Throughout the month of March, the Atlanta Preservation Center is presenting the sixth annual Phoenix Flies: A Citywide Celebration of Living Landmarks. In collaboration with more than 40 Preservation Partners, this celebration gives a fun and informative insider's experience to the city of Atlanta through more than 100 free events, including guided walking and bike tours, lectures and storytelling, open houses and much more. The festival kicked off on March 7 and continues until March 22.

Dozens of tours are being offered, exploring places ranging from historic neighborhoods and private homes, to cemeteries and parks, to educational institutions and houses of worship. Be one of the first to see the restoration of Piedmont Park's 1926 Bathhouse, enjoy storytelling at the Wren's Nest, former home of Joel Chandler Harris, or explore forgotten spaces in downtown Atlanta beneath the network of viaducts that span the junction of railroads. A complete schedule with a description of each event can be found online at www.phoenixflies.org.

The 2009 Phoenix Flies festival is presented in honor of Karen Huebner, former executive director of the Atlanta Urban Design Commission. In her 20-year tenure with the city, Ms. Huebner helped craft Atlanta's preservation ordinance and was directly responsible for the preservation of more than 7,200 historic buildings, neighborhoods and sites within the city. Ms. Huebner enjoys a national reputation of excellence and her performance with Atlanta's government placed the city in a position of leadership in the area of preservation. Through her ability to foster cooperation among preservationists, developers, property owners and the city, Ms. Huebner ensured that all would make contributions to a richer environment for Atlanta.

The Atlanta Preservation Center is a nonprofit membership organization that serves as the agency for coordination, knowledge, research and advocacy for preservation in the city. Founded in 1980, the Center has worked to preserve thousands of endangered residential and commercial structures, neighborhoods and landscapes. The Center's walking tours of historic neighborhoods and sites, school programs, workshops and The Phoenix Flies educate thousands of students, residents and visitors about the value of protecting and reusing Atlanta's landmark buildings. For more information, visit www.preserveatlanta.com