What places in Natchitoches matter to you?

May is National Preservation Month. The Natchitoches Preservation Network will once again celebrate by participating in the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "This Place Matters" social media campaign that will be taking place across the country.

In case you don't remember, This Place Matters was designed by the Trust "to help people share the place that matters to them, wherever these places happen to be." This is demonstrated by participants photographing or filming themselves holding a sign that says "This Place Matters" in front of sites that have personal and historical significance. NPN produced more than a dozen of these videos last year featuring places that matter in the Natchitoches area, including the Jewish Cemetery, Tante Huppe and Lee H. Nelson Hall.

Last year's This Place Matters campaign was so successful that the National Trust is choosing to theme Preservation Month around it. If there's a place that matters to you locally, and you're willing to express the sentiment on camera, visit the forum area of www.natchitochespreservation.com and choose an available date for filming your segment. I'll take the video, edit it and post it to YouTube on the Preservation Network channel.

In case you haven't heard of Preservation Month before, it was designed to raise awareness about the power historic preservation has to protect and enhance our homes, neighborhoods and communities. It originated in Preservation Week, which began in 1971 to spotlight grassroots preservation efforts in America. The event grew into an annual celebration observed by small towns and big cities with events ranging from architectural and historic tours and award ceremonies, to fundraisers, educational programs and heritage travel opportunities.

Due to its overwhelming popularity, in 2005 the National Trust for Historic Preservation extended the celebration to the entire month of May and declared it Preservation Month to provide an even longer opportunity to celebrate the diverse and unique heritage of our country's cities and towns, and enables all of us to become involved in the growing preservation movement.

I hope you'll take part and help Natchitoches become the crown jewel of this national campaign. From sign-up to filming, your time commitment will be no more than a half hour. And the promotional benefits for Natchitoches heritage will last for years.