It's a tradition 10 years strong in Muskeogn. A living history lesson provided to the community about some of our more prominent members over the years in Muskegon. The names who made us who we are and got us to where we are! Stand out names like Hackley, come to mind immediately, as do names like Walker, Torrent and or Hume. But there are also names like MIllie Peck, Nelly Torrent, Emily Easton and Alberta Catherine Vandervwerf. They all have a story to be told and it happens this weekend at the Evergreen Cemetery as the cast of the City of the Dead Muskegon bring their annual living history lesson to life!
Follow City of the Dead Muskegon on FacebookA project of the Harbor Unitarian Universalist Congregation, City of the Dead Muskegon has become an annual event that isn't about scaring people or making the cemetery a "haunt", it's an actual showcase of the lives of the real people who are buried there and the actors who portray our folks of yesteryear all spend their own time learning the history of the people they play and find out how they fit into the community. There have always been the "big names" of course, but there are names too who have incredible stories. Some are as you'd expect but some might even have a little twist or scandal attached to them...it's living history, it's not a fairy tale after all.
The event is held for one weekend only, you guessed it. This weekend! Saturday you can take the tour from 5-8pm and Sunday the tour is open from 2p-4p. Evergreen Cemetery is located at 400 Irwin Street in Muskegon and you're asked to dress for the weather. It might be a little wet Saturday night and yes, flashlights are welcome. There is a $5 admission and kids under 6 are free.
I met up with Jackie Engel, Melissa Lyman, Carolyn Holmes and Kylie Simonson at the beautiful and serene cemetery to talk about the characters they play and the event itself. Jeff Witcher drops in late, and with a name like Witcher....we'll just leave it to your imagination to see who he plays!
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A great story to cover every year and such fascinating history of the people who've made our community what it is. It's not just us who's taken notice of what's going on with City of the Dead Muskegon. Our dear friend Dan Salas at Positively Michigan paid a visit to see them setting up for this years event and we thought we'd share his take on the story as well. It's always great to get the Emmy Award winning Dan Salas' point of view on Positively Michigan.
