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Fenton To Host Tour Of Lake View Cemetery

The Prendergast Monument in the Lake View Cemetery will be the site of a poetry recital following a walking tour. On starting at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 9, the Fenton History Center is hosting a Poetry, Nature and History: A Sunday in Lake View event at the cemetery. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

On Sunday, the Fenton History Center will host “Poetry, Nature and History: A Sunday in Lake View,” which will combine a walking tour of the cemetery with a poetry recital.

Jennifer Champ, Fenton education and exhibits director, said the event is $15 for adults and free for children. She said the proceeds will benefit the Fenton and Lake View Cemetery Association.

Champ said the walking tour will start at 2 p.m. and will last 45 minutes to an hour. She said participants will meet at the gate and then walk down to the Prendergast Monument in the cemetery where the poetry will be read starting at 3 p.m.

“During the tour we will talk about the natural landscape of the cemetery. How it started. The key players and historical figures involved,” she said. “The cemetery was created as part of a movement where cemeteries were like public parks. That is why it has such a beautiful view and why people use it for jogging and riding bikes. It was meant to be like a park.”

The movement was known as garden cemeteries. Prior to this style of cemetery, urban burial grounds were generally located on small plots within cities. The new design took the cemetery to an attractive area near a city and was built on a grander scale, using architectural design and careful planting.

Once the walking tour is done, the poetry reading will be done by Paul Leone, city resident and writer, publisher and storyteller. Leone will be joined by flutist Kim Bunce. Leone’s performance is titled “Ode on a Grecian Urn: The English Romantics.” He will perform a recitation of romantic poetry from the 19th century.

“A poetry reading and music might be a surprising to see in a cemetery, but (during the 19th century) people would picnic in larger cemeteries like in New York City and in Boston,” Champ said. “We’re trying to recreate entertainment from the Victorian time.”

Champ said people should bring their own chairs or blankets and refreshments for the poetry recital. She said the rain date for the event will be Tuesday, June 11, from 6-8 p.m.

To make a reservation, call the Fenton at 664-6256. For more information visit, fentonhistorycenter.org or visit Fenton on Facebook.

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