85th annual Lincoln Pilgrimage returns to Redlands on Feb. 7

REDLANDS, Calif. — The 85th annual Lincoln Pilgrimage, a scout-led event honoring President Abraham Lincoln, will return to Redlands on Saturday, Feb. 7.

osted by the Gray Arrow District of the California Inland Empire Council, Scouting America, in cooperation with the city of Redlands, the pilgrimage is one of only three scout-led parades in the nation dedicated to Lincoln and the only one held west of the Mississippi River. The event has been sponsored by the Noon Kiwanis Club of Redlands since 1979.

The parade will begin at 10 a.m., with participants walking from Redlands High School along Citrus Avenue through downtown Redlands to the Lincoln Memorial Shrine. A brief opening ceremony is scheduled for about 10:30 a.m. at the shrine, followed by the Lincoln Shrine Open House, which will continue until 3 p.m.

Youth participants will include Cub Scout packs, Scouts BSA troops, Girl Scouts from the San Gorgonio Council, and other youth groups, accompanied by adult leaders and families. Redlands Mayor Mario Saucedo is scheduled to welcome participants at the shrine. Rev. Bill Dunn of Trinity Episcopal Church will deliver the invocation, and Scouts BSA Troop 1357 will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Lincoln Memorial Shrine Open House will feature Lincoln reenactor Robert Broski, Civil War reenactors, living history demonstrations, and hands-on 1860s-era activities in A.K. Smiley Park. The shrine will be open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Lincoln Pilgrimage began in 1940 with 105 Boy Scouts and has since drawn attendance ranging from several hundred to more than 3,000 participants over the decades.

Registration for participating units begins at 9 a.m. at the Redlands High School bus pullout along Citrus Avenue, with the procession stepping off at 10 a.m. Registration forms are available at www.iescouts.org under the “Events” tab.