(From August 4-13, 2007)

Upcoming seminar: The National Preservation Institute is holding workshops at Blandwood in Greensboro, NC during November for the care of historic properties. The workshops are divided into two sessions. The first is on "Historic Structure Reports: A Management Tool for Historic Properties" on November 13, 2007 and the second is on "Preservation Maintenance: Understanding and Preserving Historic Buildings" being held November 14-15, 2007.

Historic Structures Reports: A Management Tool for Historic Properties, seminar overview: The core of any historic property management program is accurate information about the building. This seminar will explore the historic structures report-the principal tool used to document a site's history, condition, and maintenance-and emerging technologies, such as computer-aided facilities management programs.

Preservation Maintenance: Understanding and Preserving Historic Buildings, seminar overview: Performing-or not performing-minor maintenance often can have unintended consequences. Learn how to read your building and understand the effects of daily, monthly, and annual maintenance activities between larger capital projects. Identifying, caring for, and maintaining historic materials is critical to this process. Discuss the nature of building materials, how they age, and how they fail. Learn when to bring in a specialist to help identify the problem or a contractor to handle a specific task.

These workshops will be valuable to anyone in charge of caring for historic buildings, whether an eighteenth century log house or a 1920s office building. For additional information and to reserve your seat, please go to http://www.npi.org/ website to contact workshop organizers.

Artifacts seeking a home: I am a direct descendant of General James Porterfield Owen (December 6, 1784 - August 4, 1865) whose plantation, Owen Hill, was on the Cape Fear River in Biaden [sic] County and a collateral descendant of Gov. John Owen (August 21, 1787- October 9, 1841). I have in my possession numerous papers, artifacts and one or two pieces of furniture which relate to these ancestors. One of the most valuable is a Gait solid silver coffee service which was given as a wedding gift to Margaret Mumford Owen Dickson, the daughter of General James Owen, by her brother-in-law, Daniel Dickson, on the occasion of her marriage to Dr. James K. Dickson in 1845. Both Dr. and Mrs. Dickson are buried in Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington as are many of my relatives. Some family papers are already in the Library of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the Hanover County Public Library in Wilmington, and the Arabic Bible which James Owen had translated and printed by the American Bible Society for his slave, Omar ibn Said, is in the Library of Davidson College in Davidson. I have surprisingly reached eighty this year and have no relatives who show any interest in these things. I would like for them to be preserved and wish to leave them to any organization or entity which may be interested in having them. Should you have any suggestions, I would certainly appreciate them.
Newton Trammell, Jr., 7 Kings Walk, N. E., Atlanta, Georgia 30307-1205; 404-377-8091/404-310-2850 -- e-mail petetrammell@comcast.net

The exhibition "Born of Fire: Glass from the Museum's Luski Collection"
opens today at the Hickory Museum of Art and will remain through April 20, 2008. A free ice-cream reception is set for September 8 from 2-4 p.m. Also at the HMA: Rev. Eric Timm will paint live from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, August 11, discussing his non-traditional Christian art.

Assad Meymandi, renowned psychiatrist, philanthropist and humanitarian, will speak on links of science and technology with music, the arts and the brain, in conjunction with the "Wild Music" exhibit at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh. The talk is at 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 12.

Old Salem Museums & Gardens, Winston-Salem, has announced an amateur photography contest in several age brackets, with images due by Monday, September 10. Winners and others will be shown starting Sept. 15, in conjunction with Printers, Painters and Photographers Day, to be held in Old Salem that day. Visit the website for photo contest applications and details.

Museum of Anthropology, Wake Forest Univ., Winston-Salem, will open "Face to Face: The Arts of Exchange in Mainland Papua New Guinea" on September 14, and "Dias de los Muertos," the annual Days of the Dead exhibit, opens September 18 and remains through December 14.

The Pastimes in the Park demonstration on August 18 and 19 at High Point Museum will be Blacksmithing.

"Norm Schulman: A Life in Clay" opens on August 24 and remains through October 6 at the Fine Art Museum of Western Carolina University, Cullowhee.
Also opening that day is "Tri-State Sculptors: MicroMonumentals."

The Greensboro Children's Museum will hold its free "Kick-Off to Kindergarten" event from 4-7 p.m. on Saturday, August 11.

The last Family $1 Friday of the season will be held on Friday, August 10 from 4-8 p.m. at SciWorks, Winston-Salem.

A cabaret performance of musical theatre selections, tied to the current exhibition, will be held at the Cameron Art Museum at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 24 (admission by donation).

A Historic Pottery Workshop is the Saturday Sampler on August 18 at Tryon Palace, New Bern. A fee is charged - call 252-514-4935 for details.

The Light Factory, Charlotte, will celebrate the work of Charles Burnett from August 24-26. Venues and screening times are on the website.

Newbold-White House, Hertford, will hold its Hearth & Harvest Festival
September 8 and 9; $4 individual admission, $12 family, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.