ABILENE – Historian Ellie Carlson returns to Abilene May 13 and 15 to take her audiences back in time with three living history programs.

Ellie will present “Mamie: Hostess in Chief” during the annual Mother’s Day Tea in the Courtyard of the Eisenhower Presidential Library on May 13 at 11 a.m. Reservations are required by May 5. Tickets may be purchased online at http://bit.ly/2pPMAb7 or by $15 checks payable to the Eisenhower Foundation, mailed to: Eisenhower Presidential Library, Attn: Mother’s Day Tea, 200 SE 4th Street, Abilene KS 67410.

Mamie was America’s beloved First Lady from 1953 – 1961. She was also an Army wife, mother and grandmother. Celebrate Mother’s Day with “Mamie” as she relates her life as Ike’s wife, our first lady and “just a good friend,” which is how she most wanted to be remembered. Ellie delighted a large audience with her debut portrayal of Mamie Eisenhower in July 2016.

Ellie transforms at 7 p.m. that evening into Carry Nation at the Dickinson County Heritage Center, 412 S. Campbell Street, Abilene. Ellie presents All Nations Welcome Except Carry, a one-woman show re-enacting the passion, energy and fury that intimidated and emasculated law enforcement across the Kansas prairie. Tickets, ranging in price from $5-10, are available online at http://bit.ly/2oJlbKx. Also that evening, the Heritage Center will unveil their new exhibit on Carry Nation.

Ellie returns to the Eisenhower Presidential Library on Monday, May 15 at 7 p.m. for a free program in the Visitors Center Auditorium. Ellie will present “A Hundred Years Ago on the Homefront: How American Families Faced the War to End All Wars.” Even if you know nothing of World War I, come to learn. If you had relatives and friends who were there, come to be reminded. Learn the history, sing the songs, taste the food. Travel back in time to the Homefront.

This program is held in conjunction with the recently opened temporary exhibit in the Library building Eisenhower and the Great War. On display through March 2018, this exhibit tells the story of the Great War and its influence on Eisenhower’s budding leadership abilities. World War I, as it would become known later in the century, proved critical to the making of this American Icon.

Ellie (Carlson) of Ellie Presents, Chicago, Ill., is a museum curator with 30 years of experience in small to mid-sized museums and a first-person interpreter portraying several women from the 19th and 20th centuries. Carlson has a B.A. from Roosevelt University and a Masters of Historical Administration and Museum Studies from the University of Kansas. To learn more, visit elliepresents.com.