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Katie Spindell, Katie Spindell, Katie Spindell, Katie Spindell!

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[Mary Todd Lincoln] had requested that her husband be buried in [the new Oak Ridge Cemetery], a few miles from town, and a monument to him be built there. But Springfield leaders had another idea. They had already chosen a more prominent, central location very near the city’s commercial downtown. “I think they wanted the monument, where people could pay tribute to Lincoln, to be conveniently located,” Burlingame says.

“This was a civic gesture as well as maybe, if you want to think of this, a business opportunity to bring more people into town and drive up the value of land,” says Cornelius. Springfield’s leaders “wanted to do the right thing for Springfield and weren’t necessarily thinking in the emotional, personal way that Mary and her son, Robert, were thinking.”

Those men, who included Lincoln’s friends and peers, had spent around $50,000 to buy land for his burial and monument on a hill just blocks from the train station, Cornelius says. Even after Mary requested that Lincoln be buried in Oak Ridge, Springfield’s newly formed National Lincoln Monument Association had a temporary tomb constructed for his body on the downtown lot. It’s still there, beneath the ground, on the northeast corner of the current Statehouse lawn, according to Mal Hildebrand, former director of the Office of the Capitol Architect. He saw the tomb’s remains in the 1970s during construction work.

Go read the whole thing. An excellent piece.

* I went to Saturday’s event downtown, but it was at times so horrible that I decided to skip Sunday’s events. I regret that now…

A quartet sang a passionate version of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” at noon Sunday, just before the re-created version of Abraham Lincoln’s casket was loaded into the hearse outside the Old State Capitol at the corner of Sixth and Washington streets.

As the pallbearers placed the black coffin inside the replica horse-drawn hearse that would carry it to Oak Ridge Cemetery, a quiet fell over the crowd, aside from the occasional camera click.

At 12:15 p.m., the large procession began making its way southeast through downtown Springfield to the Lincoln Home. Most of the onlookers chose spots near the Old State Capitol or the home to watch hundreds of civilian and military re-enactors in period clothing move past, while some followed the procession through the city’s downtown streets.

I would’ve liked to have seen that.

* The reason Saturday was so horrible is purely on the back of Lincoln Funeral Coalition Board Chair Katie Spindell.

Ms. Spindell managed to make the entire event about herself. She worked so very hard for six long years to put this together, she told us over and over again. She even stopped watching TV. Boy, was she ever going to sleep late on Monday, so don’t call her!

Every time she opened her mouth (she emceed, so it was often), everything was all about her.

Oh, and after SIX YEARS of alleged planning, much of what happened on stage was done at the very last second.

Not to mention that only one African-American spoke, and only for a brief moment. The ambassador from San Marino was given far more time. Yes, San Marino. I didn’t care, either.

It was a complete, utter embarrassment.

* But, again, I’m regretting my decision to skip Sunday…

William Polston learned more about history retracing his ancestors’ steps than he ever could have from a book.

The 11-year-old from Minneapolis was the youngest among the Lincoln Funeral Re-enactment pallbearers on Saturday. History shows Abraham Lincoln had 14 pallbearers at his funeral in 1865, and generations later, six of their descendants returned for the re-enactment.

Cool.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 4, 15 @ 11:34 am

Comments

I totally agree with you on Ms. Spindell. I had to walk away from the stage because of her self promotion.

Comment by anon Monday, May 4, 15 @ 11:42 am
The old men wanted a traditional hero’s tomb, but the younger generation wanted the new park treatment like Oak Ridge. By 1865, cemetery with park-like setting were popular and with all the church yards filled up, it only made sense that creating a beautiful cemetery like Oak Ridge was what everyone began doing during this time.

So, it isn’t surprising that the old fuddy-duddies wanted a massive tomb. They are from an older generation that couldn’t envision cemeteries like Oak Ridge.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, May 4, 15 @ 11:48 am
Sorry I missed it tool. I looked for information on handicapped accessibility and couldn’t find anything. I know there some spaces downtown, but given street closures and crowds I decided that it would be too much a hassle.

