LERNA - A program for fifth-graders and two special events will still take place at Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site despite the recent announcement that the site will close Oct. 1.

However, the Harvest Frolic and Agriculture Fair event, usually the most popular of the site's annual events, scheduled this year for Oct. 4-5, has been canceled.

The Lincoln/Sargent Farm Foundation, a private organization that raises money for the site, will pay to conduct the school program that allows fifth-graders from the area to visit the site and learn its history, foundation President John Woodruff said.

"We get lots of letters from students and teachers about what a great program that is," he said. "It's near and dear to the foundation."

Woodruff said sessions of the school program scheduled for this month, for October and for the spring will take place. The foundation pays for an intern who schedules and coordinates the program and for materials that school teachers receive, he said.

Dave Blanchette, spokesman for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which oversees the state's historic sites, confirmed the school program will continue through the spring. The foundation has always paid for the program, and the state will make the site available, he said.

"It's a previous commitment that we're going to honor," Blanchette said.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced layoffs last month as part of his cuts to try to balance the state budget that meant about a dozen historic sites across the state will close Oct. 1, at least until the end of the state's fiscal year in June. Several state parks in Central Illinois are also scheduled to close in November, including Wolf Springs State Park and Hidden Springs State Forest in Shelby County and Weldon Springs State Park near Clinton.

Woodruff said he doesn't know at this point if the foundation will try to do anything else in light of the decision to close the site. The group had been working on long-range plans when Blagojevich made the announcement, then it had to "shift gears" and decided to focus on the school program, he said.

Meanwhile, Blanchette said the Harvest Frolic event had to be canceled because it's "too staff-intensive" to run only with volunteers. However, the other two events scheduled for the year need fewer people, so they'll take place as scheduled, he said.

The site's A Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer event will take place Nov. 28 and its Christmas Candlelight Tours event is still scheduled for Dec. 5-6.

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