The theme will be "Bringing in Money to Your Community Through Heritage Tourism." Cost of the workshop, including lunch, is $20. The registration deadline is Thursday, Nov. 7.

Workshop speakers include representatives from the Alabama Historic Commission, Opelika’s Main Street program and the Historic Preservation Commission.

Tom Farrow, Clay County coordinator for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and workshop committee chairman, said the programs on the agenda are designed to educate cities on how to preserve their historical heritage.

Topics will include historic outreach programs, funding opportunities for communities and ways to use historical preservation to enhance tourism.

"This workshop is targeted toward city and county officials and any leaders in communities across the state of Alabama," Farrow said. "It is designed to educate communities on how to start programs, such as Opelika’s Main Street, that will use historic preservation to promote tourism."

Historic preservation is important not only for a town’s sense of history, but also for its promotion of tourism, Farrow says.

"From the tourism and economic development perspective, historic preservation is very important," he said. "It’s also important because Alabama has a strong historical heritage that needs to be preserved.

Many towns in Alabama are letting old buildings rot away and be destroyed. There is money out there to preserve them. This workshop is designed to help communities learn where to find those resources and what the advantages are to preserving history in their towns."

The Alabama Sunrise Region is composed of representatives, including Extension agents, from 15 Alabama counties. It was created to help promote tourism in the state.