Comment by Norseman Monday, May 4, 15 @ 11:52 am
As a re-enactor I’d say yes Rich you totally missed a once in a lifetime experience by letting your feelings about Katie Spindell get in the way. Did you watch Saturday’s procession or just go to the stage? If you watched the procession, which my husband and I were in, you would have had a very different experience than if you were just at the stage. And if you were along the procession route yesterday, you wouldn’t have even heard any speakers, just seen an excellent re-enactment of something that will not happen again (at least at our ages). At the cemetery yesterday the speakers were portraying clergy from the time period and only brief remarks by Spindell. I know many people don’t like her and I’m not taking sides but this weekend was a fantastic experience for participants and I believe for those who watched the processions.

Comment by formerGOPer Monday, May 4, 15 @ 11:53 am
The ambassador from San Marino? is there any possible reason for that?

VMan, Lincoln’s tomb ain’t exactly small.

Comment by Wordslinger Monday, May 4, 15 @ 11:54 am
I heard Ms. Spindell speak to a local (Springfield) group about a year and a half ago. Her entire spiel was about how put-together she was, how firmly she had this whole thing in hand, how all the pieces were in place. It was the least informative and most defensive talk I’ve ever heard. You’d think that a year and a half out, the chair of such an event would still be trying to win over local support, ask residents for help, persuade them to get involved. Nope. After the talk, I introduced myself and said I noticed there were no labor unions on the list of coalition members or supporters. I suggested she talk to some unions and gave her a couple of contacts. Her response was, “They can be involved if they want, and frankly I don’t see what they have to do with this event anyway.” I didn’t follow the proceedings closely enough after that to know if any unions did get involved, but I found that exchange indicative of a pretty bad attitude.

My number one beef with the whole thing was its approach to the residents of Springfield. For an event of this magnitude, there was very little local PR. Inasmuch as anyone was trying to inform locals of opportunities to participate, it was media outlets, not the Coalition itself. Perhaps because the Coalition hadn’t met its fundraising goals, almost everything (aside from standing and watching the procession) cost money, making ordinary Springfieldians feel pretty shut out. I also found the visitor’s bureau website and the SJ-R far more informative about the calendar events and basic info like parking and street closings than the Coalition website. The attitude toward locals was, “Stay off the parade route if you’re not in period clothing” - not, come join a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I took my kids to see the procession yesterday, and I’m glad I did. It was an interesting piece of history. But it had the potential to be so much more. I think Springfield missed an opportunity.

Although, ironically, yesterday’s observance was pretty accessible and easy to see - primarily because the Coalition’s missteps meant the crowds were far smaller than they could have been.

Comment by Commander Norton Monday, May 4, 15 @ 11:56 am
I watched the procession yesterday near the Lincoln home. You could hear a pin drop when the hearse passed. It was spectacular to witness.

Comment by Old Shepherd Monday, May 4, 15 @ 11:58 am
I live in Springfield and while I believe the reenactors and people who built the replica hearse, coffin, etc. did a wonderful job and deserve praise — overall, this event was nowhere near as well organized as it should have been, and it was a disappointment to me.

The event schedules published prior to the event were unclear and contradictory at times, and some people who were at the Saturday events weren’t sure where everything was taking place. There also seemed to be an element of the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing in some of the events (for example, the replica funeral train car traveling separately from the replica coffin).

If the event had been planned far enough ahead and well organized, it could have attracted people other than Civil War reenactors and die- hard Lincoln buffs. I saw way more people downtown on St. Patrick’s Day than I saw either Saturday or Sunday!

Comment by Secret Square Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:03 pm
=VMan, Lincoln’s tomb ain’t exactly small.=

It was a relatively small entombment at first, in the side of the hill just behind his current resting place. I think it was later, after a poorly-conceived grave robbery that the current tomb was built.

