Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Caring for Grave Stones/CHS Quilt Raffle

Carolyn Van Tassell Quilt Raffle to Benefit the Cavendish Historical Society
A Bargello quilt designed and quilted by Carolyn Van Tassell is being raffled to benefit the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS). Van Tassell, a former teacher of Family & Consumer Science at Springfield High School, has been quilting for 30 years. She teaches workshops throughout the state, including Fletcher Farm. She is owner of Fine Line Machine Quilting. Her quilts were recently exhibited at the CHS Quilt Show 4th of July weekend. The quilt is on display at Six Loose Ladies in Proctorsville. Tickets are $5 a piece or 3 for $10. FMI: margoc@tds.net or 226-7807

More Than Flowers-Caring for Grave Stones
Around Memorial Day, many people leave flowers on the graves of families and friends for the summer season. Unfortunately, a number of the stone markers are showing signs of weathering that could easily be cleaned. Clean water, a soft scrub brush and some elbow grease is all that’s needed to preserve these stones. An additional 10 minutes of time, when leaving flowers, and a little bit of cleaning, can help preserve the stone marker for many generations to come.

While many people pay for “perpetual care,” this is often limited to just caring for the grounds of the cemetery and not necessarily the individual grave. Perpetual care only works if there are continual numbers of people being buried at a cemetery so there is a regular influx of money. This is a growing problem throughout the United States, as more people are opting for alternatives to burial in a cemetery.

To help people care for their family and friend’s memorial markers, the Cavendish Historical Society and the Cavendish Cemetery Commission are offering a workshop on cleaning stones on July 18 (Sunday) from noon to 3 pm at the High Street Cemetery in Cavendish. All materials will be supplied. The focus of this workshop is on newer stones. This workshop is part of the Cavendish Historical Society’s Cemetery Preservation Project, supported in part by a grant from the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association (CCCA). For more information call 802-226-7807 or e-mail margoc@tds.net