Since 2012, the Northern Kentucky Restoration Weekend has offered free, specialized training and resources to property owners looking to take better care of their historic homes. After postponing last year’s event due to the pandemic, the 2021 event will be offered virtually over the weekend of May 21.
The primary audience is historic homeowners in the river cities, but anyone interested in old buildings and how they were constructed will find something of interest.
The Northern Kentucky Restoration Weekend was originally conceived by Jody Robinson, Bellevue’s former historic preservation officer, and Beth Aderholt Grindley who worked for Tri-State Wholesale.
“We were having coffee talking about the issues, needs, and misinformation related to the maintenance and rehabilitation of historic properties,” Robinson remembers.
“The conversation was about building community by connecting people with historic preservation in common: home owners, craftspeople, vendors, advocates, and experts.”
They introduced the idea of the event to the Covington Preservation Officer Beth Johnson and, together with Margo Warminski from Cincinnati Preservation Association, they created a small planning group. They got input from contractors and vendors and then the event was launched in Bellevue in 2012.
“Historic homes are very different from new construction. So is their maintenance and rehabilitation. This is the only resource that specifically addresses that and informs owners of why that is important,” says Scott Clark, historic preservation officer for Newport.
“Understanding the materials and construction in historic homes will help preserve them for future generations,” he continues.
As in previous years, 2021’s Restoration Weekend will feature workshops by local preservationists, craftsmen, and artisans. The event begins with a virtual cocktail hour on Friday Night with keynote address by Scott Sidler of the Craftsman Blog and continues with workshop sessions on both Saturday and Sunday. Concurrent hour-long sessions will be offered on topics from the roof to the foundation, native plantings, and even how to research a historic home and the people who have lived there.
The event is free to the public, with the exception of an optional bourbon tasting kit from New Riff Distilling meant to be enjoyed during a History of Bourbon program Friday night.
“Going virtual is a challenge,” Clark says, “but we’re using a dual webinar format and the help of NorseMedia from NKU to keep the weekend running.”
The final schedule will be posted within a few weeks at the
Northern Kentucky Restoration website. Registration opens at the end of April.
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