How to Celebrate National Preservation Week

Preservation Week doesn't appear in red type on many calendars, but maybe it should. Why? Joni Mitchell put it succinctly (if not grammatically) in "Big Yellow Taxi": "Don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you've got till it's gone. They pave paradise and put up a parking lot."

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Famous & Historic Trees Catalogs
• Heirloom Plants
• Theater Tickets

1. Find out what Preservation Week doings are on tap in your town and get in on the action. Check your local paper, or contact the National Trust for Historic Preservation through their Web site (see nationaltrust.org).
2. Celebrate your own way if you can't find an organized event. Take a walking tour of a nearby historic district, or simply an older neighborhood. See a play or a movie in an old, restored theater. Or just visit your local library or historical society and have a look at some "then and now" photos.
3. Volunteer at a local historical site, or lend a hand on a restoration or rehabilitation project. It's a sure bet that, no matter where you live, there's a project that could use your services. If you lack the time or inclination to roll up your sleeves, send a donation.
4. Join in the fight to save a landmark, whether national or local, that's under threat of the wrecking ball. (Unfortunately, you won't have to look far to find one.)
5. Support local businesses - whether hairdressers, restaurants, clothing stores, accounting firms - that have given new life to old buildings. And, if you have your own business, consider doing just that.
6. Save your own bit of history. Instead of buying that generic tract house or condo in the 'burbs, opt for an older place. You'll get more character and probably a lower price tag.
7. Remember that living things deserve preservation, too. Carry the spirit of the week to your garden: plant a tree with historic roots, or some heirloom flowers or veggies. Or send a donation to your favorite conservation group.
8. Celebrate if you already live in an older building, whether restored in meticulous detail or converted to a whole new use. Throw an open house and show off your achievement. You'll have fun and just maybe inspire some guests to play copycat.

Tips & Warnings

• Preservation Week is sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This year's theme, "Taking America's Past Into the Future," focuses on the importance of preserving landmarks from our past as touchstones of stability in times of change. To find out more, visit the Trust's Web site (nationaltrust.org).