Womack To Share Stories During Cemetery Walk
Do you love cemetery history? Genealogy? Sensational storytelling? If so, the Southwest City Cemetery Walk, on Saturday, May 25, is sure to captivate.
Carmen Womack will share fascinating stories of the early settlers and citizens who helped create Southwest City and shape McDonald County from the 1800s through the early 1900s as she guides you through their grave sites.
Womack compiled the biographies and stories of local lives through newspapers and record
books of the time, as well as census documents, ancestry records and online grave information.
“I wanted the information to be as accurate as possible,” she said. “The cemetery has so many people buried that were instrumental in our history whose stories are being forgotten.”
The perseverance of people through fires, murders, robberies and everyday hardships will inspire and amaze.
“There is even a murder story where the killer is buried in the cemetery too,” Womack said.
Organizers encourage tourists to wear walking shoes and bring a lawn chair. The tour is estimated to last one and a half hours.
Tours begin at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the Cornerstone Bank or at the cemetery on the day of the walk. The Southwest City Cemetery is located off Highway 43, at the end of Cemetery Lane.
In the event of rain, the tour will be rescheduled.
The Cemetery Walk is presented by the Southwest City Arts Center. The Arts Center is a nonprofit, community-based arts and education center with the mission to introduce and promote cultural awareness and opportunities to area communities with the purpose of expanding appreciation and participation in a variety of activities. These activities include but are not limited to art, education, history, literature, music and theater.
A board of trustees is also responsible for the renovation and preservation of the historic 1886 Presbyterian Church building that was donated for the purpose of establishing a cultural center. Proceeds from all activities fund subsequent projects.
Womack says the building is in need of a new raised stage and a wheelchair ramp that is ADA compliant.
The Southwest City Arts Center will also host a Summer Art Camp in June and kick off a concert series of local artists in July.
From 5:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. on Monday, June 10, and Tuesday, July 11, students in third through sixth grades are invited to create a 3-D mixed media art project with Jennifer Smith. Artists can choose a flamingo or a dolphin as their subject. Supplies will be provided.
Students can pay $5 and register with Mrs. Drake in the Southwest City School Library to attend.
On Saturday, July 27, John Spurling, Common Grounds, and Dandelion Heart will be performing toe-tapping, folksy tunes at the Arts Center. More information will be released closer to the event date. Keep up to date at swcartscenter.org.