As dreary as Saturday morning was, my beaming smile lit up the entire southern half of Jessamine County as I watched about three dozen Abraham Lincolns step off a tour bus. Actually, they were professional lookalikes from around the nation who make up The Association of Lincoln Presenters. Though many of the lookalikes were a bit of a stretch without the top hats and black coats, there were a few that were fairly impeccable. That excludes the Abe that was decked out from his hat down to his trousers, but lost points due to the Sketchers athletic shoes on his feet. I bet the real Abraham Lincoln was more of a Nike man.

My number one pick for Abe of the Day was Mr. James Mitchell from Hope, Kansas. Not only did Mr. Mitchell have the height, the beard, the hardened facial features and the intent gaze of President Lincoln, he was also the only Abraham that I saw that removed his hat and held it for the duration of the 21-cannon salute that was given in remembrance of Lincoln’s assassination. So hat’s off indeed to Mr. Mitchell for winning the Nick Hon Abraham Lincoln Lookalike award, even if he did start glaring at me for taking his picture so many times.

All jokes aside, it is great to see so many take such an important figure in our nation’s history (and one of our most iconic leaders to boot) so seriously and go to the lengths that they go to in order to educate the public of his importance. We may have had an abundance of Abes at Camp Nelson, but we do NOT have an abundance of accurate and not politically-colored history education in most schools anymore. 

To check out some pictures of Mr. Mitchell and his lookalikes, be sure to check out the first issue of Jessamine Life magazine next month. I will let everyone guess which Abraham Lincoln he is!

With that many Abraham Lincolns on the loose Saturday morning, I slept easy that night knowing that Camp Nelson was free and clear of falsehoods. That sleep came in handy on Sunday when I had to carry away my door prize from the KCAL Old Time Radio Show presentation. Thanks for drawing my seat number, guys!

Though he may not make as fine an Abe Lincoln as James Mitchell, Jessamine Journal columnist Billy Holland made for a fabulously awful judge and a hotel clerk in the troupe’s “My Favorite Wife” production. Kudos to Billy and the rest of the cast for their hard work resulting in an entertaining outing on Main Street. There is a lot more work that goes into such programs than meets the eye, and multiple practices are always a headache to map out with the schedules of everyone involved already so full. I used to participate in a similar artistic ensemble in Nebraska, and though I often grumbled about making rehearsals, I always found it to be a blast and very rewarding when it was over.

There are a few more KCAL performances coming up this year, so I encourage anyone who has never attended to check one out. On that note, don’t forget that the Nicholasville Farmers’ Market starts Saturday morning!