WASHINGTON — The Lincolns stepped off their big red and white tour buses over the weekend. About 50 of them.
Tall Lincolns and short Lincolns. Old Lincolns and young Lincolns. Lincolns in dark beards. Lincolns in light beards.
Some looked just like the lanky, bewhiskered 16th president they were seeking to portray. One looked more like late horror- movie actor Boris Karloff.
All were members of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, and they turned heads across Washington as they strode through town on a gorgeous spring day — an Abraham legion in frock coats, stovepipe hats and name tags, attending their annual convention. The association’s members are, for the most part, professional portrayers of Lincoln who make paid appearances at schools, ceremonies and other public events.
Larry “Larry Like Lincoln” Elliott, a commercial insurance agent from Louisville, Ky., said he is Lincoln’s height (6 feet 4 inches) and weight (about 190) and thinks he wears the same size shoes.
“It’s very important that you mirror who he was for yourself,” he said. “If you were a dishonest person, how could you be a Lincoln?”
