[HistoricCemeterieslistserv] Lone Fir Cemetery’s Annual Tour of Untimely Departures

[GILL Kuri * OPRD]

Lone Fir Cemetery’s Annual
Tour of Untimely Departures
Proceeds support education, preservation and restoration efforts


PORTLAND, OR – September 15, 2015 – For the 10th year, brave Portlanders will be able to celebrate Halloween walking among the gravestones in historic Lone Fir Cemetery. The Tour of Untimely Departures presents guided tours of illustrious cemetery “residents” played by local actors telling the life-and-death stories of Portland’s first settlers. This year’s unfortunate deaths involve a cesspool, suicide via hot air balloon and a forensic experiment where doctors thought that, by removing the eyes of the deceased, they could view the last image the person had seen.
The tour is a joint endeavor by nonprofit Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery and Metro, the greater Portland area’s elected regional government, which owns and operates 14 historic cemeteries. The event started in 2005 as a way to prevent what had become a night of vandalism in the cemetery located on Southeast 26th Avenue between Southeast Morrison and Stark streets.

“The best way to prevent vandalism is to educate the community that this special place deserves to be cared for and preserved,” said Metro Councilor Shirley Craddick. This year the funds raised will be used to focus on “One Stone at a Time,” a project to properly secure large monuments on their bases to keep them from falling or being pushed over. The group also plans to mark the sections of the cemetery so that cemetery staff and visitors can easily locate graves.

Last year, more than 1,500 people toured the cemetery on Halloween night. Guests learned about the history of Lone Fir, as well as stories about the unusual circumstances surrounding the deaths of some of the people buried there. “The turnout from 2014 was incredible, despite having a hiatus from the event in 2013. The event is becoming a part of Portland’s Halloween event scene,” said Janice Reid, Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery board president. “The cemetery again experienced a rash of vandalism in August and with the media coverage, we are anticipating more people will attend this year to support preservation efforts.”

There will be two different 45-minute tour routes. To accommodate the number of visitors anticipated in the cemetery, 600 pre-sale tickets are available online at www.ticketswest.com (search “Tour of Untimely Departures” or visit http://ticketswest.com/events/tour-of-untimely-departures/69269/), any TicketsWest outlet, or at www.friendsoflonefircemetery.org under “Tours and events”.
About Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery
Founded in 2000, Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery is an all volunteer, 501(c)3 organization dedicated to education, restoration and preservation efforts for the cemetery. With its first burial dating back to 1846, Lone Fir is one of the oldest cemeteries in the Portland area and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Through fundraising events, monument repair workshops, clean-up days, and historic tours, Friends of Lone Fir strives to raise dollars and awareness to overcome the inevitable deterioration that many of America’s oldest cemeteries face. Burials still occur regularly, and Friends of Lone Fir seek to honor the deceased and their survivors through encouraging community involvement in this treasured greenspace. For more information, call 503-224-9200 or visit friendsoflonefircemetery.org.

About Metro
Whether your roots in the community run generations deep or you moved to Oregon last week, you have your own reasons for loving this place – and Metro wants to keep it that way. The only elected regional government in the United States, Metro plans for the future and provides tools, services and places that make life better today: land use and transportation planning, garbage and recycling systems, destinations like the Oregon Zoo and Oregon Convention Center, and 17,000 acres of parks, natural areas and historic cemeteries. For information about the history, community benefits and burial options at Metro cemeteries, visit oregonmetro.gov/cemeteries<http://www.oregonmetro.gov/cemeteries> or contact Metro’s cemeteries team at 503-797-1709 or cemetery at oregonmetro.gov<mailto:cemetery at oregonmetro.gov>.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Lupine DeSyder, Metro
lupine.desnyder at oregonmetro.gov
503-813-7505


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