Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery News – Dec 2015/Jan 2016

It was an amazing 10th-Anniversary program with tickets selling-out two weeks before the event that took place on October 9 and 10. Working from a standby list and finding spots for people who showed-up at the event, we were able to accommodate most requesting to take the tour. My apologizes to those of you who we were not able to get on the tour for one reason or another. Thank you and my sincerest appreciation to all who attended this year’s show and for making it so successful. It has become a very popular and fun fall Jacksonville event that is enjoyed by all who attend, as well as those who volunteer to put it on. This event is a major fundraiser for the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery with proceeds supporting restoration and preservation projects, as well as our educational programs.

Needless to say, an event of this type and size requires a lot of support and help from the community and each year they deliver. Our sincerest appreciation and gratitude to the following for all that they do to help us put this program on: Jacksonville’s Pioneer Village, the staff and residents for being such an important part of Meet the Pioneers for the past ten years, The Jacksonville Oregon Chamber of Commerce and Business Association and Visitor Center for helping to promote the event, as well as handling ticket sales, the Jacksonville Review for their wonderful and generous coverage of the event, Bill and Debbie Miller for their photos and the video of the entire program, Jeanena Whitewilson for her photos of the program, Southern Oregon Historical Society and the Jackson County Genealogical Library for research and reference material, the City of Jacksonville and all our cemetery neighbors. Thank you to Oregon’s Old Time Fiddlers and the 4th Wednesday String Band for keeping our guests entertained while waiting to take their tour. Most of all, I would like to thank the 66 loyal, dedicated and hard-working volunteers that put the program together and presented it to the public. Our amazing cast of 20 Players outdid themselves in presenting eight different stories that were entertaining, informative and fun. Supporting them were our 46 volunteers who directed traffic, handled tickets sales, organized and loaded tour groups onto the bus, kept our Players nourished with food and drink, and guided our guests around the tour route in a safe and welcoming manner. A special thank you to our Research Committee who started their work early in the year, looking for new and different stories to be presented. My sincerest appreciation and gratitude to you all for not only making our 10th- Anniversary so successful, but each and every year since it all began in 2006. Many of you have been along for the ride since the very beginning and I thank you for sticking with us… it has been an incredible journey.

I would also like this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Successful New Year. Your continued support of the Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery this past year has been sincerely appreciated.

Featured image is the cast of Meet the Pioneers 2015. Photo by Bill Miller.