Print History brought to life
Image 1 of 3 
A red trolley schlepped up the cobblestone path, flanked by gravestones and yellow maple leaves. It slowed to a stop and the people on board were joined by previous Winona resident, Jeanette Lamberton, an opera singer who was classically trained in Paris, France, and died in 1956.
The 13th annual Voices from the Past Woodlawn Cemetery Discovery Walk at Woodlawn Cemetery in Winona, Minn., featured seven sites all based on the theme of music. Each site featured two or more past Winona residents and possibly a visitor from another cemetery, all of whom were involved in the music industry.
The Cemetery Walk is one of the largest fundraisers for the Winona County Historical Society. According to Jonelle Moore, a committee member for the walk, the Cemetery Walk is a low budget fundraiser that benefits the Historical Society. This year they expected to raise between $4,000 and $7,000 to help make up a budget shortfall due to a budget cut for 2012
According to Moore, the Walk was attended by 750-800 over the weekend and an additional 550 school children during the week, a turnout she calls “one of the best.” She won’t know the exact amount raised until the end of the week.
To make the walk possible, 60 actors were recruited, making this year’s walk the biggest yet. They started rehearsals three weeks prior to the first performance. The majority of the actors had participated in the past.
“You don’t have to be a great actor to do it; think of it more as story telling,” said Michelle Alexander, who played Jeanette Lamberton. “It is a way to bring history to life.”
The characters for the walk were chosen from the archives at the Historical Society and volunteers wrote the scripts for their performances. It took six months of planning to organize the event.
“It is really a great way to learn about history,” said Moore. “It’s history telling about people who contributed to the community in a respectful way.”
Comments
Post new comment