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Historical Society of Michigan 7435 Westshire Drive Lansing, MI 48917 Contact: Nancy Feldbush | For Immediate Release |
The Historical Society of Michigan Announces the Cancellation of the 2020 Michigan in Perspective: The Local History Conference | |
The Historical Society of Michigan (HSM) announces the cancellation of its 2020 Michigan in Perspective: The Local History Conference, which was to be held in Sterling Heights, Michigan, on Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28. HSM has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation in Michigan for some time, and the Society’s primary concern is the health and welfare of attendees, speakers, Multiple cases of the virus have now been identified in the counties adjacent to the conference meeting site, and more cases are expected to be identified in the coming days and weeks. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has declared a State of Emergency for Michigan, and the state is moving to take aggressive steps to discourage the spread of the virus, including a recommendation that individuals avoid gatherings of more than 100 people. Center for Disease Control is also recommending that adults over 60 avoid large gatherings, which includes many of the expected conference attendees. Due to these circumstances, HSM feels that holding an indoor conference with more than 700 people together in relatively close quarters would put all attendees at risk. As a result, the Society has made the very difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Michigan in Perspective: The Local History Conference. The Society feels strongly that this is the right course of action for conference participants under these very difficult circumstances, and HSM has asked all of the speakers to consider returning next year for the 2021 Michigan in Perspective conference so that the outstanding content that was planned for 2020 will not be missed. For those who are currently registered for the conference, information regarding a refund for the fees paid can be found on the Society’s website at hsmichigan.org. HSM is also reaching out to all participants as well. The Historical Society of Michigan, publisher of Michigan History and Chronicle magazines, is the state’s oldest cultural organization, founded in 1828 by territorial governor Lewis Cass and explorer Henry Schoolcraft. A nongovernmental nonprofit, the Society focuses on publications, conferences, education, awards and recognition programming, and support for local history organizations. # # # | |
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