Lincoln Statue Unveiled & More
On Saturday, July 4, 2026, the City of Macomb, Visit Unforgettable Forgottonia and the Western Illinois Museum will host a full day of events to celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary and McDonough County's Bicentennial.
The day begins at 9 a.m. with the 'Looking for Lincoln' self-guided tour around the Courthouse Square and in the surrounding region.
Visitors can follow the route through the downtown and surrounding area. Visitors can follow a self-guided route through downtown Macomb, taking in sites connected to Abraham Lincoln's time in McDonough County, including the nation's only Living Lincoln Topiary Monument on the front lawn of Macomb City Hall. The bust of the nation’s 16th president, who frequented Macomb in his early days, is a laser printed concrete statue that stands nearly 16-feet tall, and features live plants and flowers as Lincoln's beard.
At 11 a.m., an Abraham Lincoln statue will be unveiled and dedicated in a brief ceremony on the southwest corner of the McDonough County Courthouse lawn, near the exact spot Lincoln spoke in the pouring rain in 1858 when he was stumping for the senate against Douglas. Visit Unforgettable Forgottonia (dba Macomb Area Convention & Visitors Bureau) received a $15,000 Illinois Humanities Council grant, which was tied to America's 250th anniversary, to create and install the statue.
The life-size mold, created in the 1960s by an unknown artist and that features Lincoln without his beard, was found at Architectural Artifacts in Chicago. That mold was procured by the MACVB, and the statue was created by Western Illinois University Art Professor Duke Oursler, who is also the artist behind the Lincoln topiary.
The mixed-medium sculpture is mostly concrete, reinforced within through a rebar 'skeleton,' and features a bronze hand so visitors can take their photo 'shaking hands' with the president. The statue is on a pedestal and features a plaque commemorating Lincoln's 1858 visit.
A Lincoln impersonator will be present at the July 4 dedication.
Starting at 11:30 a.m., residents and visitors can take part in the Macomb Murals self-guided tour. The map of the murals, which are located throughout Macomb, can be found at visitforgottonia.com/attractions.
After taking part in the murals tour, head to the Western Illinois Museum, 201 S. Lafayette St., for the America 250 Community Celebration from 1-4 p.m. The afternoon program includes a public reading of the Declaration of Independence, an interactive America 250 and County Bicentennial Community Comment Wall, a pie walk featuring homemade pies made from family recipes, live patriotic music, guided tours of Museum exhibits and a meet-andgreet with Abraham Lincoln. The Museum is fully accessible and free parking is available.
Get your steps in from 4-8 p.m. by playing Macombopoly, the world's largest interactive monopoly experience. A 170,000-square-foot Monopoly experience using the downtown square as the 'game board' pays tribute to Macomb native and the original Monopoly inventor Lizzie Magie. Free and open 24/7, the app-powered game, which can be found in Apple and Google app stores under eATLAS, guides players past larger than life-sized sculptures and through interactive challenges, trivia, and real prizes.
The day will round out with a traditional fireworks experience starting at 9 a.m. at Western Illinois University's Vince Grady Field, which will feature the Macomb Municipal Band playing before – and during – the fireworks display, food trucks and more.