Comment by Nick Naylor Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:12 pm
===It was a relatively small entombment at first, in the side of the hill just behind his current resting place. I think it was later, after a poorly-conceived grave robbery that the current tomb was built.===

Use the search key.

That was the Temporary tomb used.

http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/art/temporary.htm

That was never intened to be the final resting place.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:19 pm
Now she belongs to the ages

Comment by LizPhairTax Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:19 pm
MS. Spindell spoke to a civic group I was a member of last fall. It was all about her then, and its not surprising that nothing changed. The group did accomplish some fantastic things, its a shame that self-congratulations overshadow the accomplishments. I’m sorry I had to leave town before the processional.

Comment by relocated Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:28 pm
The entire weekend events had some really good moments but it seems to me Springfield missed some great chances to sell more than the death of Lincoln.

I thought there would have been attempts to use the chance to link New Salem and other Central Illinois sites to the weekend events. It seemed at times the whole production was like a HS prom committee had planned it.

On a related note, Sunday Morning’s Service at Central Baptist Church was a great experience for those who attended. The church was on the parade route as was decorated in period mourning black bunting and wreaths. The service included the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln quotes weaved into the pastor’s sermon and the choir brought the church members to their feet with the Battle Hymn of The Republic.

Comment by Give Me A Break Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:35 pm
My timing was perfect. I was coming to S’field to meet a friend. About 12:15 I parked on 9th St and walked over to 8th just as the possession arrived. Very few people so it was easy to get a good view.

However, I did feel sorry for all those re-enactors who had to walk 3 miles wearing wool uniforms or hoop skirts!

Comment by G'Kar Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:37 pm
We missed Saturday, but attended Sunday and found the procession on Sunday. We opted to skip the events down by the stage at 6th and Washington and watched from 8th Street down near Lincoln’s Home. It was wonderful. We liked the procession so much that we walked down several streets to watach it again. I agree that the promotion for the event could have been better. Thank goodness for the Illinois Times article with the maps and accurate information.

Comment by Observation Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:39 pm
Katie Spindell makes me look like a hack. - A. Lincoln

Comment by Ron Burgundy Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:40 pm
It is amazing that this thing came together at all. So much was missing.

The train should have played a more prominent role, but it was finished at the last minute. No one, apparently, figured out that you can’t just put a train on modern railroad tracks without a lot of advance legwork. It should have been completed six months ago if it was to have any chance at all of getting the necessary inspections, certifications and permissions so that it could have chugged into the train station bearing the casket.

Lincoln lay in state in the Old State Capitol before being taken to the cemetery during the real thing, and there’s no reason that could not have happened this time. But, for whatever reason, organizers couldn’t make it happen, and so they put the casket outside overnight, then hauled it to a fire station when rain threatened. Inexcusable. What a sight and experience that would have been, Lincoln lying in state in the OSC so folks could pay respects. Another lost opportunity.

There weren’t nearly the number of reenactors that there should have been, and that’s not surprising, given how disorganized it obviously was in the weeks and months leading up. Not many people would travel hundreds or thousands of miles when there was no solid plan, no website to go to where you could find out exactly what would happen and when. That as many people showed up as did is somewhat miraculous and only underscores the what might have beens.

There’s a ton of finger pointing going on, but, really, this is an event that the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency could or should have taken the lead on. Instead, it was present only around the fringes, and the lack of leadership is powerful evidence that the agency is deeply troubled. Spindell has been criticized a lot, and rightly so (the lack of any significant black speaker is especially outrageous), but let’s not forget: Who else was there to do it? No one stepped up to properly organize this thing, and so it never got properly organized.

When people say “Springpatch,” this event will be powerful evidence of what the word means.

Comment by What A Mess Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:41 pm
“My number one beef with the whole thing was its approach to the residents of Springfield”

Commander Norton, you put your finger on the problem better than I did. I sensed surprisingly little “buzz” about the event from local people, including those who volunteer at the state historic sites.

