The Evansville Courier and Journal, June 28, 1936

Most of Festivities to Be Held in Pioneer Village in City Park; Services in Replica of Old Pigeon Church to Be Held This Afternoon as First Event in Week’s Program

The Rockport high school band pictured at the top, will head the Fourth of July parade and furnish music for the Lincoln Country Summer Festival which opens in Rockport today and which will continue for a week.

As one of today's principal events, the replica of the Old Pigeon Primitive Baptist church will be dedicated, the service to be in charge of Elder W. C. Arnold, (left below) of Carmi, Ill., pastor of the Crossville, Ill., Primitive Baptist chruch. The church stands in the Lincoln Pioneer Village.

Loney Parsley, shown on his horse, will be parade marshal for the Parade of Progress July 4.

ROCKPORT, June 27—(Special)

The Lincoln Country Summer Festival, which will be held in the Rockport city park, will open tomorrow. The festivities will continue through July 4, when a large Fourth of July celebration will be held.

The program will start at 2:00 o’clock Sunday afternoon when a church service will be held in the replica of the Old Pigeon Baptist church. Elder W. C. Arnold of the Crossville Primitive Baptist church, a veteran of 40 years in the ministry, will deliver the sermon. The Rev. J. F. Blake of Evansville will give the invocation and benediction. Hymns to sung will be those popular at the time that Abraham Lincoln lived in Spencer county, from 1816 to 1830.

A basket dinner will follow the services

Monday’s program will consist of homecomings, and Tuesday will be given over to visiting historical places in and about Rockport, including a visit to the flatboat landing from which Lincoln started on his memorable trip to New Orleans in 1828; the tavern where he stayed here and other spots of historic importance because of the Lincoln association; the village of Santa Claus; and other places of interest.

Kiwanis day will be celebrated July 1, with a picnic at the Pioneer village and program at the Old Pigeon church. Thursday afternoon a granite marker in the park, donated by Louis P. Weiss, former Rockport mayor, will be dedicated. Friday’s program will consist of a Lincoln play in the evening, followed by a pageant depicting the evolution of the dance from Colonial days.

July Fourth the "march of progress" parade will be held at 10 o’clock in the morning, with a picnic dinner in the afternoon. A program will be given in the afternoon at which A. P. Eberlin, president of the Southwestern Indiana Civic association, will be master of ceremonies.

Committees in charge of the celebration will be: Mrs. Bess Ehrman will be in general charge of the celebration.

Committee heads will be: Parade, Hilbert Bennett and Claud Snyder; program, Thomas Fortune, F. R. Glenn; concessions, B. F. Stewart, Fortune, Bennett, C. D. Underhill and Henry Hoch; Lincoln play and dance, Mrs. Ehrman and Miss Lucille Richards; publicity, Mrs. Mina Cook, Mrs. A. R. Gentry, Miss Laura M. Wright, C. S. Lindsay, Francis Fella and H. C. Bolin, all of Rockport; Otis Brooner of Dale and Charles Baker of Grandview; church, Mrs. Cook, Mrs. K. C. Atkinson, Mrs. O. P. Thurman, Mrs. Georgie Brown and Mrs. Charles Baker; information and ushers, Miss Richards, Mrs. Charles Feigel and Miss Edith Brother.

Following the Sunday church service Louis Halbruge, Rockport’s "famous coffee maker", will have 100 gallons of coffee ready for the picnickers.

From 9 to 10 o’clock in the morning of the Fourth children’s hour will be observed with races, contests, games and other amusements provided.