What stories do you love to tell about Guilford? Where in Guilford do you take your out-of-town guests? What historic, cultural and natural resources do you like to show off to family and friends who visit? The Guilford Preservation Alliance (GPA) is sponsoring an interactive discussion addressing these kinds of questions at a public forum to be held on September 24 from 7:30 to 9:00 P.M. at the Nathanael B. Greene Community Center. At that time residents of Guilford will have an opportunity to help decide what information is important to share with visitors to their historic town. In turn, that information will be used to help develop plans for the visitor kiosk, a gift from GPA to the town on its 375th birthday. Click here for flyer.
The public forum is just one of the events made possible by a generous grant from CT Humanities and the State of Connecticut. CT Humanities is a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities that funds and collaborates on hundreds of cultural programs across Connecticut each year. In addition to the Sept. 24 program, over two days there will be a forum for students participating in the Rotary Club’s Interact Club/Youth Advisory Group, as well as a “stakeholder” meeting for the numerous Guilford organizations and agencies that are working together to promote this project.
For all three events, heritage development specialist Dr. Nancy Morgan will be one of two facilitators. She will focus on the experiences and stories everyone thinks are important to share. Graphic communications expert, Jeffrey Dawson, will concentrate on how signage will help tell the stories, including what belongs on the interactive screen to be located in the kiosk. Rob Vavasour, co-chairman of the Heritage Tourism Initiative summed up the enthusiasm of the stakeholders: “These community meetings are an opportunity for all residents of Guilford to contribute their ideas about how our town’s story should be told to each other, to our children, and to our visitors. The more ideas we gather, the richer our story will be.”
For further information please contact: Shirley Girioni at 203-453-5986 or visit www.guilfordpreservation.org. For further information about CT Humanities visit www.cthumanities.org.
