Partners in Preservation is a program in which American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, awards preservation grants to historic places across the country. Since 2006, American Express has made grants worth $9 million through Partners in Preservation, helping historic places in seven cities to date, including San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, Boston, Seattle, Saint Paul/Minneapolis and New York, and has engaged more than a million people. The program will award an additional $1 million in grants to historic places in Washington, DC in May 2013.  Through this partnership, American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation seek to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of historic preservation in the United States and to preserve America’s historic and cultural places. The program also hopes to inspire long-term support from local citizens for the historic places at the heart of their communities.

Washington D.C. Metro Area 2013
The Washington, D.C. Metro area has been selected as the eighth area to be selected to participate in Partners in Preservation and receive funding from American Express. The area benefits from a wealth of historic landmarks and districts. Since the creation of the Georgetown Historic District in 1950, the city’s inventory of historic places has grown steadily to encompass thousands of properties representing all aspects of the city’s history and culture. The District of Columbia alone has 55 historic districts and 657 historic landmarks dating from the 1700s to iconic modern architectural marvels, and has more National Historic Landmarks than all but seven states.

Plus this weekend, Saturday May 4th - Sunday May 5th is Open House Weekend.
This means there will be fun, special events at each of the sites. A full list of participating sites is here. I suggest calling ahead to find out what special event each site has. Some will have free admission, behind the scenes tours, food, performances, etc - to encourage people to come out, learn more about the site and its history - and encourage people to vote for their site. For example, Congressional Cemetery will be doing an all-day Scavenger Hunt with performances, tours pointing out some of the famous “residents” and even a spaghetti sauce judging contest.

Your vote will help give away $1 million to preserve historic places in the Washington, DC Metro area. Although there aren't any Prince William County sites in the running, there are the following Northern Virginia sites: Arlington House, Colvin Run Mill, Marine Corps War Memorial, Mount Vernon, and The Athenaeum.

From April 24 through May 10, 2013, the public is being asked to help choose which historic places they feel most deserve preservation funding. Click here to learn about the participating historic places.  Visit the Partners in Preservation website to earn points for the participating historic places by voting online and via mobile, sharing with friends on Twitter, checking in on Foursquare and posting photos on Instagram. Click here to get started.  The site that receives the highest number of points at the conclusion of the program is guaranteed to receive their full grant request. A Partners in Preservation advisory committee comprised of Washington-area civic and preservation leaders will recommend how the remainder of the preservation grants will be awarded to the other participating sites.  On May 13, American Express and the National Trust will announce the popular vote winner along with the additional grant winners.

The Town of Dumfries will present a Black History Month Celebration entitled "Believe, Achieve, Succeed: Showcasing Inspiring Testimonials from Change Agents in Our Community".  Light refreshments will follow. 

Saturday, February 9, 2013
12pm-2pm
Little Union Baptist Church
17150 Mine Road
Dumfries VA 22026

The Prince William Historic Preservation Society will be hosting "Lest We Forget" a Conference on Enslavement and Emancipation on February 21-23rd at Hylton Memorial Chapel in Woodbridge, Virginia.  The event, as part of Black History Month, is open to any interested party.  Registration will be available online (but as of publishing this post was not), and questions can be directed to HistoricPreservation@pwcgov.org

Join Rippon Lodge to play a game and make a craft this Saturday, August 11th.  $7 per person, kids 6 and under are free.

Rippon Lodge is located at 15520 Blackburn Road in Woodbridge.

(PS- Thanks to Angela Pounders for the image!!)

The 18th Annual Manassas Virginia Railway Festival is coming on June 2, 2012!

Held in Historic Manassas, Virginia, the Railway Festival attracts over 30,000 people from the DMV.  There are elaborate model train displays, live country and blue grass music, performances from community groups, inflatable bounce houses, vendors, and VRE Excursion Rides.

Virginia Railway Express Excursion Rides will go from Manassas to Clifton (round trip) and will be available at the Train Depot, 9431 West Street Manassas, starting on Monday, April 30th from 9am-5pm Monday through Friday.  Trains board 10 minutes prior to train times, everyone on board requires a ticket.
Rides take place at 10am/11am/12pm/1pm and are $5 per ticket.  Checks should be made out to Historic Manassas, Inc. and cash and charge are also accepted.

Photos from Historic Manassas, Inc. Website

Printable map available here

So...you know the saying "when it rains it pours"? Apparently this week it's raining giveaways.  (Thank goodness, because if it was raining men I'd have to put in a serious complaint to Bob Ryan.)


Anyhow


Washington Family Magazine has very generously provided us with a family four pack to the Sunset Celebration at Mount Vernon on Memorial Day Weekend!!  


What is the Sunset Celebration, you ask?  Let's ask YouTube!




Well that certainly can't be bad!! If you're going to "imbibe on the porch" it should definitely be with Martha Washington! She definitely looks like she knows how to par-tay ;)


All kidding aside, this sounds like a fantastic kid-friendly event right near Prince William County.  Mount Vernon is a short drive from my end of the county, but definitely a worthwhile trip! The grounds are beautiful, the Visitor's Center and museums are well-done!!


(Bonus- if you didn't click on the link to the official description, this is also a wine festival!) 


From the Mount Vernon Website:
Visitors may take evening tours of the Mansion, relax and enjoy wine and desserts available for purchase on the lawn overlooking the Potomac River.  Delight in 18th-century music, dancing, games, and wagon rides. Stroll the lantern-lit grounds from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and immerse yourself in the 18th century as the sun sets on the plantation with costumed residents like the charming Lady Washington. This family-friendly event celebrates the beginning of summer on the plantation.


If you'd like to purchase tickets for this event they are now on sale and cost $18, adults; $12, children ages 6-11; and free for five and under. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks to Washington Family Magazine for this awesome giveaway!