BELLEFONTE — The Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association, the Centre County Historical Society and the American Philatelic Society are partnering to host the Old House Fair, Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29.
Online registration has opened for event, which will take place at the American Philatelic Society, located in the rehabilitated Pennsylvania Match Factory, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte.
The Match Factory, once an abandoned industrial complex at the edge of downtown Bellefonte, embodies the benefits of preservation. The organizers have planned tours of this treasure for April 29, during the fair.
The Old House Fair brings together homeowners with retailers, suppliers and other professionals in home improvement, historic preservation, renovation, interior furnishings and construction. It also provides a forum — featuring the Bellefonte National Register Historic District and its Victorian-built environment — for learning about new ideas, materials and techniques for rehabilitating, furnishing and maintaining an older building.
Another reason for holding the Old House Fair, according to a press release from the Centre County Historical Society, is to help understand the historical treasures in our care as a first step in encouraging the improvement of these structures. The fair should inspire commitment to historic preservation as a pathway to economic revitalization through maintaining historic structures and a historic downtown, according to the release.
“Friday will be a full day of professional sessions designed for architects, planners, attorneys, Realtors and municipal officials, yet of interest to all old house enthusiasts,” said Joseph Griffin, co-chairman of the event.
From 5:30 to 8:15 p.m. on April 28, the fair’s planners will hold a reception and banquet. Keynote speaker Ed McMahon will present ‘The Secret of Successful Communities.’ McMahon is an internationally known authority on historic preservation. He is affiliated with Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization with offices in Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, London and Frankfurt.
April 29 will feature 21 presentations for homeowners and those interested in old house preservation, according to Mary Sorensen, co-chairman of the event. Some of those include: ‘Planning a Victorian Garden,’ by Sorensen, CEO of Centre Furnace Mansion; a children’s program by Discovery Space; ‘Old Houses Up Close: A Walking Tour of Bellefonte Residences,’ with Sue Hannegan; and ‘Researching Your Old House,’ by Betsy Roman.
Some of the other presentations involve bringing your building issue to an expert.
For more information, visit www.centrehistory.org/ohf. For questions or to register for any or all of the programs, contact Sorensen at (814) 234-4779 or Griffin at cbproduce@comcast.net.