The first time I went to the Coalition website some months ago, the main thing I gathered from it was that anyone who wanted to get involved would have to jump through a lot of hoops — registering and being credentialed in advance and having to wear historically accurate period dress. The site also alluded to security restrictions being imposed if certain dignitaries decided to attend. The whole sense I got from the Coalition site was “If you’re not a hardcore Civil War reenactor or presenter, stay out of the way.”

Comment by Secret Square Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:41 pm
Secret Square,

You’ve got to protect the Ambassador from San Marino at all costs! He’s in charge of the meaningless coins.

Comment by LizPhairTax Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:43 pm
It seemed so many people had a negative reaction to Katie Spindell on Saturday. Not only do I now know that she has a DVR, but the whole focus of the event was her. She was very disrespectful toward some of the dignitaries, treated the governor as a child twice when he did not know he was to stand to receive a gift to the state. She twice called on the artist to speak, even though she told the crowd that he had asked not to, and her introduction of Jim Edgar was an after thought. Of course, the silliest thing was when she didn’t know where the casket was (right in front of her) and I assume she was in charge of what should go where.
But my biggest gripe was the constant reminder to participants that everything was to look authentic to the period so as not to ruin photos. One of the singers was told she couldn’t ride her scooter to the site because it was not historically accurate–yet the fences around the stage were steel, there was a jumbotron on the stage, white plastic folding chairs…..and all the people on stage were in period attire EXCEPT for Spindell.
Most appalling of all are the comments Spindell made to some of the participants during the planning period, people she hardly knew–she bad mouthed Springfield, she criticized some of the other members of the Coalition board, she insisted that she did not like to speak in front of people so she would stay in the background and let them do their thing. If only it were true.
I’m glad this event took place and I’m glad I went, but it could have been so much more and certainly more organized. Unfortunately, I probably won’t be here for the bicentennial celebration.

Comment by redshoes Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:45 pm
I saw way more people downtown on St. Patrick’s Day than I saw either Saturday or Sunday!

Why would anyone who loved catching candy, necklaces and beads, drink beer and cheer at every person with a business or elected office - want to go to a funeral march?

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:46 pm
I was born and raised in Springfield and I still call it home. I really enjoyed this weekends events but I also didn’t pay any attention to the official ceremonies and what not and couldn’t really as the promptional work for the event and the website were so bad it was impossible to figure out what was going on when except for the big parts. I was there on Saturday and Sunday and barely even heard or noticed the speeches etc. I was there more as I think Springfield residents had been 150 years ago to see the hearse and the procession. I thought everything was really cool except for how poorly marketed and in some cases organized things were. Its 2015 and they couldn’t get a decent useful website put together for it?! Come on! Anyways… I’m Looking forward to putting 150 Lincoln pennies on Booth’s grave when I am in B/more later this summer.

Comment by WAK Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:54 pm
I wondered myself why the lying-in-state/visitation portion of the reenactment wasn’t done at the OSC. As it turns out, the superintendent of the site stated in the SJ-R something to the effect of “We didn’t want to compete with or distract from the Lincoln funeral display at the ALPLM.”

Speaking of participation by African-Americans, on Saturday morning near the train station I noticed a black woman — in what appeared to be the period dress of a slave — handing out flyers promoting the dedication of an Underground Railroad-related site near the riverfront in St. Louis this coming weekend (May 9). I thought to myself that she seemed to have a better grasp of how to promote an event than the people at this event did.

Comment by Secret Square Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:56 pm
An ambassador from Dan Marino might be more relevant.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Monday, May 4, 15 @ 12:57 pm
It was a wonderful event. Let’s keep that in mind. Hundreds of people worked to pull it off, none paid by the State or the City of Springfield, and if the event could have been better with IHPA and Springfield Convention Bureau involvement, maybe that would have happened if they had not actively worked against it from the beginning.

Comment by cogito Monday, May 4, 15 @ 1:03 pm
“Why would anyone who loved catching candy, necklaces and beads, drink(ing) beer and cheer(ing) at every person with a business or elected office, want to go to a funeral march?”

