AND A GRAND TIME WAS HAD BY ALL

The City of Taunton held its official observance of the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln at the Old Colony Historical Society on Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Charles Thayer presented a reading and lecture on Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address to a house that included over 140 people. The African-American Club of Taunton High School did a provocative performance presentation on Lincoln, race, and the Emancipation Proclamation. The Historical Society offered door prizes, its own museum display and the display of pennies collected by Taunton's school children (see below). Dr. Thayer's wife, Paula, baked the work of art displayed above. All in all, a very satisfying conclusion to a very productive year commemorating the bicentennial of our 16th President.

Read my speech to the Taunton Rotary Club "The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial in the Age of Obama" on my new supplementary blog http://fiorepapers.blogspot.com

ABOUT A HALF TON OF PENNIES FOR A WORTHY CAUSE

The school children of Taunton have raised over 1100 pounds of pennies and other currency, which were on display at the Old Colony Historical Society as part of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial celebration. After the party on February 12, the pennies were brought be processed into larger denominations to purchase gift cards to local supermarkets and department stores to be donated to the city's Veterans' Services office to benefit families of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Participating schools included Benjamin A. Friedman Middle School (over 400 pounds), Mulcahey Middle School, the Elizabeth Pole campus of Parker Middle School, East Taunton Elementary School, Barnum School, and Walker School. Many thanks to School Committee member Janis Nowak and firefighter Paul Allison for coordinating this extraordinary effort, to Jane Hennedy and the staff at the Old Colony Historical Society for displaying them, and to the Taunton Fire Department for moving them around.

OFFICIAL PORTRAIT FROM THE CITY OF TAUNTON'S WEBSITE

This frightening visage is what people are treated to when they go onto the City of Taunton's website and look up the city council. It is placed here to give you fair warning.