Millennium Council

 






News Release
02/10/03

Sharon Stone and Hal Holbrook Lead
Star-Studded Historic Preservation Initiative

KNOXVILLE, TN -- The stars are aligning for The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Home & Garden Television in a partnership to restore 12 American landmarks.

Celebrities representing movies, television, fashion, sports and media are lending their talent to "Restore America - A Salute to Preservation" to generate support for the National Trust and Save America's Treasures, the public-private partnership that is restoring many of the nation's sites, monuments, collections and archives.

Among the galaxy of stars who have signed on for the project include Hal Holbrook, Kathy Ireland, Bryant Gumbel, Joe Torre, Diane Keaton, Sam Waterston, Kimberly Williams, Nicholas Walker, Ali MacGraw, Steven Weber, Rick Dees, and Sharon Stone.

They will serve as spokespeople for the initiative, filming public service announcements for HGTV as part of the network's million-dollar public affairs initiative. The celebrities also will provide voiceover talent for special program segments featuring the historic sites, each of which is an Official Project of Save America's Treasures.

"Protecting our nation's landmarks is a priority because they provide unique opportunities to experience history firsthand," said Hal Holbrook, who is well known for his portrayal of Mark Twain. Twain's Hartford, Connecticut home is one of the featured sites.

Inspired by the popular HGTV series Restore America, "Restore America - A Salute to Preservation" will recognize ongoing restoration efforts at selected historic sites through HGTV's on-air and online programming. Each of the sites will be included as a regular segment on the network's Restore America series, now in its fifth season. In addition, HGTV will air two Restore America specials, one in July 2003 and another in 2004, and will salute one of the restoration sites each month with one-minute vignettes to be broadcast at various times throughout each day. Finally, "Restore America - A Salute to Preservation" will be featured on HGTV.com, with information on each of the sites and a link to the National Trust website.

"Preserving our country's glorious past requires the efforts of many people," said Richard Moe, President of the National Trust and Co-Chair of Save America's Treasures. "Whether it's an ordinary American working at one of these sites or the celebrity bringing visibility to our cause, our success depends on Americans committed to protecting our nation's heritage."

"HGTV has always aired programming with a preservation theme," said Burton Jablin, president of the network. "In addition to 'Restore America - A Salute to Preservation,' our viewers enjoy programs such as If Walls Could Talk, Renovations, Homes of Our Heritage, Old Homes Restored and This Old House Classics. We hope this is the beginning of a longtime partnership with the National Trust."

To find out more about this exciting new partnership, click here.

About The National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting the irreplaceable. Recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the Trust provides leadership, education and advocacy to save America's diverse historic places and revitalize communities. Its Washington, D.C. headquarters staff, six regional offices and 21 historic sites work with the Trust's quarter-million members and thousands of local community groups in all 50 states. For more information, visit the National Trust's website at www.nationaltrust.org.

About Save America's Treasures
Save America's Treasures is a national effort to protect "America's threatened cultural treasures, including historic structures, collections, works of art, maps and journals that document and illuminate the history and culture of the United States." Save America's Treasures was originally established by Executive Order in 1998 as the centerpiece of the White House National Millennium Commemoration and as a public-private partnership that included the White House, the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Dedicated to the preservation and celebration of America's priceless historic legacy, Save America's Treasures works to recognize and rescue the enduring symbols of American tradition that define us as a nation. Honorary Chair First Lady Laura Bush leads this effort along with co-chairs Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the noted author, Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Mrs. Bush succeeds former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton who continues to support the program as its Founding Chair.

About HGTV
America's leader in home and garden programming, HGTV is distributed to more than 80 million households, making it one of the fastest-growing networks in cable history. Additionally, with more than 2.5 million unique visitors on average each month, HGTV.com is America's leading online home and garden destination. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta, HGTV is wholly owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP), which also operates the Food Network, DIY - Do It Yourself Network and Fine Living.

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