There’s no law that says people can’t enjoy partying AND enjoy attending the reenactment of a seminal event in local and national history. Obviously, the crowds were never going to match the original event (75,000 + filing into the OSC to view Lincoln’s open casket) but I would have expected a much bigger crowd than actually attended.

Comment by Secret Square Monday, May 4, 15 @ 1:09 pm
di anyone video these events so they could be ourchased on DVD at a later date

Comment by confused in Springfield Monday, May 4, 15 @ 1:10 pm
There are some good videos on YouTube covering the event:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T7ZSWPYju0s

Comment by Anon221 Monday, May 4, 15 @ 1:22 pm
The funeral procession, train car, hearse and all the re-enactors were fantastic. But for the whole event I’d say it was close, but no cigar. It seemed as an event planned for the local histroic club with a large budget rather than an event planned for all. It just missed the mark. Oh sure, everything was there as if it were checked off a list- except charisma. Also, where or what part did children play in this? Isn’t this a learning moment for them too? I saw more senior adults than children; (I took mine)I suppose because the programs were geared toward scholars and would-be scholars. I saw so many Girl Scout Troops on Friday downtown, but relatively less children overall after that. That is a shame if it points back to one person. Oh well, a learning moment for 2165.

Comment by Can't Say Monday, May 4, 15 @ 1:53 pm
Rich, besides Michael Burlingame’s excellent commentary about the Lincoln funeral, I also recommend a book by Thomas J. Craughwell, called “Stealing Lincoln’s Body.” While the book focuses considerable time on a “gang that couldn’t shoot straight” and their counterfeiting escapades, it also focuses on the battle over the President’s final resting place. Mary explained that she and Abe had talked about the new brand of cemeteries being developed in more rustic settings (such as the new Oak Ridge Cemetery)and that it appealed to both of them. The site chosen by city fathers was called Mather’s Hill and at that time it was a small rise on the edge of the core of Springfield. Mary was clear from the beginning that she would not agree to Lincoln being buried in town. The argument ended when Mary told the city leaders if they did not cease their efforts she would move Lincoln’s remains to Arlington Cemetery. That ended the argument but 3 years later in 1868 construction of the new State Capitol began on Mather’s Hill. As I enter the Capitol Building, I often think about the twists of history and how this very site could instead have been the site of the Lincoln Tomb.

Comment by Al Grosboll Monday, May 4, 15 @ 1:57 pm
One only had to stand a 7th & Capitol, watch the six horse hitch hearse, hundreds in Civil War garbed reenactors and the raw cadence of the drummers and tolling bells to know this was special.
Rap the leaders of the coalition, but save some energy for all the so called big dogs in this community who dropped the ball.
Incredibly as we stood in the downtown crowd on Sunday, most of the out of staters seemed to love the event. Nice
It could have been a whole lot more

Comment by Anonin' Monday, May 4, 15 @ 2:05 pm
Rich -

I think you forgot to write about Katie Spindell.

TS

Comment by Team Sleep Monday, May 4, 15 @ 2:25 pm
Did the local PBS station video record this whole event? If so, when can we see it on our local PBS channel?

Comment by Retired Monday, May 4, 15 @ 2:26 pm
There’s no law that says people can’t enjoy partying AND enjoy attending the reenactment of a seminal event in local and national history.

Ever heard of the natural law called children? Parades are full of them, fake funeral marches - not so much. Parades are fun, this - no. Had you taken any kids of elementary age school to this reenactment, you would wish you were in that casket within a few minutes and need green beer.

