PHS presents Echoes of Evergreen Cemetery Tour during Dogwood Festival
Perry High School drama students will present their annual interactive tour of Perry’s historic Evergreen Cemetery on Saturday from 2 to 4:00 p.m. Tours last approximately 25 minutes and are given every 15 minutes beginning at the front gates. The tour is called “Echoes of Evergreen.” This is one of many activities taking place during the 25th annual Perry Chamber of Commerce Dogwood Festival.
The Evergreen tour introduces the audience to residents buried in the cemetery and provides insight into what role they played in the community. Students in period costume portray townspeople who lived in the 19th and 20th centuries and tell stories of their accomplishments, relationships and mishaps. The production is a partnership between Joe Sendek, drama teacher, and Ellie Loudermilk, Perry historian.
Sendek said, “The students visit Evergreen Cemetery and choose a family or individual to research. After collecting facts from the family and the time period, they write monologues expressing the individual’s life and contributions to our town. For the tour, they memorize their pieces and perform for visitors to the cemetery. My students enjoy this project immensely! They not only improve their skills in playwriting and performance, they also gain an appreciation about the history of the town in which they live.”
Some of the historical information is supplied by Loudermilk who feels that the purpose of the project is to honor those who built the town and to keep history alive. She believes that the creativity of teenagers lends an exciting twist to the tour and the stories told by the actors. “The students have worked hard to create monologues that are factual and complimentary to the families,” said Loudermilk.
There is no charge to take the tour, but donations are accepted and appreciated. Evergreen Cemetery is located at the end of Main Street. Parking for the production is available along Main Street and across from Evergreen. For more information, contact Sendek at 478-988-6298, ext. 21320 or joseph.sendek@hcbe.net.
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