Illinois First Lady Presents "America's Past, Present And Future" at the State Fair

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois First Lady Lura Lynn Ryan today welcomed the first visitors to her "America's Past, Present and Future" tent at the 2002 Illinois State Fair being held August 9 - 18 in Springfield.

Visitors will experience a taste of what life was like in the 1800s. Staff and junior volunteers from the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield will be in period costumes performing a variety of activities and helping children play games from the 1800s.

Families will have the opportunity to build with giant "Lincoln Logs," and visitors can pose for photographs beside life-size replicas of President and Mrs. Lincoln. Visitors may register for children's and adult Lincoln books that will be given away each day. A replica of the Old State Capitol with little known fun facts about Lincoln will also be on display. The Old State Capitol staff and volunteers will be in Mrs. Ryan's Tent from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. August 9 - 17.

Staff and volunteers from Lincoln's New Salem State Historic near Petersburg will offer demonstrations of quilting, broom making, felting, inkel weaving, coopering, wool spinning, sign painting, basket making, and dulcimer playing. The Lincoln's New Salem demonstrations will be offered August 9 - 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

These historic locations are just two of many featured on the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency's new accessible website which will also debut at the State Fair. The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency's new website that meets new web accessibility standards will be unveiled at the Governor's Office of Technology booth in Tech Town at the State Fair.

The website features all 60 historic sites and memorials administered by the Agency, including Lincoln's New Salem and the Old State Capitol, as well as the Illinois State Historical Library and historic preservation incentive programs. The website features font size and designs that are easier to read, and can be completely understood without sound or color. It can be completely accessed using only a keyboard; can be used with the latest screen magnification, screen reading, and speech recognition software; and is less likely to trigger photosensitive seizures. These measures meet Governor George H. Ryan's directive to make state agency websites accessible to persons with disabilities. The new website is located at www.state.il.us/hpa.

On August 16, Mrs. Ryan will host Futures for Kids Day at the State Fair. She serves as chair of Futures for Kids, the statewide resource for programs and policies related to the health, safety and education of infants, children and teenagers. Mrs. Ryan will also present the annual "Youth Making a Difference" Awards.

Other attractions at the First Lady's tent include:

• Information on the fall 2002 opening of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
• Safety and Health Information
• Kids ID tags
• Illinois Early Learning Project Information
• "Made In Illinois" Catalogue information
• Kids Korner Playhouse and Lego races