Lincoln Tribute

Abraham Lincoln’s birthday falls in February, and to celebrate, Ford’s Theatre (511 10th Street) has a lineup of events extraordinaire to commemorate the nation’s 16th head of state. 

The special programming will feature several treats on select days in February: the Target Oratory Festival, where Washington-area school children recite the president’s most famous speeches; a wreath-laying ceremony; Tales of the Lincoln, a one-man show that explores varied tales about the president; an interpretive Park Ranger Program about the events that led up to and include Lincoln’s assassination; and tours of the recently renovated Ford’s Theatre Museum and the Peterson House (516 10th Street), where Lincoln died. Tickets to these programs are free and required of all visitors 2 and older.

Park Rangers and volunteers will set the mood by sporting Civil War-era attire during the celebration, which also will include a performance of The Rivalry, which explores the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates. Tickets for this performance, which runs through February 14, range from $10 to $53.

In addition, the original overcoat worn by President Lincoln the night he was assassinated will be reinstalled in its Ford’s Theatre display case on Friday, February 12, where it will remain through the end of June. A textile conservator recently restored the famous coat. 

An unrelated but welcomed tidbit: Ford’s Theatre will hold a one-day sale for 20% off tickets to performances of Little Shop of Horrors (March 12 through May 22) and half-off tickets to its popular History on Foot walking tour, A Free Black Woman: Elizabeth Keckly (beginning Saturday, April 3). Tickets to both performances must be purchased in person at the Ford’s Theatre Box Office on Monday, February 15.

Ford’s Theatre operates through a partnership between the National Park Service and the Ford’s Theatre Society. For more information, including the dates and times of these special events and performances, visit www.fords.org.