An online seminar with heritage experts taking place on Sept. 23 is hoping to share how preserving heritage sites can benefit communities in Saskatchewan and to dispel some myths about how heritage designation works.
Let’s Talk Heritage is a virtual event being planned by a partnership of local culture and recreation districts, with help from the Heritage Conservation Branch of the provincial government.
“We’re always on the lookout for ways we can work with communities and help them to develop their cultural offerings however we can,” said Anne Weisgerber, community consultant with the South West District for Culture, Recreation and Sport, one of the district partners hosting the session.
The session is the first of its kind and will be taking place virtually at 10 a.m. It will be catered to anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of the value or preserving heritage in a community.
The schedule features presentations on a number of heritage-focused topics — including an overview of what exactly a heritage designation means for a property and how the provincial program works.
Also in attendance will be three individuals sharing stories about heritage properties in their communities, including Jennifer Fitzpatrick on the original Humboldt site, Royce Pettyjohn on the Maple Creek Heritage District, and Rhonda Lamb-Kronau on Saar School.
All the representatives in the session will also be answering questions about how heritage designation works, which Weisgerber said many people have misconceptions about.
“One of the issues is that a lot of people think that if you designate a property as heritage, you can’t touch it anymore. So they’re wanting to dispel those myths, because yes, you can get the windows fixed or that kind of thing,” said Weisgerber. “If you’re interested in heritage and you want to be sure you understand what it means, this is a good place to find out.”
Registration for the session is required by Sept. 18, and interested participants can do so by emailing Weisgerber at [email protected].
More information on the Let’s Talk Heritage session and other upcoming events can be found at gosouthwest.ca.
