April 5 "From Engagement to Activism: Public History as Civic Responsibility," 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Withers Hall 232, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. NCSU's Department of History is sponsoring a one-day conference exploring public history as activism and engagement, with a keynote address by Cathy Stanton, author of The Lowell Experiment: Public History in a Post-Industrial Town, followed by three consecutive sessions. A reception will follow, inaugurating NCSU's new doctoral program in public history. Registration for the program and reception is free but requested. For more information and to register, click here.

April 9-13 Society of Architectural Historians Annual Conference, Austin, TX. For more information visit this page.

April 10 "Fine & Decorative Arts: An Era of Transition" lecture, 7 PM, Joel Lane Museum House, 160 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh, NC. Leland Little, president of Leland Little Auctions and Estate Sales, Ltd., will speak. General admission is $15, $10 for members. Click here for more information or call 919-833-3431.

April 11-12 The Lincoln County Historical Association and Gaston-Lincoln Genealogical Society are hosting the fifth annual genealogical, historical, and preservation conference on Friday night, April 11, 2014, and Saturday, April 12, 2014, at historic St. Luke's Episcopal Church's Parish House at 315 North Cedar Street in downtown Lincolnton. On Friday night, Dr. David Staton will deliver a presentation on the recently published book A Great Golden Sun: The WWII Journal of Eugene Gold "Jerry" Hartman, and the family of Jerry Hartman will be available to sign copies of the book. On Saturday, April 12, at 9:00 a.m., Dr. Kevin Cherry, Denver native and Deputy Secretary of Office and Archives and History, N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, will deliver the keynote address, "From Pirate Treasure to Government Email: North Carolina's Historical Enterprise Today." Other conference speakers include Kathy G. Sullivan, CG; A. Bruce Pruitt, Ph.D.; Michael Hill; and Jason L. Harpe. Conference registration is $37.45, and lunch is $8.00. Click here more information.

April 15 National Alliance of Preservation Commissions is now accepting applications for our 2014 Commission Excellence Awards to recognize and honor outstanding efforts and achievements by local historic preservation commissions and boards of architectural review. Award categories include Best Practices - identification and protection of historic resources, public outreach, and technology - and Commission of the Year. The deadline for applications is April 15. Click here to download a nomination form or contact Paul Trudeau, NAPC Program Director, at ptrudeau@uga.edu or 706-369-5881 for more information.

April 24-25 Cultural Heritage Tourism Exchange, Washington, DC. For more information go to http://www.chtexchange.com/.

May 1 National Endowment for the Humanities Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions and National Trust for Historic Preservation grant applications are due. Click here for more information.

May 2 North Carolina Rehabilitation Code Workshop, 10 AM-3:30 PM, at the Chowan County Courthouse, East King Street, Edenton. $10 per person, lunch included. For further information, please contact Sam Barrow at the Town of Edenton at (252) 482-2155, or click here. (See article below.)

May 7-10 The Vernacular Architecture Forum's 2014 conference, "Down Jersey: From Bayshore to Seashore," will focus on the vernacular architecture and landscapes of southern New Jersey, from ca. 1700 to 2000, including sites in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties. See this page for more information and to register for the conference.

May 18-21 2014 National Main Streets Conference, Detroit, MI.  With the theme "Works in Progress" the conference will offer participants lessons on resilience, innovation and hard work, all of which exemplify the Main Street movement across the country.  Click here for more information.

May 20 Application deadline for National Trust will award Innovation Grants for fresh and cutting-edge planning activities, programs and education efforts focused on preservation. Grants will support planning and programmatic costs and up to $10,000 will be awarded to each funded project. For full details, visit this website. 

June 17-22 Association for Gravestone Studies 2014 Annual Conference, Franklin, IN.  More information will be on this website in March 2014. 

June 19-21 Michigan Modern: Design that Shaped America Symposium, Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, MI. Click here for more information or to register.

July 1 Deadline fornominations for the Southeastern Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians' Best of the South: Preserving Southern Architecture Award. The award honors a project that preserves or restores a historic building, or complex of buildings, in an outstanding manner that demonstrates excellence in research, technique, and documentation. Projects completed in 2012 and 2013 in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia are eligible. For more information on SESAH and the Best of the South Award, visit www.sesah.org, or contact Ruben Acosta at by email.

July 16-20 National Alliance of Preservation Commissions Forum, Philadelphia, PA. This biannual gathering of local historic preservation commissions and boards of architectural review members and staff is the largest of its kind in the country. For more information and to sign up for updates about the event go to this page.

The National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC) is requesting proposals for Forum 2016 Forum is the only national conference focused around the needs and issues of historic preservation commissions and commission staff. It is an interactive conference that blends traditional educational sessions, discussion panels, mobile workshops, and tours to provide participants with essential training and networking opportunities. Forum is held every other year in interesting destination cities and brings local commission members from across the country together with representatives from local, state and national organizations, governments, and federal agencies. Forum 2014 will be held in Philadelphia, PA, July 16-20 (see above). The 2016 RFP can be found on the NAPC website at this page. Please contact Paul Trudeau, NAPC Program Director, at ptrudeau@uga.edu with any questions.

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Announces 2014 Training Courses ACHP staff instructors will offer Section 106 training in six cities next year. These interactive courses feature practical guidance and opportunities to apply learning in case-based exercises.

The Section 106 Essentials covers the fundamentals needed to carry out or participate in a federal historic preservation review. A case study and small group exercises provide opportunities for participants to apply the ACHP's regulations to real-life scenarios.

The Advanced Seminar is a one-day course focused on the effective management of complex or controversial undertakings. Experienced Section 106 practitioners will improve their consultation and agreement drafting skills by sharing ideas and working through problem-solving exercises in a smaller class setting.

Visit this page for registration details and pricing. Please contact Cindy Bienvenue at cbienvenue@achp.gov if you have any questions.