By J. M. (MIKE) LENNON and CHARLES B. STROZIER
Professors of literature and history, respectively, at Sangamon State University, Lennon is assistant editor of Illinois Issues, and Strozier is director of a project to interpret the Lincoln sites in Springfield. The authors wish to acknowledge the valuable assistance of Gloria Taylor of the Illinois State Library in the preparation of this article.

Relishing 200 years in Illinois

LIKE MOST AMERICANS, the citizens of Illinois spend little time in thoughtful consideration of the past. Local historical societies and Lincoln buffs are vigorous and even passionate in pursuing their research and restoration projects, but the overwhelming majority of the population is caught up in the challenges and dilemmas of the moment. Politics, energy, taxes, schools, the economy and other pressing questions seem to require all our attention and leave little time to reflect on our origins and the rich development of our nation over the past two centuries. Change, relentless and accelerating, seems to be the only constant in our collective experience.

In light of our obsession with the present and future, it is striking that the citizens of Illinois are displaying such genuine interest and ingenuity in celebrating the Bicentennial. Some of this enthusiasm is devoted to the ephemeral — a popcorn festival, beard judging, bell ringing, railroad handcar pumping, a Bicentennial coloring book — but birthday parties rarely thrive on solemnity. At the heart of even the most dubious Bicentennial projects — Gov. Dan Walker driving a covered wagon through the Chicago Loop, for example — there is a sense of pride and some awareness of the past.

Looking over the Illinois events in the comprehensive calendar published by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration (ARBA), and the grants made to various projects by the Illinois Bicentennial Commission (IBC), the general impression is one of remarkable vitality. The main reason for this vigor is that local groups around the state have organized themselves, put together grant applications and have, for more than a year, actually conducted Bicentennial activities of all kinds.

This grassroots approach to celebrating the nation's birthday is in keeping with the basic idea enunciated by ARBA that the "celebration must go directly to the people and derive its strength from the people." Whatever success (or lack of it) the commemoration of the nation's founding enjoys will not be solely attributable to the efforts of the federal bureaucrats. According to ARBA board chairman Senator Edward Brooke (R., Mass.), "It is the people from the state and private sectors that will have to bear the brunt of the work." Brooke's sentiment is echoed by IBC Chairman Howard R. Fricke, who says that if he could tell every Illinois citizen one thing about the state celebration it would be "Get involved. Birthday parties are meaningful only if you attend and make the celebration work."

The Illinois Bicentennial Commission is operating in the 1975-76 fiscal year on a budget of about $1, 350, 000. It makes grants on a matching basis to projects sponsored by Illinois organizations and schools. The largest portion of the budget comes from General Assembly appropriations, but $235, 000 of this year's funds come from Congress through ARBA. In addition, the sale of state Bicentennial medallions is expected to contribute about $40, 000 toward the budget. The largest single project supported by the legislature through the IBC is the sound-and-light show at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, which will cost about $550, 000 this year ($38, 700 was spent last year). Another $390, 000 of the budget goes for salaries and operating expenses for the IBC. Although this latter figure is high, IBC staffers point out that all of the non-grant activities of the commission are paid for from this sum. These activities include assistance in the compilation and publication of a comprehensive Illinois Historical Sites Guide, continuing production and distribution costs for various pamphlets and guides for youth groups, historical societies, senior citizens, libraries, local organizations and teachers. As of July 1, 1975, 20, 000 copies of the Illinois Teachers Bicentennial Resource Guide had been distributed, and by the end of 1975, 10, 000 "American Issues Forum" kits, a package of Bicentennial discussion materials, were distributed to schools around the state in cooperation with the Illinois Office of Education. A 131/2 minute movie, "Illinois '76," describing state Bicentennial activities is also available for no charge though the IBC (Suite 1044, 410 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago 60611). The IBC staff continues to sponsor conferences in the state to acquaint citizens with ideas for activities and welcomes inquiries from organizations and individuals regarding the Bicentennial.

The remainder of the 1975-76 budget — over $400, 000 — will go to projects which reflect the three national Bicentennial themes identified by ARBA. The three themes are:

Heritage '76. A summons to recall our heritage and place it in historical perspective. Al] groups within our society are urged to re-examine our origins, our values and the meaning of America as we have developed over the past two centuries.

