MASON CITY – A celebration will be held on Saturday, July 15th to commemorate the cemetery’s 150 years of service to the community. The event will provide family activities featuring in the historic sections of the grounds. Plan to come and enjoy a day in the years gone by.
In 1867, a group of citizens formed the Mason City Cemetery Association to establish a proper burial ground for the growing settlement which was to become Mason City. Starting with a 5-acre tract of land, the cemetery has grown to 70 acres with over 20,000 people laid to rest there.
A celebration will be held on Saturday, July 15th to commemorate the cemetery’s 150 years of service to the community. The event will provide family activities featuring:
At 11:00 A.M. there will be a Tribute to the Cemetery, honoring those who have passed before us and a special ‘Wreaths Across America’ to honor veterans.
11:30 to 12:30 is the serving time for an Old Fashion Picnic. You will be following in the steps of families in the past who would spend time at their family lot, cleaning the stones, trimming the weeds and honoring their loved ones. Then they would spread a blanket and have a picnic lunch. Sack lunches, lemonade, and ice cream will be available for a nominal charge. Please bring your own blanket
12:30 to 3:00 take advantage of a variety of activities that are free or for a minimal charge. Join in a horse drawn carriage ride through the historic part of the cemetery or a horse drawn wagon ride highlighting the history of the grounds. Search for graves of interesting people through a headstone hunt, or take a walking tour to observe close up the art and the meaning of the symbols on headstones. Preservation tours will show what volunteers have done to preserve gravestones that were in disrepair. There will also be displays on the cemetery history and old fashioned games to share with your children.
Learn the “Stories behind the Stones”, celebrating the history of Elmwood St. Joseph Municipal Cemetery on Saturday, July 15, 2017.