Comment by VanillaMan Monday, May 4, 15 @ 2:30 pm
The BIG problem, of course, started with embarrassingly little funding from State or federal grants and major private underwriters. It was shameful that the “Lincoln Train” could not have been better supported.
With that said, the Sunday service at the tomb was really what it should have been. There were glitches in executing the program, but it was a re-creation of the event and not the more commercial sounding event that dominated Saturday morning.
I was embarrassed to see so few public figures. Governor Rauner and his wife to their credit worked the crowd on Sunday even though he did not have a speaking part. Other significant lawmakers and public figures were absent. They should be banned from using Lincoln’s name or image for campaigns if they did not support this big event.
I understand it was broadcast live on Sunday on CSPAN but did not know that in time to record it.
The real congratulations go out to the many volunteers who gave up a lot of time to make the event happen despite the poor communications, PR and some of the self-congratulation.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, May 4, 15 @ 2:36 pm
I thought the procession was pretty impressive. I had not seen that number of re-enactors in one settings. The hearse was terrific. With a little imagination you could easily slip back in time. The ceremony at Oak Ridge was a series of conflicts. The PA was nice put still seemed out of place with the period clothes even though I do not see how everyone could hear the speeches without it. Several people played roles and gave the speeches from 150 years ago. We stood next to several people who had driven 4 hours to get to the event. They were very impressed, but also asked where was the local mayor.

Oddest scene was watching Gov Rauner approach the stage with his entourage from the southeast. He was an amazing twin if it was not Rauner. Several people around us pointed out the scene. A lady with reddish hair stopped him, they chat, she taps him on the shoulder, and points away. He turns and walks back where he came from doing lots of photo ops with the crowd. He had a nice suit on so maybe it was not authentic enough. I would have thought this ceremony would have been the perfect spot for the current Gov and Mayor to role play their peers from that time and stay on script. Maybe the originals were not part of the original ceremony. I would have loved to see the crowd reaction if the Governor was able to get to the podium. Maybe a little too political for the event.

Comment by zatoichi Monday, May 4, 15 @ 3:06 pm
The committee that selected Ms. Swindell as chairman and allowed her to run this program clearly blew it. The event was haphazard and reflected poorly on the city. Ms. Swindell’s proclivity to open mouth without thinking and try to make everything about HER also made her an extremely poor choice as the Master of Ceremonies. There are several local folks with good experience in this (Sam Madonia? Gus Gordon?). A good committee would have recruited one or two of them and recognized that while she may (or may not) be a great worker-bee behind the scenes, the less Ms. Swindell is put forward the better.

Comment by Anon Monday, May 4, 15 @ 3:59 pm
To Anonymous at 2:36.

Disagree that the big problem was lack of money. Money in and of itself does not guarantee success. There’s no shortage of examples of tons of money being poured into programs that flop.

The problem was, this event never had a patron. Durbin seemed AWOL. The governor was an afterthought. How many members of the state’s congressional delegation were present? The failure of the train was no one’s fault but the people who built the train. They should have finished the job a lot earlier than they did, and they should have done a better job of raising money. You can’t just scream “Lincoln!” and expect dollars to fall from the sky.

You can’t pull off an event like this without bringing in a big dog or two to twist arms and raise money. IHPA didn’t cooperate or coordinate because no one required them to cooperate or coordinate. Same thing with the National Park Service. Katie Spindell may be many things, but she doesn’t carry a big stick, and you need one to make something like this happen.

Comment by What A Mess Monday, May 4, 15 @ 4:01 pm
Pretty much everything that happens in Springfield is marked by incompetence. Why single out Katie Spindell?

Comment by too obvious Monday, May 4, 15 @ 4:08 pm
I rushed down there on Sunday afraid I wouldn’t get a place to see the procession. No problem, because few people were there. The singers were an ejoyable surprise

Comment by Dr X Monday, May 4, 15 @ 4:24 pm
If I had a nickle for everytime I heard someone self-promote themselves I’d be wealthier than a Saudi prince. Some people will never learn how tacky they sound when they talk non-stop about his or her accomplishments.

Comment by Dan Egan Monday, May 4, 15 @ 4:27 pm
I think the history of the dogged determination to bury Lincoln downtown against the wishes of those who mattered most is analogous with the Lincoln coalition. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians. I think some members definitely saw this as an opportunity for recognition and personal praise. I was curious if many of then even had a history background. But with all the problems and what ifs, the visual of the procession and the funeral were awesome. But like many others, it shocks me that this is what we got after six years of planning.

