Do you know the song "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart"? That's what happened this morning when I learned that the Lincoln-Douglas debates are returning to Kentucky.

No, not all of them. Just the first one.

The re-enactment will take place on Thursday, August 21, 2008 -- 150 years to the day from the date of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate.

The site? The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site in Kentucky.

Details about this event are here and you'll also find information about all of the events scheduled in Kentucky to celebrate our native son, the 16th president. You can even find out how to get a historic passport that. Once you have it stamped at several of the Lincoln historic sites, you'll be in the running for FREE prizes. If you're planning a visit to Kentucky in the next two years, or if you'll be driving through, add a Lincoln site or event to your list of things to do.

I don't know why the thought of being able to see this debate enacted is so exciting. There's no doubt the feeling is a remnant from childhood. I attended Middle Bass Grade School (a one-room schoolhouse that still stands, although unfortunately its historic white paint is now hidden behind a children's storybook shade of lipstick red). I don't know if it was the teacher's delight in telling us about the debates, or the picture in my book, or the smell of the paper, but my joy at the prospect of attending this debate is bone deep. I may even go so far as to put it on my calendar as a reminder...