“Celebrate Community History Day” set for May 19 in Des Moines

Contact: Jeff Morgan, Jeff.Morgan@iowa.gov, (515) 281-3858

More Information

Registration Form

A symposium of historic preservation topics and award presentations at the State Historical Building will highlight May as National Historic Preservation Month.

Schedule

Celebrate Community History Day will be 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday, May 19, 2008, at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines. Created in 1995, this annual event recognizes Iowa’s varied and important historic properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 and includes a variety of awards presentations and workshops.

The Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance, a cooperating partner in Community History Day, will present its annual “Best of Preservation Awards” at this meeting. The State Historical Society of Iowa Board of Trustees will present its annual awards for publications and for community programs at lunch that day.

Registration

Registration is $18 per person by May 9; or $30 after May 9 and at the door. Each registration includes lunch and one workshop. The event is sponsored by the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance. Call 515-281-5111 to register.

At the event, registration and coffee begin at 8:30 a.m. with the Recognition and Awards Ceremony at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium. A buffet lunch and Board awards presentation will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the atrium. Workshops will follow at 12:30 p.m.

Awards will be presented in the following categories: 2007 National Register of Historic Places; Outstanding Preservation Practices; Certified Local Government; Cultural and Entertainment Districts announcement; Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance’s Best of Preservation; National History Day Kids Count!; Benjamin F. Shambaugh; Mills-Noun; and Loren Horton Community History Awards.

Workshops

This year’s workshops are:

• Care & Feeding of Your Historic Property. If you own a historic property and want to know more about how to maintain it, restore it or find out more about the National Register of Historic Places, this workshop provides an overview of sources available across the state.

• Funding Possibilities Roundtable. Looking for financial help fixing up your historic property or are you a nonprofit in need of grant resources? This workshop will be a “show-and-tell” discussion about finding – and getting – money for projects.
• “Lincoln in Iowa” with Grant Veeder. A member of the Iowa Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, Veeder details Lincoln’s ties to the Hawkeye state, including visits he made to Iowa before being elected. Veeder’s illustrated presentation is informative and entertaining.