Comment by How hum Monday, May 4, 15 @ 6:56 pm
Old Abe would give her a break…maybe huh

Comment by flea Monday, May 4, 15 @ 8:21 pm
This event was spectacular from what I saw.

But I agree with the comments about lack of public notification and contradictory schedules. I live near Lincoln Park and I saw the cannon being placed on the ridge as if to fire down 3rd St. When I spoke to the gun crews they expressed surprise that the residents had not been warned of the possible results of cannon fire so close to houses. (car alarms, knocking pictures off walls, scaring children and pets) Further, the gun crews were confused about when and where they were to fire the canon; even they had contradictory information.

I doff my [stove pipe] hat to all who participated and I thank the reenactors who traveled from all parts of the country to make this a special event.

Comment by Late to the Party Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 6:47 am
I am a reenactor who traveled over 6 hours to be at this event. One of the best things about it was the local residents. They did not have to be as kind, gracious and welcoming as they were. I know an event of this size is difficult on a city, and that the organizers did not necessarily make friends with the locals, but the people of Springfield were uniformly wonderful and welcoming.

From a reenactor’s perspective, our organizers had things well in hand and communicated clearly. Katie Spindell, however, should be ashamed of her behavior both on stage and off stage. She never even thanked the reenactors, many of whom came from a long distance and all of whom came at their own time and expense. She owes many people apologies for her poor behavior.

Comment by sockymcgee Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 7:27 am
“Let him who is without guilt cast the first stone.” Everyone is entitled to their own opinion - whether right or wrong. That opinion might come from jealousy, stupidity or lack of knowledge and lack of information. All of the comments made are the heartfelt feelings of those expressing them. Fine - you are entitled. My observation comes from months of working on this project. I believe that Katie Spindell did a magnificent job. Her greatest enemy was apathy, and her remarks were directed to her detractors who didn’t help, but merely complained. She did more than any of the writers here to make this event happen. She deserves nothing but praise and the thanks of all who were s part of it and who witnessed it. There was this carpenter in Iarael 2000 years ago, and He took a lot of heat from detractors for much of the same silly reasons…. Great Job Katie, my wife and I appreciate all that you and your team did. Too bad your critics didn’t offer a hand when there was work to be done.

Comment by Chaplain Jerry Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 8:46 am
– there was this carpenter in Israel 2000 years ago and he took a lot of heat from detractors for much of the same silly reasons…–

CJ, is that a tasteless joke or are you insane?

Either way, you might want to count to ten before hitting the “send” button in the future.

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 9:00 am
Comparing Spindell to Jesus would be par for the course in that crowd.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 9:08 am
Chaplain Jerry - Katie Spindell hardly is close to walking on water so please, let’s not compare her to the sweet Lord Jesus himself. There is absolutely no excuse for Ms. Spindell’s excessive and vulgar self serving comments. SHE did not have any part in making the hearse. SHE did not have any part in making the coffin. SHE did not dress in wool and endure the heat both Saturday and Sunday. SHE did not walk the streets with the hearse or the funeral cortege. On Saturday, Ms. Spindell treated the honored guests either like children or an afterthought. She told us all that she had escorted dignitaries for years. What dignitaries and who did she work for? Is she employed by IL or was this her own service because I’ve never even heard of this woman. We now know that she owns a DVR (bully for her) that she steps out of protocol frequently (we actually were witness to that embarrassment) and her speech is littered with “me” “I” and “my” Changes were made even as late as the afternoon of Sunday’s events. If she is such a phenomenal event planner did she even think to have a dress rehearsal with all the folks involved? No and that’s why even the police weren’t sure what they were doing. No the event became an opportunity for Ms. Spindell to sing her own praises and pay tribute to herself. She pretends that she doesn’t like to speak in public or be in the limelight when her actions betray her words. She was patronizing, arrogant and spent more time telling us her stories about herself than paying respect to one of the greatest men his political history. Magnificent job? I think not.

