I wanted to headline this as free money because it sounds so exciting to me.

Turns out there are 10 scholarships still available for the 2018 Missouri Preservation Conference set for May 2-4 in Sedalia. You have until the end of business on Monday, April 9 to apply. Go here to find the link to the application.

Here is all the info on the conference itself.

So what’s included? 

This is a $280 value. According to a recent email from Missouri Preservation the scholarships will cover “registration, meals, snacks, field sessions and networking opportunities, and … reimbursement for hotel expenses for the three-day conference.”

The scholarships are available to any citizen within a Certified Local Government (CLG) and g

uess what — Columbia’s included. Here’s a list of all the CLGs.

OK, I’m going to be honest here. The application notes that first preference is for preservation consultants, commissioners and local preservation staff members but it also includes citizens so I say go for the scholarship. I’m going to apply myself because nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

So why should you go?

I don’t have to tell you what thrills me. I’ve been blogging about historic places for eight years, so this workshop caught my eye: “House story: How to Research Sites and Structures.” But the three-day conference is filled with presentations ranging from working with real estate agents to engaging public investment and protection.

If those presentations aren’t enough to get you to Sedalia, the keynote speaker is Briana Grosicki, of PlaceEconomics. It’s a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm that, as the website states, “works at the nexus of economic and historic preservation.” Now who isn’t concerned with money these days? She’s the head of research at PlaceEconomics, so she’ll be talking facts and figures, not opinions and wishes.

Gotta go and make out my application for a scholarship! See you in Sedalia?