ACRA will hold its first annual conference in Washington D.C. on October 7 and 8. We picked a weekend to avoid taking too much time away from our businesses, and to get the low Saturday airfares. We have sent out over 1,400 invitations via snail mail, but wish to extend an invitation to those of you on the Net who may not be in our snail mail database. The conference will have two plenary panel discussions on Saturday morning with representatives from the various regulatory agencies (ACHP, NPS, NCSHPO, etc.) and with representatives of the various historic preservation groups headquartered in Washington. These will be give and take sessions, and a chance to meet and discuss the issues with the movers and shakers. Saturday afternoon will have 3 or 4 workshops on topics such as lobbying, business issues related to cultural resource consulting, communications networks, the cost-benefit ratio of cultural resources. There will be a reception Saturday evening with a chance to relax and do a little networking. Sunday morning will be taken up with a meeting of members and potential ACRA members. Topics for discussion will include business ethics, the election of two new board members, where we go from here, and other topics. The conference will be held at the Governor's House Hotel near Scott Circle in Washington. The cost will be $85 to members and $95 for non-members, including the reception. There is a $10 discount for registering before September 1. For those non-members wishing to attend on Saturday only, the cost is $80. Interested persons should contact: Thomas R. Wheaton Executive Director ACRA 6150 East Ponce de Leon Ave. Stone Mountain, Georgia 30083 770 498 4155 770 498 3809 (fax) (note new area code for the Atlanta area) e-mail: [log in to unmask] Please keep an eye on our WWW page at http://www.mindspring.com/~wheaton/ACRA.html for further developments.