Festival. An opportunity to program festive celebrations and cultural events which encourage citizens to expand

their knowledge of the United States and its people. Americans are encouraged to extend a particular welcome to visitors.
Horizons '76. A challenge to every American to undertake at least one principal project which manifests the pride, priorities and hopes of his community or organization. The commission encourages every group to pool resources and talents in a constructive effort to demonstrate concern for human welfare, freedom and the quality of American life as we enter the third century of democracy.

The official "Bicentennial Era" in Illinois runs from July 5, 1975 to December 3, 1976 (the 158th birthday of the state), but the cutoff for grant application was December 1, 1975. According to Michael J. Linderman, executive director of the IBC, about 195 grants will be made during the current fiscal year (roughly 220 applications will be turned down). Linderman and Fricke would like to see a good portion of the last group of grants made by the 1BC go to programs stressing the ethnic heritage of the state as well as those centered around agriculture and the labor movement.

The IBC was established by the General Assembly in July 1972 and, until recently, its 24 commissioners have operated largely in a "reactive" manner, according to Chairman Fricke. That is, the commission has met regularly to consider the applications of various local Bicentennial groups for the funding of projects. Linderman says that for the remainder of the Bicentennial Era the 1BC "will move into the development of statewide and regional operating programs." Although Fricke and Linderman are now trying to initiate some projects, they believe that the allocation of grant funds thus far has been fairly well balanced. The major exception has been the sound-and-light show at the Old State Capitol, which will be first presented in early July of 1976.

The price tag on the great majority of IBC funded projects is under $5, 000, the largest being $21, 000 to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry for an exhibit entitled "America's Inventive Genius." It is difficult to categorize the grants made so far by the IBC except to say that they all seem to fall generally under one or more of the three themes mentioned above.

The "Heritage '76" theme, which calls for projects focusing on the past, seems appropriately to have the lion's share of grant funds. Some of the "Heritage" projects are;

American Thresherman's Association: Building to store and display machinery from America's past ($5,000)
Du Sable Museum of African American History (Chicago): Restoration of Leavall Collection of American civil rights leaders ($3,400)
Illinois State Historical Society: Conference on post-Revolutionary Northwest Territory ($1,500)
Jacksonville Bicentennial Commission: Preservation of city records ($1,000)
Lebanon Historical Society: Renovation of Mermaid Inn ($1,000)
Rock Island County Bicentennial Commission: Indian Sculpture ($1,500)
Sangamon State University: Conference on American history themes as related to Lincoln's life in Illinois ($4,300)
University of Illinois: Videotape on historical development of U.S. patriotic band music ($2,500)

The "Festival" theme has the fewest funded projects, although Linderman is hopeful that several "living community" projects in Chicago's ethnic areas will be funded by the commission. "Festival" projects already funded include:

Capital Bicentennial Commission (Springfield): Fife and Drum Corps uniforms and historic reenactment pageant ($7,625)
Free Street Theater (Chicago): Bicentennial performances ($10,000)
LaSalle Expedition II: Reenactment of LaSalle's 1681 eight-month voyage from Montreal to New Orleans ($20,000)
MacMurray College, Music Department: Performances of opera, "The Devil and Daniel Webster" ($1,000)
Peoria County Bicentennial Commission: Expenses for three-day residency of performing arts group from Ghana, Africa ($1,000)
Prelude Regional Ballet of Southwestern Illinois: Lectures and demonstrations on history of American dance to school assemblies ($450)
Senior Girl Scout Troops of Association IV: Covered wagon train from Springfield to Quincy ($650)

The third theme, "Horizons '76," covers Bicentennial projects that have some lasting value to the community. Obviously, many of the projects listed under the other two themes do this also; most do not fit clearly into only one thematic category. The IBC does not label each project specifically, but tries to be flexible and judge each independently. The only other conditions are that projects must be sponsored by some community organization and be operational before or during 1976. Here are some of the projects that fall roughly under the "Horizons" theme:

