Montgomery's Annual Cemetery Walk Steps Off Tonight

Annual event draws hundreds on a tour Riverside Cemetery.

Tonight guests are welcomed to Riverside Cemetery to intimately meet a handful of its ghosts at the annual Cemetery Walk. Montgomery’s Historic Preservation Commission hosts this free event that provides tours through the cemetery to highlight the lives of prior Montgomery area residents. Debbie Buchanan is Executive Assistant for the Village of Montgomery and is the staff liaison to the Historic Preservation Commission. She stressed that this is not a scary event but that the atmosphere is wonderful as guests use flashlights to wander the dark cemetery with leaves crunching beneath their feet. This is the fourth year for the cemetery walk. Buchanan said more than 400 people attended the cemetery walks last year and guests really enjoy the…

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Montgomery's Annual Cemetery Walk Set for Oct. 3

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, the dead will walk and talk, but have no fear.

Montgomery is gearing up for the fourth annual Cemetery Walk. With cooperation from the weather, the Historical Preservation Commission will again play host to hundreds of guests. A big white Harvest Moon will hover over the Riverside Cemetery in Montgomery showing Mother Nature’s approval of the goings-on below. A peek at the calendar confirms that someone up there has arranged the special effects lighting again this year and the shiny white globe will perform it’s magic. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, the dead will walk and talk, but have no fear. Local actors, dressed in period costumes and standing by the headstones, will give voice to the person they portray (the occupant of the grave), and bring them to life for you. The Riverside …

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Videos: Re-enacting the Cemetery Walk

Five of the actors who portrayed historical figures during last week's Cemetery Walk at Riverside Cemetery moved their act to Village Hall on Tuesday, re-creating the walk for seniors and those who missed it.

Those who missed last Wednesday's third annual Cemetery Walk at Riverside Cemetery had a chance to catch the performances indoors on Tuesday, as five of the seven actors reprised their roles inside Village Hall. The annual re-enactment is geared mainly at seniors, and those who have difficulty making the walk through the cemetery. Organized by the Historic Preservation Commission, the Cemetery Walk features real historical figures buried in Riverside Cemetery. Actors stand by the gravesites of the people they are portraying, and tell their life stories. This year saw seven actors at four sites: All but Buchanan and Peck, who were in school, were on hand Tuesday to reprise their roles. They received loud applause and praise from the roughly…

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Dead Men (And Women) Tell Tales at Montgomery's Cemetery Walk

The third annual walk at Riverside Cemetery, organized by the Historical Preservation Commission, drew more than 350 people, and brought Montgomery's past to life.

If you plan on attending next year’s Cemetery Walk, I have one piece of advice for you: wear comfortable shoes. I’d never been to Montgomery's annual Cemetery Walk, organized three years running by the Historical Preservation Commission, and I showed up Wednesday night woefully unprepared. Looking back, I probably could have figured it out—the words “cemetery” and “walk” are in the name, so I should have expected we’d be walking through a cemetery. Still, uncomfortable shoes. Learn from my mistake. Apart from that, the Walk was extremely cool. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, here it is: each year, the HPC finds actors to portray well-known or influential people buried in Riverside Cemetery. Previous walks have seen folks like Daniel…

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Stan Bond

8:54 am on Friday, October 7, 2011

This was my first year to attend the walk as well. It was an absolute blast. The concept is great, the actors were spectacular, and clearly Montgomery has a story to tell. Thank you to everyone involved!   more ›

Riverside Cemetery Walk Set for Oct. 5

Who says dead men tell no tales? The third annual Riverside Cemetery Walk is set for next Wednesday, and the dead will come alive to tell their stories.

Next Wednesday, the dead will walk and talk at Riverside Cemetery. That sounds scary, but don’t worry. It’s just the village of Montgomery’s annual cemetery walk, and as Debbie Buchanan tells it, the event is meant to educate, not terrify. It’s the third year of the cemetery walk, said Buchanan, executive assistant to the village manager, and the audience has grown each year. More than 100 people showed up for the debut event, in 2009, and 225 trekked out to Riverside for the 2010 edition. “This year, we started getting calls this summer,” Buchanan said. “We’re hoping for a good turnout and good weather.” What is a cemetery walk? The idea behind it, Buchanan said, is that everyone buried at Riverside has a story to tell. The village’s …

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