Sorry I can’t be here tonight in person, but I appreciate the opportunity to share my story about how the Haverford Township Civic Council helped the Historical Society to make the Heritage Festival a reality.

First, a little background about me. I joined the Haverford Township Historical Society Board in 2005. I got involved as a result of my interest in local history and a desire to become more involved in my community. One of the interests I had (and still have) was to create opportunities for people to share their love of history and enjoy the rich historical resources that exist right here in Haverford Township.

After I joined the Board, an idea surfaced to revive a past tradition. The Historical Society decided to host a Heritage Festival along Karakung Drive that would feature historical re-enactors and tours of Nitre Hall and Lawrence Cabin. But we didn’t stop there. We decided to celebrate Haverford Township’s cultural history by inviting local artists and community groups to come to the festival. We wanted live music and food and activities for children. We wanted pony rides and antique cars. The list grew and grew. It was an ambitious plan that required fundraising and massive amounts of collaboration with resources in the community. We set a date for May, 2007 to host the first Heritage Festival along Karakung Drive.

At the recommendation of the Historical Society Board, I attended a Civic Council meeting in the spring of 2006 to share our ideas for the Heritage Festival and to publicize the event. We had joined forces with the Friends of the Grange to have a wine-tasting and silent auction fundraiser at the Grange Estate that June. Our portion of the proceeds would be used to fund the Heritage Festival. My task at the Civic Council meeting was to promote the Grange event and explain what we were planning to do with the money we raised.

When I entered the meeting, I didn’t know many people and was nervous about my presentation. Up until this point, the Heritage Festival was really just a concept – one that had taken up many hours of planning on my part, but was not quite real yet. Within moments of beginning my presentation however, I began to relax. The members of the Civic Council were both welcoming and helpful. In fact, as I answered a couple follow-up questions, it became obvious to me that I had found something we desperately needed – a group of community-minded people who were ready to step up to the task of making the Heritage Festival happen.

Within a day or so of the meeting, Chris Whiting had rallied an army of volunteers for set-up, clean-up and other tasks. He had located tables, tents and other resources. Representatives from Civic Council member groups began to contact me to ask how they could participate in the festival. Word got out that I was looking for local artists, and through the networking that occurs at Civic Council meetings, we found ourselves armed with resources, volunteers and participants and ready to produce an extremely successful event.

On June 5, 2011 the 5th Annual Heritage Festival will take place and we expect over 3,000 people to attend. The event has grown each year with the support of the Civic Council and its member organizations. The help we have received from you – in the form of volunteers, publicity, and resources as well as great ideas and moral support – has made this Historical Society event the success it is today. We are sincerely grateful for all you’ve done. Thank you.

-Tricia Woodman