Cemetery
staff are known for being innovative; putting ideas out there to entice the
community to spend time in one of the most historical and cultural places in
the area, and one great idea I’ve always appreciated is “adopt-a-plot.”
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| Cemetery Crew |
The
concept is brilliant: get the community involved in helping revitalize the
cemetery, one plot at a time. Involvement usually requires a one or two year
period of time where you agree to care for an assigned plot (or plots) according to
cemetery guidelines.
The
work usually involves light maintenance such as clearing weeds, raking leaves,
picking up sticks, tidying graves, maybe mowing and edging, and letting
management know if a stone has been damaged, or gone missing.
Many
times, volunteers will take on several plots at once, maybe working on family
plots or those that bear a family surname. Some volunteers request plots that
have a special significance like the graves of pioneers, or graves from the
1950s. The main criterion is that volunteers be diligent and dependable.
And
when someone adopts a plot to care for, this could lead to more community and
historical endeavors. Maybe it will spur someone’s interest in tracing their
genealogy; learning more about cemetery preservation; researching the community
founders and putting together a book, a tour, or a historical webpage on their
findings. The possibilities are exciting and endless.
What
a great way to help preserve local history, learn more about your community and
help ensure that our dead are respected and not forgotten.
~
Joy