Comment by LaughingJane Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 9:09 am
You throw stones very hard Jane.
Shame on you!
In spite of your criticism, the vast majority of those involved thought it was a wonderful event, and that she did a fine job.
Care to tell us about your contributions?

Comment by Chaplain Jerry Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 9:19 am
CJ, do yourself a favor and have some neuroimaging done.

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 9:29 am
You are certainly entitled to your opinion Jerry. Contributions? I’ll be glad to show you mine if you show me yours. I guess being a Chaplain allows you to place shame. You and Jesus, um er…Katie must be very close.

Comment by LaughingJane Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 9:32 am
Jane,
I traveled from The Chicago area to Springfield in winter for a fund raiser, and helped. I offered my services, and
when told what to do, helped. When asked to stand in the sun without a hat - I have lymphoma, a rare type that manifests itself on my skin - I did as I was told, trying to help. There was an angel who came by on Sunday with sunscreen - real blessing, she helped. Negative attitudes and posts after an event is finished - do not help. They are distructive. What do they accomplish? I forgive you and all of the other critics. You know not what harm you do.

Comment by Chaplain Jerry Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 10:04 am
Wordslinger
There is nothing wrong with my relationship with Jesus. I have spent my life working for Him. Katie is some that j have met, worked with, and of whom I have a high opinion. I will probably never see or hear from her again. For all that she did - she deserves better treatment than what is found in these posts. All sorts of scripture I could allude to besides the person caught in adultery - but I doubt it would do any good. Tell you what - I will pray for you, and all of the folks on this site. Specifically, that the Lord bless you, and heal you, and make you to shine like the sun.

Comment by Chaplain Jerry Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 10:12 am
=== she deserves better treatment than what is found in these posts===

Thanks for your input, however wrong it may be. And it is most definitely wrong.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 10:14 am
Why has this become a platform for “holier than thou” comments? Expressing an opinion that conflicts with the opinion of another does not make one a sinner. This is a public forum designed to allow people to appropriately express their thoughts, whether it be criticism or praise. Are we to assume that there is an expectation that we are not entitled to have or express our opinions? CJ, you have JUDGED the integrity and motives of many writers here. You do not have that authority if you are the Christian you present yourself to be. But I will gladly accept your prayers even so.
It has been said that no matter what the subject of a blog, it always deteriorates to include religion, politics, and/or porn. What’s next?

Comment by redshoes Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 10:28 am
CJ, your crucifixion analogies are vulgar and narcissistic in the extreme.

Comment by Wordslinger Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 10:49 am
Wordslinger,
Those men who saw their names being written in the dust by Jesus, who dropped the stones they were going to throw at the woman (not the man) caught in adultery, were probably the same ones who shouted, “Crucify Him. Crucify Him,” in front of Pilate. Does your conscience bother you just a tiny bit - if it doesn’t - maybe you are the one who needs professional help.

Comment by Chaplain Jerry Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 11:29 am
To be perfectly honest, I am trying to get your anger and derision redirected toward me - rather than focused on K.S.
I have prayed for her, will continue to pray for her - just as I will ask the Almighty to bless all of you.

Comment by Chaplain Jerry Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 11:32 am
No doubt Ms. Spindell did plenty of work for this event (giving her the benefit of the doubt). But so did a lot of other people, and the chair of an organization speaks for the whole organization, so she should have been more mindful of that - use “we” instead of “I”.

The reenactors marched for 4 miles, in sweltering temperatures, wearing wool. We did it because they love Lincoln and they wanted to honor his sacrifice for the Union. We deserved to be acknowledged for that. The fact that Ms. Spindell didn’t do so is tacky.

I also overheard some of her crass comments on Sunday morning, when she wasn’t in front of a crowd. Yes - quite tacky, indeed.

Comment by sockymcgee Tuesday, May 5, 15 @ 5:04 pm