Cemetery sagas coming to Neepawa

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Published on Friday, June 30, 2017

By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
The Neepawa Banner

This summer, Neepawa-area residents will have the chance to “walk” with the town’s pioneers and visionaries.  On July 21, local grief support group, New Beginnings, will be hosting Cemetery Sagas; a salute to those who shaped the community.

With some outside help, the group’s volunteer board has created an event, which should be both entertaining and educational. Cemetery Sagas will take participants to six grave sites in Riverside Cemetery and share the stories of prominent former residents buried there, including the first person buried in the cemetery. Each stop will include a combination of stories, singing, music, instrumentals, short plays and costumes.

Fran Fraser, one of the organizers, said that they began planning the event in 2015, as a way of celebrating Canada’s 150 birthday and increasing awareness for their organization. Similar events have been held in Brandon and Winnipeg and Fraser explained that the idea of showcasing Riverside Cemetery came out of a book, called Once Upon A Tomb. The book, which is about cemeteries in Canada, included a chapter on the most beautiful cemeteries in Canada and mentioned two— one in eastern Canada and Neepawa’s cemetery.
Fraser hopes that both recent and long-time residents of the area will enjoy the event. “We want to show how our lives are still impacted by the heroes and heroines [of the town’s past],” she said, adding that there was a lot of excitement among the board members about the event and they have had a good response from the community.

Cemetery Sagas will take place one day only, July 21, and there will be four tours: 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.  While the walk isn’t long and there will be some chairs at the stops, good walking shoes are recommended. For those with mobility issues, the handy van will be available to help move attendees during the 6 p.m. tour. Tickets for each tour can be purchased at ArtsForward.
New Beginnings is a volunteer run organization that provides a number of programs for area residents who have suffered a loss.  These include a lending library of grief books, twice yearly guest speakers, grief groups held every two months and a men’s dinner, which aims to help men, in particular, share their experiences with loss.