FRANKFORT, Ky. ─Visitors will often hear the name “Abraham Lincoln” spoken at this year’s Kentucky Crafted: The Market, South Wing B at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville.
The Kentucky Arts Council, sponsor of Kentucky Crafted: the Market, is working with the Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission to prepare for the national celebration of the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Lincoln-themed events and projects will be taking place across the nation from February 2008 through 2010.
Kentucky Crafted: The Market 2008 will participate in the Lincoln Bicentennial with a variety of activities and arts products related to Abraham Lincoln’s life and time:
The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Showcase (Exhibit Area D) will offer Kentucky made products commemorating the Bicentennial Celebration and high-quality reproductions of craftwork from the Lincoln era. These unique, handcrafted items include prints and note cards, clay mugs, scarves, children’s toys, textiles, and more.
Kentucky Poet Laureate Jane Gentry Vance and Richard L. Taylor, who served as Kentucky Poet Laureate in 1999 and 2000 will present readings of their new poems about Lincoln and other works on the stage at the entrance to Publishers’ Row (Aisle 700), Saturday, March 8 from 12-2 p.m. Each reading will be followed by a book signing.
Several authors and publishers exhibiting at the Market have books about Lincoln that are available for purchase in the Books/Publishers area. There will be book signings on Saturday, March 8 by Ron Elliott and John Snell, authors of Through the Eyes of Lincoln, and Bayan S. Bush, author of Lincoln and the Speeds who will return on Sunday, March 9 for another book signing. For a complete schedule of Book Signings at The Market, visit http://www.artscouncil/craft/MarketPublisherSigning08.pdf
Saxton’s Cornet Band will perform live on the Blue Moon Stage on Saturday, March 8 at 11 a.m. Through music, readings, and period humor, this ensemble recreates the look and sounds of brass bands from the antebellum and Civil War periods. The CD 1861-1865 Music of the Civil War by Saxton’s Cornet Band will also be available for sale in the Blue Moon Marketplace (Booth 451).
The Kentucky Historical Society will offer fun, hands-on activities from the childhoods of Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln in the Children and Family Traditions Area (Aisle 100), including quill writing and making sum books and journals.
Kentucky Crafted: The Market is a nationally-known trade show offering over 300 exhibitors of traditional and contemporary art and craft along with authentic folk art, Kentucky related books, musical recordings and specialty food products. Open to the public on Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9, the Market will feature live music, food demonstrations, family activities, and book signings by many Kentucky authors, including authors of children’s books.
For more information about Kentucky Crafted: The Market 2008 and to receive $1-off-admission coupons, go to www.kycraft.ky.gov or call toll-free 888-833-2787.
Kentucky Crafted: The Market 2008
Kentucky Exposition Center, South Wing B, Louisville, Ky.
Public Days
Saturday, March 8, 2008 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (EST)
Sunday, March 9, 2008 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (EDT)
Adults $8 (Children 15 and under free), Parking $5
Kentucky Crafted: The Market is produced by the Kentucky Arts Council, a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet that creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Funding for the Kentucky Arts Council is provided by the Kentucky State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.
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The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, invests in programs that develop vibrant communities, provide lifelong education in the arts and support arts participation. Every $1 invested in operating support grants by the Kentucky Arts Council leverages $24 in earned income and matching funds from individuals, philanthropic sources and other levels of government.