The Association of Lincoln Presenters
2025 ALP Conference
April 24-27, 2025
Kalamazoo, MI

General Information

From late September 1855 through late July 1857, during a time when Abraham Lincoln was clearly concerned about the increasing political tensions in the nation, not to mention being very busy with his law practice, he apparently only left Illinois on one occasion. That one trip was to Kalamazoo, MI in late August 1856 to give a speech at a large Republican Party rally for the upcoming fall elections. Lincoln obviously felt that a trip to Kalamazoo was important, and you are likewise invited to visit Kalamazoo in April 2025 for the ALP’s 29th annual convention. We will enjoy learning together about the Lincolns and their times, renewing old acquaintances and friendships while also making new ones, and engaging with a local community which is proud of its Lincoln connection and excited to host the ALP.

Conference Host: Kevin Wood: abe@mrlincoln.com, 708-979-3093 (cell), 517-920-4849 (home)

Registration: The registration fee is $150 for ALP members or $175 for non-members. You may access the online registration form using this link or via the ALP Facebook page. If you are unable to register online, please call Kevin Wood to register by phone or to receive a printed registration form by postal mail. Registration closes on March 31 (note that this is for the conference registration; the hotel registration cut-off is earlier on March 24). The conference registration fee includes the cost of the conference and meals; it does not include the cost of your hotel accommodations. If you will be attending only part of the conference and would like a discounted fee, please contact Kevin Wood to discuss.

To pay your registration fee by check, please make the check out to “Association of Lincoln Presenters” and mail it to:

Association of Lincoln Presenters
c/o Mr. Murray Cox, Treasurer
3979 S. Bailey Rd.
Wabash, IN  46992-7984

To pay by credit/debit card, please contact Murray at 260-563-7126 or indianalincoln@hotmail.com to discuss, but note that there may be a service fee with this option.

Hotel: Our host hotel will be the Home2 Suites by Hilton located at 303 N. Rose St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007, tel. 269-276-0699 (shared entrance with the Hilton Garden Inn). Hotel reservations may be made until March 24 at the link below in order to get the group rate of $149/night plus 5% tax = $156.45/night. The price includes a hot breakfast buffet, free WiFi, free use of the fitness center and indoor swimming pool, and a discounted parking fee of $10/day with in/out privileges.

Event Link for the Home2Suites by Hilton

IMPORTANT: The default setting for this link is for arrival on Wed., April 23 (the day BEFORE the conference begins) and departure on Sun., April 27. If your arrival and/or departure dates are different, you will need to change these; after selecting your room option, click on “Edit Stay” to change the dates. Also, the room rate shown will include both a 5% accommodation tax and a 6% sales tax, which results in a total rate of $165.39/night; when actually making the payment at the conference, you should only be charged the 5% accommodation tax, thus the total rate will only be $156.45/night.

If you will be traveling solo and would be interested in having a roommate (of the same gender), please note this on the conference registration form and we will put you in contact with others seeking the same.

Travel: Kalamazoo is served by train (Amtrak) and bus (Greyhound, Trailways, and Indian Trails) service, with direct routes from/to Detroit and Chicago; the train/bus station is located just two blocks from the host hotel. The closest airport is the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport which is served by Delta and American. Other airports include Gerald Ford (Grand Rapids) (50 minutes away), Detroit Metro (2 hours), and Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway (2.5 hours).

Meals: Your hotel registration fee includes a free hot breakfast buffet each morning. Your conference registration fee includes a buffet-style dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings in the hotel restaurant (reserved for our group) and a boxed lunch on Saturday. Thursday dinner and Friday lunch will be on your own, and a list of local restaurants will be included in your welcome packet. If you have dietary restrictions (allergies, vegetarian/vegan, etc.) please note them on the conference registration form.

Attire: With the exception of Friday morning, period attire is encouraged (on Friday morning, the two venues are somewhat limited in space and so the ladies in particular are recommended to avoid period attire). On Saturday, we request that all members who are historical portrayers wear period attire as we will have our group photos on this day.

Silent Auction/Consignment Shop: We will have both a silent auction and a consignment shop to help cover conference expenses. For silent auction items, 100% of the funds will go to the ALP; for the consignment shop – generally period clothing and accessories – 25% of the funds will go to the ALP with 75% retained by the seller. Both will be set up in the hotel conference room, the silent auction as of Thursday late afternoon and the consignment shop as of mid-day Friday. Both will end on Saturday evening at 10:00 pm. Payment by cash or check is greatly preferred.

Welcome Packet Pick-Up: A welcome/information table will be located in the lobby of the Home2 Suites as of Thursday afternoon. Conference attendees will be provided a welcome packet containing a name badge, a detailed conference schedule, a local map showing conference venues, a list of local restaurants, and other useful information.

Weather: Late April in Michigan can bring beautiful spring weather, but it can also bring cold and snow, so please check the forecast ahead of time and come prepared.

Photographer: Tom George Davison will again be our official conference photographer and is expected to be present at the entire conference. He will make photos available for sale after the conference via his website.

Local Sponsors/Collaborators: The conference is being sponsored by the Kalamazoo Lincoln Institute (KLI), which has provided a generous contribution to cover many of the conference expenses. The conference is also being supported by the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, the Ladies’ Library Association of Kalamazoo, the Lucinda Hinsdale Stone Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and Discover Kalamazoo (the Kalamazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau).

Other Places You Might Visit Before or After the Conference

In Kalamazoo:

[1] Kalamazoo Institute of Arts

[2] Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum

Outside of Kalamazoo:

[1] Sojourner Truth Monument and Gravesite (two separate locations) (Battle Creek, MI): 25 mi / 0:30 to east (note: we will have a Sojourner Truth portrayer perform for us at the conference)

[2] Marshall, MI: 35 mi / 0:40 to east; historic downtown (National Historic Landmark District)

[3] Jackson, MI: 65 mi / 1:10 to east; one of at least three locations in the USA claiming to the birthplace of the Republican Party (we will have a speaker from Jackson speak to us on this subject at the conference)

[4] G.A.R. Memorial Hall & Museum (Eaton Rapids, MI); 65 mi / 1:05 to east/northeast (one of several G.A.R. museums in the USA; others include Philadelphia, PA; Scranton, PA; Lynn, MA; and Aurora, IL)

[5] Gilmore Car Museum (Hickory Corners, MI): 16 mi / 0:30 to northeast; includes the Lincoln Motor Car Heritage Museum (opened in 2014) and a Lincoln statue; (note: Fred Colgren, Director of Education at the museum, is a KLI board member)

[6] The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum (Grand Rapids, MI): 50 mi / 0:50 to north (note: this is the Presidential Museum only; the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is located in Ann Arbor, MI)

[7] Cassopolis: 45 mi / 0:55 to southwest; Underground Railroad site (James Bonine House in nearby Vandalia); site of Kentucky Raid of 1847 (slave catchers seeking fugitive slaves)

[8] Studebaker National Museum (South Bend, IN): 80 mi / 1:30 to south; the home to the carriage in which the Lincolns went to Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865 as well as three other Presidential carriages (note: the Lincoln carriage was made by the Wood Brothers of New York City, not the Studebaker Brothers); right next door (sharing the same building) is the Indiana History Museum

We look forward to seeing YOU … in KalamaZOO!