Everyone involved with the 16th annual Chariton Cemetery Heritage Tour was reasonably sure at noon Sunday that this year's event was going to have to move inside --- for the first time ever. It was still raining when I left church at 11:30 a.m.
Then the rain stopped, weather radar looked promising and we were able to set up our podium, folding chairs and refreshments tent in and near the Grand Army of the Republic section and proceed as planned. Because the cemetery is perched on a series of hilltops it drains well --- even wet grounds were not an issue.
All of which was fortunate because we had an outstanding crowd that would have had trouble fitting into the Cemetery Shelter House and six wonderful performances by our presenters, all of whom have movie star potential (or at least we think so) and needed room to emote.
That's the cast above, from left: Trae Hall as Alexander Van Meter, Laura Legois as Virginia M. Branner, Jayden Allen-Winston as John Kay, Jamie Wilson as Fred Sanders, Linda Braida as Jeanette Cramer and Jaynane Hardie as Ellen Berry Badger.
As the days pass, I'll post the individual scripts that we used as well as additional photos of the performers.
But I thought this morning that I'd torture Trae Hall --- a Chariton High School senior who if we had a distinguished alumni award to bestow would have received it Sunday. This was Trae's fourth cemetery tour performance in five years --- a real trooper.
Here he is in 2015, when an eighth-grader, as Andrew Swan.
During 2016, when we met in Potters Field, as Carl Jones.
And during 2017 as U.S. Army Pvt. Forrest D. Youtsey.
The annual tour is sponsored by the Chariton Historic Preservation Commission --- Alyse Hunter, chair; Melody Wilson, secretary; and Dave Edwards, Jerry Taylor and myself. Nick Hunter, related by marriage to our leader, also ends up doing a lot of heavy lifting every year.
So thanks to one and all. It was a great day!
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