Preserving history and culture is important to many people.
It is so important to Ozarks Alive founder Kaitlyn McConnell that she built a career around it, and now she's spreading the word.
The "Passport to the Ozarks" author will host a program at 7 p.m. July 21 at the Missouri State Archives, 600 W. Main St.
Through the presentation, McConnell will talk about the mission of Ozarks Alive, how it got started and some of the stories that she has uncovered along the way.
Ozarks Alive is a news website based in Springfield that is focused on local history and culture. McConnell covers topics in Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas about people and places in the area.
"A lot of that isn't necessarily strictly history, but ties in a lot of what I call 'legacy elements,'" she said.
In addition to her experience as a journalist and website creator, McConnell plans to talk about unique places she has visited in the area.
"It's kind of a collection of different things that I'll be talking about," she said.
McConnell also aims to communicate the importance of preservation and understanding of the culture in Missouri. "I want to help people understand why they should care about these places," she said.
Being able to engage with people face to face and meet new people is McConnell's favorite part about hosting presentations like this one. As a journalism major, she has always enjoyed writing but talking to people about topics that are important to her is another meaningful way of reporting.
"It helps communicate stories in a different way," she said.
Admission for the presentation is free. For more information, contact [email protected].