The Chester County Historic Preservation Network (CCHPN) will host its annual spring workshop virtually this year. "Celebrating Our Cultural Heritage," which will feature four sequential free programs related to preservation, will take place on Saturday, March 6, between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

"Why Old Places Matter," the first program from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., will feature keynote speaker Tom Mayes, chief legal officer, National Trust For Historic Preservation. Mayes is the author of the book "Why Old Places Matter: How Historic Places Affect Our Identity and Well-Being."

"Preservation, Planning and Protection Standards" by speaker Jeannine Speirs, senior preservation planner, Chester County Planning Commission, will follow from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

"Diversity and Historic Preservation" will take place from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Speakers will be Bertha Jackmon, historian, Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, Devon, and Tonya Thames-Taylor, professor, West Chester University.

The final program, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will be "Historic Places in Open Spaces" by John Snook, retired senior adviser, Brandywine Conservancy.

Kathleen Hood, chair of CCHPN's education and programs committee, noted that each speaker is an expert in his or her field of preservation. "We brainstormed about all the different topics we might be interested in presenting at the annual spring workshop for 2021," Hood noted. "Once we had an idea of the topics, we brainstormed the possible presenters."

According to Hood, the virtual spring workshop is taking the place of the annual in-person event. "It was always a one-day event live from 8:30 to 12:30, and because of the pandemic we are holding this virtually," she said. "(The speakers) will be presenting their programs live. There will be a live Q and A."

When people register, they will receive a Zoom link to access the programs. "Every workshop has a different Zoom link. People can register for one, several or all our programs," Hood pointed out. "We are planning to record them and post them to YouTube. If someone can't see the programs, they can access them later."

She noted that the presentations will be in a webinar format. "Some organizations offer their programs on the meeting side of Zoom, in which everyone who is attending gets their photo on the screen," Hood said. "(We will use) the webinar side of Zoom so they can singularly see the presenters and the program without distractions."

To register for the free CCHPN spring workshop programs, readers may visit http://www.cchpn.org and choose "Events."

For additional information, readers may contact Hood at kadaholo@verizon.net or 610-383-5068.