Record numbers expected to attend history conference

With expanded content filling two full days, a reception at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, an unprecedented historical fashion show and reception, and approximately 50 exhibitor tables, the Michigan in Perspective: The Local History Conference is already shaping up to be a record-breaking event. Now in its 57th year, the Michigan in Perspective conference, hosted by the Historical Society of Michigan, will take place at the Best Western Sterling Inn Banquet & Conference Center in Sterling Heights on Friday and Saturday, March 13-14. The largest of the society's three conferences, the Michigan in Perspective: The Local History Conference offers a diverse view of Michigan's past and is open to anyone interested in state or regional history. This year's keynote topics range from Belle Isle and the DIA to a look at the 13th Amendment 150 years later and how the automobile has influenced fashion. Participants have the opportunity to choose from 25 breakout sessions that address local and statewide history, explore the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House during the Friday evening reception, and visit with history-related exhibitors. The full lineup can be found on the conference's brochure. Also available at the conference is the Loosening the Laces historical fashion show and reception. From the French voyageurs and colonials to the Civil War, Victorian and Edwardian Ages to the decades of the 20th century, Michigan's history will unfold with nearly 50 reenactors wearing the fashions of the eras. After the fashion show, attendees will have the chance to meet and mingle with the reenactors at a reception to learn more about the fashions, eras, and groups represented. Michigan in Perspective: The Local History Conference is held annually in the Wayne/Oakland/Macomb tri-county area. This year's major sponsors are Meijer, the Detroit Historical Society, and the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, along with the Bentley Historical Library, Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library, Michigan State University Press, University of Michigan Press, Walter P. Reuther Library, and Wayne State University Press. More information on the conference can be found on the Historical Society of Michigan's website: www.hsmichigan.org. Published: Wed, Mar 04, 2015