PBS SoCal Events Calendar
Name of event: 17th Annual Historical Cemetery Tour
Date and Time: October 27, 2012
Performances run continuously from 9:00 am until 2:30 pm
Guided tours depart on the hour: 9, 10, 11, & noon
Venue name: Municipal & Sunnyside Cemeteries
Address: 1095 E. Willow Street
Long Beach, CA 90807
Cost: Tickets on sale from 8:30 am until noon
Admission prices:
$18 general, $12 HSLB members, $5 students 18-12, under 11 are free
free hot dog lunch 11:30 am-1:30 pm
Link to event page: http://hslb.org/historical-cemetery-tour
Contact:
Ashley Franks-McGill
Gallery Coordinator
(562) 424-2220
ashleyfm@hslb.org
Description of Event:
Beginning in 1995, the HSLB has conducted a living history tour at the city’s two
oldest cemeteries. Located on Willow Street between Orange and California and adjacent to
one another, Long Beach Municipal Cemetery and Sunnyside Cemetery are “home” to more
than 20,000 past residents of the city.
The annual event takes place on the Saturday before Halloween and features graveside
presentations by professional and volunteer actors who tell about the life and death of the
person who lies there in rest. Each year’s tour features 10 stories – some are individuals
who helped shape the city’s political past, others are ordinary people whose stories remind
us that rich or poor, well-known or barely remembered, everyone has a story to tell. The
actors present the stories wearing period costumes, bringing an aura of authenticity to the
presentations. Many guests get so involved in the presentation that they forget that it’s an
actor telling the story and ask “what was it like to live here in 1920?”
The tour is appropriate for anyone of any age. There is nothing scary about the
presentations or the location. The ground is uneven, so we recommend comfortable shoes.
And typically the morning is chilly but by afternoon, it’s quite warm, so you might want to
dress in layers. There is some parking inside the cemetery and easy parking in the
surrounding neighborhood.
In 2012, the 17th Annual Historical Cemetery Tour will take place on October 27th.
We are currently identifying the graves and stories that will be told. Sources for the stories
include obituaries, newspaper articles and, when we are lucky, family members of the
deceased. If you have relatives or friends buried in either cemetery, we would be honored
to hear from you and to share the life story of your loved one.
Tickets are sold the day of the tour only, from 8:30 a.m. until noon at the entrance (just
inside the Sunnyside Cemetery main gateway on Willow Street). The tour takes
approximately two hours to complete, and the last presentations are at 2:00 p.m. Check
the Calendar of Events in October for ticket prices and details.
Actors wear period costumes, add to the authenticity and sense of history. We thank
the Long Beach Playhouse and Artistic Director Denis McCourt for their help in bringing
history to life at our annual Historical Cemetery Tour. Mayor Bob Foster has been a
volunteer actor. Among the stories he has told a favorite is Kid Mexico, who was also
known as the Bingo Baron of Signal Hill.