Here's what I will be doing this Sunday....
Cemetery TourHistoric Madison's "Talking Spirits VII," walking tour of famous & ordinary gravesites, noon-4 pm.
More Information: It's an "all star event" for this year's Talking Spirits VII: Forest Hill Cemetery Tour. During the two-hour guided walking tour presented by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum (WVM), visitors will see seven living history vignettes, and discover the cemetery's rich history and gravestone art. Some of our favorite characters from the past and some exciting new ones will be highlighted including three-time Governor Phil La Follette, Captain Charles Thoma, our first Vietnam veteran to be profiled, and "Sailor" Art Thomas, a longtime Madison resident who became one of the first black superstars in professional wrestling.
Each year, an average of 1000 people have come to see this award winning program since it began in 1999. Talking Spirits has been recognized by major historical organizations as an exceptional living history program. The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) awarded a Certificate of Commendation for public programming to WVM. It is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of local, state and regional history. (Source: Isthmus online)
Forest Hill Cemetery is located on the West Side of Madison at 1 Speedway Road, near West High School. It is the oldest cemetery in Madison and where many prominent people in Madison (and the country!) are buried. The following is from a book published by Historic Madison Inc (HMI), Forest Hill Cemetery: A Biographical Guide to the Ordinary and the Famous Who Shaped Madison and the World:
"Forest Hill is the final (and in some cases, third) resting place for many Madisonians who have made our city, state and world special. An inordinate number of remarkable individuals are buried here: Stephen M. Babcock, inventor of the butterfat test that made the modern dairy industry possible; John Bardeen, winner of two Nobel Prizes, one for the invention of the transistor and the other for the discovery of superconductivity; Kay Clarenbach, one of the nation's leading feminists; Richard T. Ely, the dean of American economics; the LaFollettes, Wisconsin's dominant political family for over half a century; Harry Steenbock, discoverer of vitamin D; Howard Temin, Nobel laureate in retrovirology; Frederick Jackson Turner, the most influential historian of his generation; and Edwin E. Witte, one of the fathers of Social Security."
6 comments:
Ooo... sounds interesting. Hope you had a great day today.
I'm looking forward to the piccies!
And you made the TV news! You star you!
Ya'll are always doing something fun and interesting. Wish Starkville had stuff like this. All we ever do is cater the dumb ol' college kids. *rolls eyes*
It was both fun and interesting, and thankfully we only had a few sprinkles of rain.
Jana~ Maybe you need to send the press release for this or other similar events to local historcal societies and ask why they never do anything cool like this. Or try to help put something together yourself. I'm sure you could get theater majors to help writing scripts and performing roles, especially if it counts towards grades. You could offer to help write press releases and do research. ,-D
Ack! Heather...are you suggesting that I...WERK? lol I'm lazy. I like to show up after everyone else has already done all the work. I'm an enjoyer...not a put togetherer. ;-)
Glad it didn't rain!
ROFL - I know, crazy isn't it? But look at it this way: writing credentials and experience. Hehe.
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