Fayette County Bicentennial Commission: Edition of stories by James Hall, the first major literary figure in Illinois history ($1,700)
Hazel Crest Bicentennial Commission: Community Recycling Center ($3,700)
Mattoon Bicentennial Commission: Seedling trees and commemorative tags ($1,000)
Rochelle Bicentennial Commission: Improvements to wildlife preserve

($2,500)
St. Clair County Bicentennial Com- mission: Facilities for handicapped at St. Clair County Park ($4,000)
Tuscola Bicentennial Commission: Landscaping along roadway into Tuscola ($2,350)
University of Chicago, Art Department: Cases and lighting for Lorado Taft's display maquettes, working models, plaster portrait busts ($1,250)
Will County-Joliet Bicentennial Memorial and Cultural Park: Park, cultural facilities and veterans' memorial ($10,000)

These grants represent only a small part of the total funded by IBC. And, in addition to the IBC programs, there are hundreds of other events: fairs, parades, festivals, grand levees, pageants, tours, flea markets, frolics, reenactments, a rendezvous, plays, dedications, band concerts, carnivals, pilgrimages, conferences, nature walks, craft exhibits, church services, demonstrations, fly-ins, essay contests, railsplitting contests, symposia, homecomings, a marathon, dances, costume balls, encampments, radio and TV presentations, horseshows - even a "Natural Nourishment Bounty Day" sponsored by the Illinois Department of Conservation. The ARBA calendar published in June 1975 has 17 pages of single-spaced listings of Illinois events — more than any other state excepting Texas, New York and Pennsylvania. And ARBA, which has established a computerized Bicentennial Network (BINET) to keep track of the events it publishes in its calendars, admits that the details of many other events in Illinois are so incomplete that they have not even listed them.

Most Bicentennial events generally have some kind of official sponsorship, which for many in Illinois is formalized by a grant from the IBC. At the national level, financial and moral support flows from ARBA (although most of ARBA's funds have gone directly to the states, the large oil corporations, and giant firms wishing to join the action). General Motors, Kraft Foods, ARCO (Atlantic Richfield Corporation), Prudential Insurance, and Pepsi Cola, for example, have underwritten the Freedom Train, and Shell Oil has paid $9.3 million for 732 one-minute vignettes from American history on CBS-TV. Such official and corporate involvement in the Bicentennial has prompted the creation of a leftist, populist organization called the People's Bicentennial Commission. The PBC deplores the commercialization of the Bicentennial and characterizes it as the "Buy-centennial." The first words of its source book, America's Birthday: A Planning Guide for Citizen's Participation During the Bicentennial Years are: "In the 1770's there was a Revolution in this country. In the 1970's, the White House and Corporate America are planning to sell us a program of plastic Liberty Bells, red- white-and-blue cars and a 'Love It or Leave It' political program."

The People's Bicentennial, however, short on funds and long on rhetoric, has found it difficult to mount an effective countermovement to official Bicentennial celebrations, especially in Illinois. Last July 4 the PBC presented "Tory of the Year" awards to four corporations and ARBA for commercializing the nation's observance of the Bicentennial. None of the recipients was present, but Time magazine, which was criticized for reporting the radicals of 1776 in its special Bicentennial issue while ignoring the issues of today, responded by saying that "Some of our best friends are Tories." I

The single most dramatic and impressive product of the Bicentennial celebration in Illinois will be the sound-and- light show on the south side of the Old State Capitol in Springfield. The idea originated with the late Oliver J. Keller, formerly president of WTAX radio station in Springfield and president of the Abraham Lincoln Association from 1962 to 1968.

In 1964 Keller mobilized the Abraham Lincoln Association in a drive to raise $250, 000 from Springfield businesses and private groups to augment funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the restoration of the Old Capitol. Keller planned to allocate part of the $250, 000 raised by the Abraham Lincoln Association for a modest sound-and-light show that would include a dramatic reading of Lincoln's "House Divided" speech (which Lincoln delivered in the legislative chamber of the Old Capitol) and other sound and light effects projected on the side of the building.

