For the first time ever, Essex Heritage will kick off our popular weekend with a celebration entitled "A Taste of TRAILS & SAILS," on Thursday, September 25 from 5:30 - 8:30pm, at the Willowdale Estate at Bradley Palmer State Park, Topsfield. We'll offer the "best of" TRAILS & SAILS, with fresh native produce, local cheeses and spirits from area wine and beer makers, live music and stargazing, and great raffle prizes to help you GO! Experience Essex Heritage. "A Taste of TRAILS & SAILS" promises to be an evening that will tickle your taste buds and provide a true sensory experience of all that is essentially Essex. Tickets are $25 and may be purchased online at trailsandsails.org after August 15 or by calling 978-740-0444.

Go! Hike, Paddle, VOLUNTEER!
TRAILS & SAILS offers FREE! guided hikes, walks, sails, paddles, historical tours and special art happenings for all ages, skill levels and interests. As Essex Heritage's premier partnership event of the year, we anticipate 4,000+ attendees at 200 events throughtout scenic Essex County, MA. We are looking for volunteers to help with promotion and event support for the weekend. Assignments might include distributing program guides, staffing information kiosks, registering participants and/or providing support to event leaders. All tasks offer flexibility in scheduling and consideration of physical limitations.
 
This is a great opportunity to give back to your community, support local preservation efforts and learn about your Heritage Area! If you are 15+ and able to make a minimum 3-hour commitment between Friday, September 26 and Sunday, September 28; and can attend an Orientation Session Thursday, September 18, 2008, 6:00-700PM, please contact Rachel here...

Thank you to the TRAILS & SAILS
presenting sponsor:

Congressman John F. Tierney invites you to attend his grants seminar titled:"Making Cents out of Grants" on Tuesday, August 12, 2008.  Learn about accessing funding opportunities on the federal, state and private levels. Join in networking and build collaborative partnerships! Registration check-in begins at 8:00 AM and the program runs from 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM at Salem State College, The Bertolon School of Business. There is no charge for this event. Pre-registration is required since seating is limited. To secure your participation and find out more click here...

When the Essex National Heritage Area was created a decade ago, it was important to me that some of its resources be devoted to education. During the last month, two exceptional experiences have been offered to area educators and I want to relate those to you today.  Through two Federal Teaching American History grants and partnerships with Salem State College, the National Archives and Records Administration and the Beverly Public School System, two special programs have been established with teachers in this region.  One effort, nearing conclusion is with secondary teachers and the other, just starting, is with elementary school educators.  Both initiatives recently offered weeklong education symposiums and I want to recap those sessions for our readers.
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This summer, the National Park Service has been sharing the resources of "Friendship of Salem" by welcoming visitors to her decks at various ports outside of the Essex National Heritage Area. Port visits for summer 2008 will include: Duxbury, MA; Portsmouth, N.H.; Boothbay Harbor and Portland, ME. These opportunities were made possible by several initiatives including the NPS Centennial Challenge Project. The Friendship Sails! Centennial project was created to extend the reach of the Park Service beyond its traditional boundaries and to promote our maritime history and heritage to new audience. The dedicated staff of the National Park Service, Friendship's volunteer crew and Essex Heritage are  working in partnership to make history come alive for thousands of visitors in seaside communities up and down the New England Coast.