|
HISTORIC
PRESERVATION MONTH
MAY
Preservation
Month 2008:
The theme this year is
"This Place Matters!"
The National Trust for Historic
Preservation will commemorate the fourth annual National
Preservation Month in May 2008. And while the theme of this year's
National Preservation Month--This Place Matters--is new, the idea
behind preservation month remains the same: celebrating the
country's diverse and irreplaceable heritage by participating in
local events throughout the nation.
Throughout May, the National Trust and its thousands of partners
across the country will demonstrate the importance of our nation's
heritage as they focus on many aspects of the preservation movement
including historic travel, heritage education, historic
homeownership, and community revitalization. Local celebrations will
highlight the unique culture and traditions of different areas of
the country, and the National Trust strongly encourages people to
participate in National Preservation Month events being held in
their communities.
Since the National Trust created Preservation Week in 1971 to spotlight grassroots preservation efforts around the country, it has grown into an annual celebration observed by small towns and big cities with events ranging from tours, reenactments and rallies to black-tie balls and state and local competitions.
Preservation Week has served as a showcase for local communities to honor their past and help build their future for more than three decades. Due to its overwhelming popularity, the National Trust has decided to extend Preservation Week into Preservation Month to provide an even larger opportunity to celebrate the diverse and unique heritage of our country’s cities and states. We expect that Preservation Month, in May, will help bring historic preservation to the forefront of Americans’ daily lives by emphasizing the vital importance of protecting our nation’s history.
Sample Activities
For Preservation Month
1) Host an open house to show off a historic building that has been recently restored or is in need of restoration.
2) Work with students to research the history of their community or a well-known local landmark such as their school, then put on a pageant to present their findings.
3) Hold a career day, inviting preservationists, architects, craftspeople, researchers and others to speak to students about their work.
4) Encourage Main Street merchants to create special store-window displays that highlight the history of their business or building.
5) If a historic building in town is threatened with demolition, hold rallies, letter-writing campaigns, cleanup days, and/or and public town meetings.
6) Hold workshops for owners of historic houses.
7) Organize a work project to clean up a historic town square, park or cemetery.
8) Conduct a walking tour through a historic district.
9) Collect "then and now" photos of your community and exhibit them in a public space such as a school or library.
10) Present preservation awards to those who have made a difference in your community.
11) Organize a block party, community picnic or period fashion show in a historic neighborhood or park.
12) Hold a photo or architectural trivia contest.
13) Volunteer on an archaeological dig.
14) Conduct oral history interviews with longtime residents.
15) Bury a Community Time Capsule to be opened in 2055.
Preservation Month
Proclamation
WHEREAS, historic preservation is an effective tool for managing growth, revitalizing neighborhoods, fostering local pride and maintaining community character while enhancing livability; and
WHEREAS, historic preservation is relevant for communities across the nation, both urban and rural, and for Americans of all ages, all walks of life and all ethnic backgrounds; and
WHEREAS, it is important to celebrate the role of history in our lives and the contributions made by dedicated individuals in helping to preserve the tangible aspects of the heritage that has shaped us as a people; and
WHEREAS, "Restore America: Communities at a Crossroads" is the theme for National Historic Preservation Month
200X, cosponsored by
Historic Newburgh Inc., and the National Trust for Historic Preservation
NOW, THEREFORE, we, The Newburgh Town Council, do proclaim May
200X, as National Historic Preservation Month, and call upon the people of
Newburgh to join their fellow citizens across the United States in recognizing and participating in this special observance.
HISTORIC
PRESERVATION MONTH 2008
|
