Jacksonville Review – May 2024
WITH “APRIL SHOWERS” behind us, it’s time for “May flowers” and the beginning of a busy season of outdoor events at Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery! Our recurring History Saturday in the Cemetery and Marker Cleaning Workshop programs, plus the annual Pre-Memorial Day Community Cemetery Clean-up and Flags for our Veterans events make May a very full month. All are great ways to enjoy the spectacular weather and beauty of springtime in southern Oregon!
Our 1st Cemetery Clean-up Day, on March 16, saw thirty or so Friends volunteers weed-whacking and raking-up leaves and fallen branches that had accumulated over the winter. We filled the city trailer and 45 large garden bags leaving the cemetery tidy for Palm Sunday and Easter weekends.
We will reprise the Clean-up event on Saturday, May 4, followed on Thursday, May 23, by the placement of flags on our veterans’ graves in preparation for Memorial Day weekend visitors.
May also includes the first installment of this season’s History Saturday in the Cemetery with its unique and popular format of a local history talk—presented outdoors in Jacksonville’s beautiful Pioneer Cemetery—followed by a short walking tour to related cemetery sites. These events have been a highlight of summer in Jacksonville since 2011 (2nd Saturdays thru September). Rounding out our May schedule, Marker Cleaning Workshops begin May 18 (3rd Saturdays thru September).
CEMETERY EVENTS IN MAY:
Pre-Memorial Day Community Cemetery Clean-up Day, Saturday, May 4, 9am-noon—Bring gloves, rakes, gas/battery-operated blowers, weed eaters, mowers, plus eye/ear protection.
History Saturday in the Cemetery, Saturday, May 11, 10-11:30am, “Spirits, Bars, and Prohibition”—No advance registration is required. May not be suitable for the very young. Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. There is no fee for the tours, however donations supporting our programs are greatly appreciated.
Marker Cleaning Workshop, Saturday, May 18, 9am-noon—Come learn the latest tools and techniques to safely clean and preserve the many grave markers in our cemetery that are covered in moss, lichen, and dirt and have become difficult to read. This is a hands-on workshop, so dress accordingly. Bring a stool to sit on, plus sunscreen and a hat.
Memorial Day: Flags for our Veterans, Thursday, May 23, 9am—Volunteers ensure that each veteran in the cemetery is honored for their service by placing a flag on their gravesite. Flags are maintained until removed following Veterans Day in November.
All Events—Meet at the Sexton’s Tool House, top of Cemetery Road. Parking within the cemetery.
Please check our website at friendsjvillecemetery.org for future events and programs.
Featured image: “A Good Morning’s Work,” Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery, March 16, 2024. Photo by Dick Meyers.