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2026

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Sunday, January 18
• Cesar Chavez Day – Tuesday, March 31
•  Easter – Sunday, April 5
• Juneteenth – Friday, June 19
• Independence Day – Saturday, July 4
• Labor Day – Sunday, September 6
• Christopher Columbus Day – Sunday, October 11
• Veterans Day – Wednesday, November 11
• Thanksgiving – Thursday, November 26 – Sunday, November 29
• Christmas – Thursday, December 24 – Friday, December 25
• New Year’s – Thursday, December 31 – Friday, January 1, 2026

Always open Presidents’ Day and Lincoln’s birthday!

Lincoln Season is Just Around the Corner

Open House

You won’t want to miss the annual Lincoln Shrine Open House on Saturday, February 7, 11am-3pm at the Lincoln Memorial Shrine and Smiley Park.

The annual event will feature new exhibits, live music, Civil War reenactors, and activities for the whole family. Hourly cannon demonstrations by the 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery are always a big hit, and the day wouldn’t be complete without President Lincoln presenter Robert Broski’s rendition of the Gettysburg Address. Visitors can learn about soldiers’ experiences from various reenactor groups, hear the details of Civil War medical procedures from Dr. Malarkey, and listen to the music of the era performed by Camp Carleton Band. The Inland Empire LEGO User Group will also be onhand with their ever-growing LEGO Civil War battle scene.

The event will be preceded by the annual Lincoln Pilgrimage, which will culminate with a program on the steps of the Lincoln Shrine around 10:30am. A Redlands tradition since 1940, the Pilgrimage is hosted by the Gray Arrow District, Boy Scouts of America and is sponsored by Redlands Noon Kiwanis.

The Lincoln Shrine Open House is free and open to the public. Program subject to change.

Lincoln Dinner

The Watchorn Lincoln Memorial Association and Lincoln Memorial Shrine invite you to the Watchorn Lincoln Dinner on Thursday, February 12 at 6:30pm at University of Redlands Orton Center. The keynote address will be delivered by Leonne Hudson, PhD, who will discuss, “The Reactions of African Americans to the Death of Abraham Lincoln: The Great and Good President.” Dr. Hudson is an Associate Professor Emeritus at Kent State University where he specialized in 19th century US history, including the Mexican American War and Civil War, with a particular focus on the military contributions of black soldiers.

Dr. Hudson received a BA from Vorhees University and graduate degrees at Kent State. He has published four books, including Black Americans in Mourning: Reactions to the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (2024), and was the lead historian in the PBS documentary, “The Sojer Boys of Portage County in the Civil War.” He has served on the review panel at the National Endowment for the Humanities and was a featured speaker at the Lincoln Forum’s 2024 Symposium in Gettysburg.

Reservations are required. Seating is limited. To request a reservation, contact the Heritage Room at (909)798-7632. Program subject to change.

Annual Lincoln Season

OPEN HOUSE

Since 1972, the Lincoln Shrine has honored Lincoln and the Civil War with an annual Open House. Featuring Civil War re-enactors, live music, activities, and much more, the Open House is an event not to be missed! Take a look back at photographs and videos from the Lincoln Shrine Open House in years past. See the Open House photo album to relive old memories or see what you can expect.

LINCOLN DINNER

Starting in 1932, the annual Watchorn Lincoln Dinner has celebrated the anniversary of Lincoln’s birth each year. The largest event of its kind in the United States today, the Lincoln Dinner has featured presentations from dozens of scholars whose work has honored Lincoln’s legacy. In recent years, the event has also included sponsorship opportunities that have raised thousands of dollars for the institution and allowed for the purchase of exceptional items for the Shrine’s collections. Explore the items acquired through the Lincoln Dinner Sponsorship Fund.

On February 12, 2022, the Shrine’s 90^th anniversary was feted with a unique Lincoln Dinner.  Nearly 200 revelers celebrated the momentous occasion with live music and the premier of “Enduring Legacies: The Lincoln Shrine at 90,” a special documentary produced for the event. The evening concluded with spectacular fireworks presentation! The Lincoln Memorial Shrine thanks the evening’s underwriters Watchorn Lincoln Memorial Association Trustees Bill Hatfield and Dr. Christopher Walker.

If you missed the 90^th Lincoln Dinner, or would like to watch the documentary again, visit the Special Collections YouTube Channel.

Lincoln Shrine’s Reproduction Cannon

Thanks to the generosity of the Nies family of Redlands, the Lincoln Shrine now stewards a reproduction Model 1857 Napoleon 12-pounder field gun dated 1864.

The dedication ceremony included the participation of Civil War reenactors and featured an artillery demonstration by the 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery who instructed donor Dr. Boyd Nies as he fired the inaugural shot.

Come and see the cannon in person in Smiley Park. It’s the perfect selfie location! Make sure to tag @lincolnshine and use the hashtag #lincolnshrine to share your photos.

Learn more about the M1857 Napoleon 12-Pounder.

Juneteenth Becomes a Federal Holiday

From its very founding, the United States had a precarious relationship with freedom.  While the Declaration of Independence clearly stated that “all men are created equal”, the actual practice of enslaving people tested whether, in practice, that ideal could ever be a reality.  Enslavement was the single most divisive issue of the early republic.  When Southern states perceived that Abraham Lincoln’s election threatened what they believed was their “right” to enslave others, those states attempted to break the bonds of the United States to each other.  The result was civil war, with some 800,000 or more Americans perishing.

President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring that all enslaved people located within states in rebellion against the United States “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.”

Before that, some enslaved people had already found ways to emancipate themselves, with groups like the Underground Railroad, by finding a detachment of the United States Army, or simply fleeing those who enslaved them and making it successfully to a free state. As the United States Army liberated states in rebellion, enslaved people there were freed. However, not everyone was aware of emancipation, even after the Civil War was over. In Texas, it wasn’t until US General Gordon Grainger issued General Order #3 on June 19, 1865 that:

“The people are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them, become that between employer and hired labor.”

From that day, June 19, came a jubilee celebration for the last of the enslaved people of the United States, who finally learned of their new freedom. Juneteenth, as it became known, commemorates this day.

On June 17, 2021, the importance of what Juneteenth represents was recognized by the United States with the designation of June 19, “Juneteenth”, as a federal holiday.

89th Watchorn Lincoln Dinner

Watch the 2021 Watchorn Lincoln Dinner on the Special Collections YouTube channel. The reimagined event includes past Lincoln Dinner speakers, music, and an appearance by President Lincoln!