. Jonesboro is the county seat. The city also is the home of the Union County Courthouse.

Union County itself, as well as the State of Illinois, also are commemorating their 200th anniversaries during 2018.

A variety of special events are being planned Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 12-14.

“Dine with Abraham Lincoln”

An opportunity will be available to “dine with Abraham Lincoln” during the celebration.

A dinner to celebrate the 200th birthdays of Jonesboro, Union County and the State of Illinois is planned Saturday evening, Oct. 13, at the Main Street Center in Anna. The center is located at 400 S. Main St.

The dinner is being sponsored by the PAST organization of Union County and the Jonesboro Bicentennial Committee.

Doors for the event are scheduled to open at 6 p.m. A meal will be served at 6:30 p.m. The dinner will be catered by The Kitchen on Lafayette and will feature Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln’s “favorite dishes.”

Dinner reservations are $25. Reservations for the dinner were required by Oct. 5.

The local group Back Porch Company is scheduled to perform at the dinner.

Abraham Lincoln, as portrayed by George Buss of Freeport, is scheduled to be a special guest at the dinner.

Buss also plans to visit Jonesboro School on Monday, Oct. 15.

Other Activities

Other bicentennial activities are being planned in Jonesboro.

Entertainment and activities are planned Friday and Saturday evenings, Oct. 12-13, by the Jonesboro Library Association on the Jonesboro Square.

On Saturday, the following activities are scheduled:

10 a.m., Jonesboro Cemetery. Dedication of Revolutionary War patriot graves by the Sons of the American Revolution.

10:30 a.m., Jonesboro Cemetery. A walking tour of the cemetery with Abraham Lincoln and friends is planned. Reenactors will be present to help guide the tour.

1 p.m. to 3 p.m. A tour of churches in and around Jonesboro is planned.

1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Jonesboro Library. The library, which is located in Jonesboro’s former train depot, will be open. The library will have an exhibit of artifacts from the old station.

1 p.m. to 4 p.m., PAST’s Heritage House is scheduled to open for tours.

A driving tour featuring important sites in the history of Jonesboro is planned throughout the day.

An archeological dig for students is planned during the school week near a Trail of Tears site.

A pictorial book is being published and will be available for sale. 

 

 

 

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

Sign Up For Breaking News

Stay informed on our latest news!

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
16 + 0 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Comment Here