ALHFAM - 2013 Hale Farm & Village

ALHFAM Annual Meeting & Conference 2013

On June 14-18, 2013, Hale Farm & Village, an outdoor living history site and a premier collection and museum of the Western Reserve Historical Society, will host the 2013 ALHFAM Annual Meeting and Conference. Nestled in the picturesque Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Hale Farm & Village depicts mid-19th century rural life in Northeastern Ohio through dozens of historic structures, farm animals, heritage gardens and artisan demonstrations. The University of Akron will provide meeting, dinning and lodging facilities for the conference and is located within 50 minutes of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and 20 minutes of the Akron-Canton Regional Airport.

Guided by the theme; Bringing It All to the Table: Feed Your Body, Feed Your Mind, museum professionals everywhere are encouraged to gather with colleagues around a common table. Here conference attendees will acquaint themselves with old friends and new associates, while enjoying good company, good food, and rousing conversation. And what better place to gather than the time-honored table that is familiar to everyone and is oftentimes described as a positive and productive setting for stimulating discourse, high spirits, instruction, respite and shared aims. Appropriately the table serves as a special place that is witness to life's most important things.

The 2013 conference will address issues and concerns currently facing living history and agricultural museums. Presentations, sessions, papers and workshops will focus on individual, institutional and communal achievements that serve up innovative programming initiatives or organizational efforts that are creative, essential and relevant in today’s marketplace. How do museums cultivate and nurture civic engagement for greater involvement and investment in their organizations? What can we glean from new demographic shifts, technological applications and curriculum schemes? What are the current and best practices of living history interpretation and museum methodology that effect organizational richness? What are the processes for dishing-up success? How do we deliver the goods to our audiences and reap the rewards of a good yield in the face of new challenges and opportunities?

2013 Annual Meeting & Conference Updates

Eight Tracks are Back!

Due to the very positive response to the 2013 Annual Meeting Call for Papers the Program Committee has scheduled two session days with 8 simultaneous tracks. More presentations will take place at Hale Farm and the site visit to Lake FarmPark. Presenters will be notified soon of their time slots. Exciting visits to explore the Western Reserve and several hands-on workshops will be held on Friday June 14 before the official opening that evening with the traditional "Salted, Smoked & Pickled" reception.

Fly Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) to ALHFAM 2013

The Akron-Canton Airport is the most convenient way to fly to the 2013 Annual Meeting. Airtran, Southwest, USAir, Delta, and United all fly into that airport which is only about 15 miles from downtown Akron and the university. Flights arrive from Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Milwaukee, Boston, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Tampa and Washington DC.

2013 Registration Fees Set

Following a complete review of the schedule and budget presented by program chair, Elmer Schulz, the board accepted the recommendation of the 2013 committee and set the early registration fee at $450.00. The late fee will be $500.00. The day rate will be $150.00. Membership is required to attend and that will be an additional $30.00 for the annual basic membership. Lodging in Spicer Hall on the University of Akron campus will be $35.00 per night for a double room and $45.00 for a singe room. All rooms include and ensuite bath facility. Programs will be sent in February 2013. The conference dates are June 14-18.

2013 Meeting Overview

To get a idea of what is in being planned for the 2013 Annual Meeting & Conference you can view the presentation given at the Annual Business Meeting this past June in Texas. The slide presentation outlines the accomodations, locations and the preliminary schedule for the meeting. View the Presentation now. (This is a large pdf file, so it may take a some time to download)

2013 Keynote Speaker will be Patrick Conway, Jr.

Pat is the co-owner of the Great Lakes Brewery. The 25 year old brewery's mission is to be "the premier craft brewery in the Great Lakes region. The brewery produces 100,000 barrels annually and distributes to 13 states and Washington, DC. Patrick has been involved with Hale Farm & Village for 5 years in a project called "the pint size garden". The garden which covers 1/2 acre grows produce for the brewery's restaurant in downtown Cleveland. The company is very interested in sustainability and using locally grown foods. It was recently named one of the Top Workplaces in the area by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Working with his alma mater, the University of Chicago, he has recently recreated a brew from a recipe on a 4,000 year old Sumerian clay tablet. Special clay fermentation vessels (gakkuls) were created and yeast from barley bread were used when customs officials would not allow yeast samples from a Lebanese brewery to be exported. You can read all about this by going to the website www.greatlakesbrewery.com

Annual Conference Fellowships

Need financial assistance to attend the 2013 Annual Meeting and Conference?

Why not apply for the ALFHAM Fellowship!

Eligible candidates must meet ALL of the following qualifications:

you or your institution are a member of ALHFAM
you have not received a fellowship to an ALHFAM conference in the last five years

Fellowships for the 2013 ALHFAM national conference at Hale Farm in Bath, Ohio will cover conference registration (early-bird member rate) and provide funds to cover lodging at the conference site.

Recipients are EXPECTED to present a paper at the conference or submit an article for publication in the ALHFAM Bulletin within one year of receiving the fellowship. Applicants who present a paper at the conference are encouraged to submit their paper to the conference Proceedings but are not required to do so.

A complete application MUST include the following:

1. A cover letter stating (limit of two pages):

Your membership status (individual or institutional)
Why you wish to attend the conference
An explanation of your financial need
How you intend to contribute to ALHFAM
Past contributions to ALHFAM, if applicable
Whether you are a member of an ALHFAM professional interest group
Whether you are a college student pursuing a degree in a field served by ALHFAM
If you are a presenter at the 2013 conference (please specify if you are a first time presenter).
If you have received an ALHFAM fellowship in the past (if so, please include the years)

2. A résumé including two (2) references (limit of two pages). Be sure to include any volunteer or recreational experience you have that relates to fields/activities served by ALHFAM.

Failure to include any of the above information will disqualify an applicant.

Applications will be rated based on the following criteria:

Potential for future contribution to ALHFAM
Participation in living history, museum, or other work relating to ALHFAM’s mission
Rationale for attending the conference and annual meeting
Financial need
Presentation of application
Presenter at 2013 meeting

Deadline: March 1, 2013. Applications received after this date will not be considered.

Applicants being awarded fellowships will be notified by April 1, 2013.

Applications must be either mailed or e-mailed (strongly preferred) to the ALHFAM Fellowship Committee chair:

Hal Simon
9417 Singing Quail Drive, Austin, TX 78758
periodinteriors@aol.com