SEALHFAM Spring Conference 2026
at Camden, South Carolina
March 27 - March 29
Southeast Region of ALHFAM Conference
The ALHFAM Southeast Region Conference will take place March 27–29, 2026, in historic Camden, South Carolina, bringing together professionals, volunteers, and supporters of living history farms and agricultural museums. Over three days, attendees will engage in educational sessions, hands-on workshops, and meaningful conversations focused on preserving and interpreting agricultural heritage. The conference also offers opportunities for networking, site visits, and sharing best practices while celebrating the rich farming traditions of the Southeast.
Some events include hands-on workshops and interactive sessions such as Open Fire Cooking, during which participants help prepare and cook a meal over an open hearth; Like Walking to Music, an introduction to English country dancing and reading dance step sheets; and fiber arts classes including Learn to Knit, Learn to Crochet, Introduction to Carding and Drop Spindle, Band Weaving, Dyeing Fibers. Trade-focused workshops include Basics of Bucket Making (Parts One and Two), Demonstrating Blacksmithing, Cold Forging, Simple Tools for Woodworking, along with engaging interpretation sessions like Blacksmithing for Kids! History with a Bang, covering cannon and flintlock demonstrations with an emphasis on safety.
Attendees can also explore historical interpretation through sessions such as Clothes Make the Man (or Woman), Breathing Life into a Historic Persona, Unraveling the Mysteries of the Past (archaeology), and multiple music-centered programs, including Music Will Win Them Over Music as a Window into the Past. Lastly, additional workshops include Sewing a Market Wallet, Small Batch Indigo, and other immersive experiences designed to bring history to life.
Call for Proposals - PROPOSAL DEADLINE February 15, 2026
Download the PDF Call for Proposals
Presenter/Chair: Each workshop or session must have a person responsible for the organization and management of the program, including logistics, requests for materials and equipment, communication with participants and the conference hosts, and leading the session. SEALHFAM will only contact the chair.
Time: Workshops or sessions are 45 or 75 minutes. Please include time for questions and answers.
Internet and Room Arrangements: Chair/ Presenters must submit room arrangement requests to the conference program chair AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE CONFERENCE (larry@historiccamden.org). Wireless internet is available.
Registration Fees & Cost: Chairs/Presenters and panelists must register for the meeting for the day on which they speak, unless they only attend their session. SEALHFAM does not pay travel costs or honoraria for session chairs or panelists.
Provide the name of the session/ workshop chair or presenter and all participants, along with title, institution/company, address, phone.
Program Title:
Program Format:
Workshop and Session: 45 Minutes or 75 Minutes
Summitted by:
1. Program Abstract (150 words maximum): This is your opportunity to “sell” your program to the Program Committee. Describe the program, how it relates to the conference theme, and what makes it unique from other sessions.
2. Outcomes – Workshops only (100 words maximum): What will attendees gain, learn, or be able to do after attending your workshop?
Do you have a unique idea for a workshop format or session? Contact us, and we will try to accommodate your ideas.
PROPOSAL DEADLINE February 15, 2026
To submit a proposal, complete the 2026 proposal form and email it our operations director, Larry Lucas at larry@historiccamden.org with “ALHFAM PROPOSAL” in the subject line.
You may also mail the form to:
Historic Camden
P.O. Box 710,
Camden, SC 29021
