The New Jersey Historical Commission, the New Jersey State Museum and the New Jersey Historic Trust announce the next installment in their popular series of Best Practices for Non-profit History Organizations workshops. This series of interactive presentations is designed to present models for good, better and best practices for the administration of history groups.  The fall workshops are titled “Telling Your Story: Interpretive Strategies for Historical Organizations,” and will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on October 15 and 18, 2007. The October 15 session is scheduled for the Battleship New Jersey in Camden, and the October 18 offering is planned for St. John’s Episcopal Church in Somerville.

The October workshops will feature two distinguished speakers. Richard Hunter, principal archaeologist and president of Hunter Research, Inc., will discuss the many aspects of documenting historic sites and projects. Dr. Hunter is well known throughout New Jersey and beyond for his excavations and analysis of many historic sites, particularly in the Trenton area. Sandy Mackenzie Lloyd has developed interpretive programming throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region at sites such as Pennsbury Manor, Cliveden, and Paulsdale.  She is co-author of a book for the National Trust, Great Tours! Thematic Tours and Guide Training at Historic Sites (Alta Mira Press, 2002), and most recently, helped design and launch the innovative storytelling component of Once Upon A Nation, a major heritage tourism initiative introduced in Philadelphia in 2005, and expanded to include Valley Forge in 2007. Ms. Lloyd will explore how to turn good historical research into engaging interpretive programming.