As it turned out, it took 10 more years of planning and work to bring the idea to fruition. Keller's idea was taken up by a Springfield citizens' committee, originally headed by James E. Myers and now chaired by Mrs. Charles Becker, Jr. The committee met for years, weighed the merits of many bizarre suggestion

and eventually chose as the producer of the show, Charles Guggenheim, the noted producer of the documentary film on Robert Kennedy and the sound-and- light show in Ford's Theater in Washington. The committee also secured funding for the show. Support came first from Gov. Dan Walker in 1972 and also from the Illinois Bicentennial Commission. In 1973 the IBC, which endorsed the idea of a sound-and-light show presented by the committee, gained legislative support for the show. In 1973 a bill appropriating $600, 000 for the project became law. This sum was augmented by a $50, 000 gift from the Abraham Lincoln Association. The $650, 000 will produce an interpretive audio program inside the building as well as the exterior sound-and-light show.

A sound-and-light show is not easy to understand without actually seeing one. Lights play dramatically over the side of a building in different hues and intensities, supporting the interpretive line of the script. The basic story — and the message — is conveyed by the sound track. The thoughtful and evocative script that the trustees of the State Historical Library have approved tells the story of the Old Capitol, focusing on Lincoln's important part in the story, but by no means neglecting the role of Stephen A. Douglas, nor the significance of the building itself in the political history of Illinois.

Like many projects of this size, the show is controversial. It is expensive and some contend it is an extravagant display. But the state needs a large, focused effort in its Bicentennial celebration to balance the smaller local projects funded by the IBC and other organizations such as the Illinois Arts Council and the Illinois Humanities Council. A "Natural Nourishment Bounty Day" is worthwhile, but lacks the continuing vitality of a permanent, public show which plays nightly, free of charge, for six months during the year. The sound-and-light show will also encourage literally millions of tourists to reflect on their past for years to come. It will move most and undoubtedly offend some, but it will reach all in an effective medium. For that reflection, for the questions the show raises in the young and old, we will all be richer.

"In considering the nation's social and political evolution over the past 200 years," Fricke says, "Lincoln is of major significance." The sound-and-light show, he says, is an excellent way to fulfill "the state's responsibility to recognize Lincoln's greatness." William K. Alderfer, Illinois state historian and executive director of the State Historical Library, also points out that the show is actually an efficient and economical utilization of the Old Capitol as an historic site. This presentation, Alderfer says, will offer substantial benefits over the years for a large, but one-time investment.

Much more could be said in description of the Bicentennial Era in Illinois— the visits of the Queen of Denmark and of the Kings of Norway and Sweden, the histories of the state now being written (in English and Spanish), the Wernher Von Braun lectures on space exploration to be given around the state, the reenactment of the George Rogers dark trek and the variety of unique projects sponsored by the 244 cities and towns recognized by ARBA as official Bicentennial communities. But the diversity and vigor of the celebrations cannot be appreciated completely unless one were to visit 20 or 30 of these communities during 1976. Which is not a bad idea. Even then, you would miss a lot. As Lochlen F. Blair, a member of the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council, has said, "If you have seen one community's Bicentennial preparations, you have not seen them all." 

Illinois Bicentennial Commission

Howard R. Fricke, Springfield, chairman
Sen. Sam Vadalabene, Edwardsville, vice chairman
Rep. J. David Jones, Springfield, secretary
Dr. Edward C. Rozanski, Chicago, treasurer
William K. Alderfer, state historian
Rep. Gerald Bradley, Bloomington
Dr. Joseph Cronin, state superintendent of education
Rep. Lawrence DiPrima, Chicago
Sen. William C. Harris, Pontiac
Earl W. Henderson, Springfield
Mrs. William C. Limacher, Joliet
Andrew McNally III, Chicago
Sen. Thomas Merritt, Hoopeston
Sen. James "Pate" Philip, Elmhurst
Sen. Cecil A. Partee, Senate president, Chicago
Joseph P. Pisciotte, director, Department of Business and Economic Development
Rep. Paul J. Randolph, Chicago
Rep. William Redmond, House speaker, Bensenville
Sen. Sam Romano, Chicago
Dr. Milton D. Thompson, director, State Museum
Rep. James R. Washburn, Morris
Rev. Msgr. John Michael Whelan, Peoria
Robert V. Guelich, Chicago
Eugene Sage, Chicago
Michael J. Linderman, executive director