What Rain? Cemetery Walk Moves Indoors

Sorry, Mother Nature, the show must go on.

A week after forced the to postpone its Cemetery Walk 2011, another round of unfavorable weather threatened the Plainfield area again on Sunday.

This time the historical society was ready.

Thanks to an alternative location at the on 135th Street, performances that were to be held in the Plainfield Township Cemetery were moved indoors.

Phillip Buchannan, who served as the event's prop coordinator, viewed the indoor setting as an opportunity to showcase more artifacts from Plainfield’s rich past.

“Being in here, we didn’t have to worry about the weather,” Buchannan said. “Some people weren’t going to loan us some props because they thought they might get dirty or the outdoor air might damage them. These are older antiques, mementos, and they want to be careful with them, and in here that’s not an issue.”

With three performance areas on each side of the split conference room, spectators were treated to lavish costumes, historical props, and a glimpse into Plainfield in bygone eras as told through the stories of those whose final resting places are now in the cemetery.

: the Dillmans, Ada Lula Smith, the Darrs, one-time Chicago Cubs’ pitcher George T. Pierce, immigrants Anna Irene Karlsdottir Lassfolk and Karl Frederick Karlsson Lassfolk, and Martha “Mattie” Stopp. The performers have been working for the past 18 months to reconstruct the lives of these local ancestors.

“Well, this year particularly it’s been a year and a half for this role from start to finish because it was supposed to be performed last fall,” said Laurie Mulcahy, who portrayed Lucy Hoffer Hartong in A Most Ordinary Day, written by Linda Ozbolt and Michael A. Lambert.

“I think it went really well. I think people enjoyed it and I don’t think people know what to really expect when they’re coming here. And when they see it’s a real-life history, they appreciate it more.”

This was the third time Linda and Tom Burgstone have attended the cemetery walk, and the first time they've seen it done indoors.

“I prefer the outside to enjoy the cemetery art and the grounds of the cemetery,” Linda said. “However, this is a great way to learn about our history.”

Tom Hernandez, Plainfield School District 202's director of community relations, has been both a cemetery walk writer and an actor.

“Several years ago, I came to one and was so taken by it and so impressed by what they were doing that I made contact with the director and offered to write one (which they took me up on a couple years ago)," Hernandez said. "And then they asked me if I would like to act in one and I said, 'Sure.'

“It’s just a neat little kick. It’s a fun thing to do. It’s local and really as you kind of go through the cemetery and you look around town and look at street signs and street names, all of a sudden things start taking on a new significance.”

After successfully navigating around Mother Nature, historical society Vice President Joel Craig said he was both pleased and relieved.

“I think the cast, crew, and everyone came together really well and I’m just really excited," said Craig, who was the walk's co-chairman. "We couldn’t have done it without the help of the fire department. They’ve been a great partner through all of this.”