The devastating decline in local news media has made it much more difficult to keep up to date on what is happening in your local community. Reporters used to scour court documents, attend most public meetings, and have many inside sources. They would timely share what they learned with local residents through carefully edited newspapers and journals. The news you wanted came right to you and the information was typically reliable.
Today, our media is fragmented. We get our news from many different sources, some of which are less trustworthy than a snake oil salesman. Most of what we consume is national news, is curated by algorithms designed to keep you reading, is memeified, or what a friend of a friend’s neighbor saw on TikTok. This is not a great recipe for knowing what’s up or what is really happening in your local community.
To be informed today, you have to be your own reporter. You need to talk to people who are in the know. You have to check city websites for meeting agendas, typically only published 48 hours before the meeting. Who has time for that?
For fifty years, Preservation Partners has been the voice of and resource for historic preservation in the Fox Valley. We scour court documents, attend most historic preservation meetings, and have several inside sources about developments with historic structures and districts in the Tri-Cities. When a historic structure is to be considered for demolition or a new development is proposed for a historic district, the odds are high we know it’s happening. Now, you can too.
Sign up for the 🦊⚡ FOX FLASH!
🦊⚡ FOX FLASH is an email alert we send exclusively to our members when there is urgent news about a historic structure or district in the Fox Valley. Because we constantly monitor for buildings at risk, we usually get this information out soon enough so that our members have time to plan to be at an upcoming public meeting, email a comment to the city to be included in the public meeting, or reach out to an alderperson.
As a result, our members are among the most informed about buildings of historic importance. They have the information necessary to become actively involved in saving local history.
Membership levels start at only $50. Besides the Fox Flash, you receive a bi-annual printed newsletter and advance notice on upcoming events. Higher membership levels can include a free Frank Lloyd Wright reciprocal membership ($150) or a free tour for up to 15 people at one of our historic sites ($1,000). But, if you consider just the Fox Flash alone, $50 at minimum, is like a $4 monthly subscription that informs you when a piece of local history may be lost. Last year we sent 15 Fox Flash alerts regarding 5 properties.
Many historic structures in the Fox Valley are at risk of demolition every year. Most people only find out when the wrecking ball begins to turn the buildings to dust.
Do not let yourself be one of those people! Become a member of Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley. Support local history, be “in the know,” and be the envy of all your neighbors.
Visit ppfv.org/membership to become a member today!
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