MayDay Prize Winners
Take Simple Steps to Prepare

The MayDay program encourages cultural institutions to set aside May 1st to take one simple step to protect the art, artifacts, records, and historic sites they hold in trust. This spring, organizations submitting descriptions of their MayDay activities to Heritage Preservation were eligible for a prize drawing of disaster supplies donated by Gaylord Brothers. By the May 22, 2009, deadline, 45 entries were received from archives, museums, libraries, and historic sites in 21 states.

The District of Columbia Fire Department’s Engine 16 and Cindy Thompson draw MayDay winners. Photo by Heritage Preservation

This year’s four MayDay prize winners were drawn at random by the firefighters at Heritage Preservation’s local fire station, the District of Columbia Fire Department’s Engine 16. Congratulations to:

• The Kingman Museum in Battle Creek, MI
• The Elkhart County Historical Museum in Bristol, IN
• The Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services
• The Intermuseum Conservation Association in Cleveland, OH.

MayDay submissions included a wide range of preparedness activities, from completing emergency plans and holding fire extinguisher training, to labeling priority collections for evacuation. Visit Heritage Preservation’s May Day Web site to see examples from all participating institutions.

Heritage Preservation thanks all of the participating institutions for making this MayDay the most successful yet! We hope their stories will encourage cultural heritage organizations to continue in the spirit of MayDay all year long.