Heritage Festivals and Home Tours plus Heritage Preservation Awards

Archive

-

Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

Name/Title

Heritage Festivals and Home Tours plus Heritage Preservation Awards

Entry/Object ID

2023.06.06

Scope and Content

Materials used to plan and execute the popular SDHS Heritage Festivals and Home Tours from 2002 to 2011 plus folders for the related Heritage Preservation Awards from 2001 to 2011. Collection includes news clippings, photos, excel spreadsheet print outs and brochures.

Context

For about a decade these September events were an important fundraiser and opportunity to educate the public about the value of preserving historic architecture. The one-day Homes Tours typically featured about eight locations, mostly private residences -- some humble cottages, some grand mansions. Volunteer docents watched over the property. "What to look for" cards, blurbs on the tickets and a sign in front of each building outlined the notable architectural features for guests. Tickets were sold in advance or at each location and included a map. It was typically a scramble to visit all locations in the four-hour window. The Heritage Festival extended over the entire September weekend and included events like clothesline art shoes, vintage baseball games, pre-tour Docent's cocktail party, lectures, concerts, screenings and whatever else the festival committee could arrange. The Heritage Preservation Awards happened at the September SDHS monthly meeting. Typically a dozen properties or individuals were recognized. See 2023.06.05 for more details about the award categories. The Heritage Festival took a team to organize and a small army of docents to execute. As the local population aged, the volunteer roll shrank. Subsequently, fewer people tried to manage the ever-more-elaborate event, and it became too great a challenge. The Heritage Fest was replaced by the Dine-Around in 2012.

Collection

SDHS Events, Historic Preservation

Cataloged By

Winthers, Sally

Acquisition

Accession

2023.06

Source or Donor

Found in the SDHS/SDHC collection

Acquisition Method

Donation, unconditional

Archive Details

Creator

SDHS Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society 1986-2017

Date(s) of Creation

2001 - 2011

Location

Box

131 SDHC Heritage Festival & Homes Tours, Heritage Preservation Awards

Create Date

February 21, 2023

Update Date

February 25, 2023