Tickets to see President Abraham Lincoln are still available.

Monday, January 08, 2001

Tickets to see President Abraham Lincoln are still available.

The Veterans Memorial Committee will host a "State Dinner" with an Abraham Lincoln actor Feb. 13 to raise more funds for the memorial project at Woodland Cemetery.

The dinner will be held at Ohio University Southern Campus and features Jim Getty, a nationally known speaker who does more than just impersonate the 16th president, said Sharon Bradshaw, committee publicity chair.

He literally becomes Lincoln during and after his presentation, Mrs. Bradshaw said.

"Those who visit with him are really visiting with history," she said.

Steve Call of OUSC’s travel and tourism department said the campus is expecting about 2,000 people on campus while Getty is here because he will present a program for area school students.

"You would swear he’s Mr. Lincoln," he said. "And he’s about impossible to get out of character. It should be a good day of learning for everyone."

Money raised will help the committee restore four Parrott Rifles at Woodland Cemetery and move two to a new veterans memorial area. The group will also build a Patriot’s Path – which honors veterans with engraved bricks.

Cost for the dinner with Lincoln is $30 per person or $50 per couple.

Getty is a native of central Illinois. Since 1977, he and his wife have lived in Gettys-burg, Pa., where he appears in his own one-man show during the tourist season

Getty’s performance is more than a look at the late president within the framework of a monologue. His in-depth research of Lincoln allows him to stay in first person for an exchange with audience members and students.

For information, contact committee members Judge Frank McCown, 533-4332; Juanita Markel, 532-1033; or Sue Deeds, 533-4312 or 532-1540.