April 27th, 2023 by WCBC Radio

The City of Cumberland announced Thursday that one of this year’s Maryland Preservation Awards, presented annually by the Board of Trustees of the Maryland Historical Trust, is being presented to Michael Hunter Thompson for the “Fade to Blue” book/project.  He will be receiving the Excellence in Community Engagement award. Thompson created a community-wide, collective moment of cultural and historical preservation in Cumberland by bringing together thousands of people tied to one site – the Allegany High School at Campobello – through photography, oral history, exhibit curation, and book creation. The Maryland Historic Trust, a division of the Maryland Department of Planning, will be in Cumberland to present the award to Thompson on Tuesday, May 2^nd at 1:30pm in front of City Hall.