This article originally appeared in the pages of the Gettysburg Times, July of 2023. It was penned by Wendy Allen of the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, in the hopes of sharing the work the Fellowship does.

The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania is a small, energetic, all-volunteer, non-partisan, non-profit organization, located here in Gettysburg. We honor the legacy and memory of President Abraham Lincoln, as well as commemorate his Gettysburg Address and the dedication of Gettysburg National Cemetery. We strive to educate the public about this history and we have forged an list of enviable partners to help us achieve our goal to proficiently educate and enlighten.
 
Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site co-sponsor our One Hundred Nights of Taps, Gettysburg program and the Dedication Day ceremony. We work side-by-side with brilliant interpretive rangers who guide and teach our guests, and with law enforcement rangers who help to ensure the safety of our programs. Gettysburg NMP also assists with our Lincoln’s Birthday educational event for local preschoolers each February, and we are proud to help sponsor the park’s Traveling Trunk program, which brings enriching, hands-on learning about Lincoln and the Civil War to schoolchildren across the country.
 
We also partner with Taps For Veterans, an organization that provides essential support for our Taps program by coordinating bugler signup every Spring. Under the direction of Jari Villanueva, this organization provides buglers to sound Taps for military veterans’ funerals and ceremonies. Jari is also our extraordinary music director. He composed the beautiful Fanfare for One Hundred Nights of Taps, Gettysburg for our program. He also creates memorable arrangements for special ceremonial dates.
 
Additionally, we partner with the Association of Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guides for the Taps program. Their popular, free tours of Gettysburg National Cemetery, organized by guide Fran Feyock, begin at 5:30 PM each evening. This highly informative educational program by licensed battlefield experts concludes with the opening of our program at 7:00 PM and the sounding of Taps.
 
As the One Hundred Nights of Taps program begins to wind down, our focus shifts towards November 19th and Dedication Day. Again, we call upon additional trusted co-sponsors for assistance.
 
Gettysburg College is co-sponsor for the Dedication Day ceremony. The college generously supports the Fellowship. College staff contribute their time and talents, as well as student volunteers who help with crowd management. The college also provides a backup venue in the event of inclement weather.
 
The Gettysburg Foundation assists us most notably with the joyful Naturalization and Citizenship ceremony, through which we all have the privilege to witness, celebrate, and welcome together a group of new American citizens from around the world.
 
The Lincoln Forum, held annually here in Gettysburg under the gracious direction of its Chairman, Harold Holzer, partners with the Fellowship by lending a hand with procuring speakers for the Dedication Day ceremony. The Forum brings leading scholars, speakers, performers, and panelists to our community every November.
 
The Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania takes great pride in our programs. We strive for the programs not just to be successful—we want for them to be transcendent experiences, highlighting for the visitor the significance of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and its relevance as a beacon of freedom and democracy through the ages.