Photos by Eric Parsons / Star staff Eight-year-old Gabi Billington listens to the Los Robles Children's Choir from the second floor balcony of the Presidential Learning Center at the Reagan Library during Monday's Presidents Day celebration.

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Abigail Adams, seated by the front door of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Monday, demonstrated how to spin flax and wool into yarn for a group of girls who had never touched a sewing machine.

George Washington posed nonstop for pictures, his colonial military officer's uniform clashing greatly with the modern garb of the children gathered around him.

Wearing his traditional black stovepipe hat, Abraham Lincoln politely answered questions from visitors wanting to know more about one of America's favorite presidents.

It was just another Presidents Day celebration at the Reagan Library, which welcomed almost 7,000 people through its gates. The mountaintop parking lot was filled by the time the doors opened at 10 a.m., and rented shuttles picked up people along Presidential Drive to bring them to the library.

For 16 years, the Simi Valley landmark has hosted the community event, which was free to the public and separate from the museum tour and Air Force One exhibit.

The event is popular among families with children. The library's staff set up craft stations for the kids to make patriotic projects. There were also re-enactments of famous speeches, storytelling by renowned local storyteller Jim Woodard and musical performances by several youth groups.

"We bring them here every year at least once," said Scott Kennedy.

The Simi Valley father of two daughters, Sarah, 9, and Kathleen, 7, brought their friend, Madison Ford, 7, for the living history lessons offered at the library.

"I'm trying to give them a little historical perspective," he said.

One of the first things Sarah did at the library was sign a get-well card for Nancy Reagan.

"I love you Nancy Reagan. Love, Sarah Avanti Kennedy. God Bless You," the Township Elementary School student penned in large letters on the card, which was covered in well-wishes from visiting schoolchildren.

The 86-year-old former first lady spent Presidents Day in the hospital, recovering from a fall Sunday in her Bel-Air home.

It was feared she might have broken a hip, but it was only bruised, and she was kept for observation at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica.

Spokeswoman Joanne Drake said doctors had concluded their tests and all results were good. They planned to release her from the hospital today.

Jarom Burbank, a dental student from South Pasadena, came to the library for the first time with his wife and year-old daughter.

"I love it," Burbank said. "The events are family friendly and educational. And the weather is great."

Burbank's wife, Desi, has a personal connection to the library. Her grandfather, Keith Nyborg, was a Reagan-appointed ambassador to Finland in the 1980s. Somewhere in the library is a plaque with Nyborg's name.

"We wanted to come and support him," Burbank said. "And it's a great thing to do on Presidents Day."

George Washington, also known as Ted Alexander, has participated in the Presidents Day event since the start.

"The best part is the kids," he said. "They're so cute, and they ask such great questions."

A typical query he hears is about the president's false teeth, which were commonly believed to have been made from wood but were actually made from ivory, gold, lead, and human and animal teeth.

"You have to straighten them out on that," he said.

"It's amazing the amount of false information being taught to the kids."

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.

— Jake Finch's e-mail address is alljake@hotmail.com.