Participants can take a step back in time during the annual Cemetery Walk on Wednesday at Riverside Cemetery in Montgomery.
Held every year on the first Wednesday in October, the free historical tour organized by the Montgomery Historic Preservation Commission is designed to transport visitors to earlier days in Montgomery. The walk takes visitors to gravesites in the cemetery at 414 N. River St., where volunteer actors portray residents of the village from the past.
This year, the first gravesite to be visited will be that of Adam Phy, who owned a general store in Montgomery in the mid-1800s.
General stores were the hub of small-town life in those days, said Debbie Buchanan with the Historic Preservation Commission. At the general store residents could buy a variety of goods from groceries to plows and many were also post offices.
Adam Phy will be portrayed by John Aman, chair of the Historic Preservation Commission who has been involved in every Cemetery Walk in Montgomery since they started in 2009.
Visitors will then be led to the gravesite of Alice Phillips and her father Faye. Alice died just before her eighth birthday and will be portrayed by Emmeline Minarik, a student at Boulder Hill Elementary School.
Her father will be played by Ross Hatzinger, a senior at Oswego High School,
The next stop is the gravesite of Herbert Reiss, who worked as a firefighter in Aurora. He will be portrayed by Brian Reveles, a student at Oswego High School.
The last gravesite to be visited will be that of Chester Fitzpatrick, a local business owner who has a true rags to riches story for those who visit him, event organizers said. Ed Perry, with the Limelight Theatre Company, will take on the persona of Fitzpatrick during the Cemetery Walk.
Dieterle Funeral Home, which owns and maintains Riverside Cemetery, will provide refreshments during the event.
Visitors are welcome to arrive any time between 7 and 8 p.m., organizers said. Tours will begin at the corner of River and Taylor streets on the southeast side of the cemetery about every 10 minutes.
Parking is available along River Street near Montgomery Park, officials said.
Historic Preservation Commission officials say participants should wear sturdy walking shoes and bring a flashlight for the Cemetery Walk.
In case of rain, the walk with be held Thursday, Oct. 3.
Judy Pochel is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
