[Heritage] Dates set for 2009 Heritage Conference

[Heritage Info]

A Northwest History and Heritage Extravaganza, including the 2009 Oregon Heritage Conference, the Pacific Northwest History Conference and the annual meetings of the Northwest Archivists and the Northwest Oral History Association, will take place April 15-18 in Portland. The conference hotel will be the Holiday Inn at the Portland Airport, but activities will also take place at some of the Portland area's many historical and heritage resources.

The Extravaganza will have the theme of "Rendezvous 2009!" The goal of "Rendezvous 2009!" is to reflect the sharing of ideas, multiplicity of perspectives, and convergence of cultures in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. The mix of presentations that would normally be done separately at an Oregon Heritage Conference, a Pacific Northwest History Conference, and the meetings of the Northwest Oral History Association and the Northwest Archivists will be exceptionally exciting when they are combined at the Extravaganza. 

The Oregon Heritage Conference seeks to inform and inspire Oregonians involved in the state's cultural heritage efforts. Attendees include community leaders, staff and volunteers from historical societies, museums, historic cemeteries, ethnic organizations, schools, historic preservation commissions, humanities groups, the tourism industry, economic development, history buffs and professional historians, archaeologists, youth, and local, tribal, state and federal governments. All will be welcome at the Extravaganza.

Previous conferences have included workshops, walking tours, speakers, bus tours, seminars and meetings, both at the conference site and at heritage sites. The Extravaganza also will include the third annual Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards and presentations by university students who have been selected as Oregon Heritage Fellows. 

The Pacific Northwest History Conference, which is organized annually by the Washington State Historical Society, will be part of the Extravaganza in light of Oregon's statehood sesquicentennial. The Oregon Historical Society will also assist with planning.

Conference information will be updated periodically at http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/OHC/Conference.shtml

If you are interested in helping with the conference's local arrangements, or have a presentation you want to make, contact Kyle Jansson at 503-986-0673 or heritage.info at state.or.us .