Living history events have long been a mainstay across the globe and the 26th Annual Historical Cemetery Tour at Long Beach’s Sunnyside and Municipal Cemetery surely must be one of the finest to earn a point of place in the canon of these celebrations of those who, as the poets once opined, “have gone before….”.
Hosted by the Long Beach Historical Society, this year’s event was certainly as good as the last, if not better. Working closely with the considerable talent pool of the Long Beach Playhouse, there are eight performances to enjoy and learn from as well as several excellent exhibits by many local authors who have explored Long Beach history and the people who lived it such as Renee Simon, Louise Ivers, Dr. Craig Hendricks and Dr. Susan Needham, among several.
The Black Student Union was on hand to showcase prominent African American scholars such as the late Dr. Joseph L. White as well as an enriching presentation of art created by Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War Two, curated by Linda Nishida Gager and Karen Harper.
The cemetery was decorated in full memorial regalia including a traditional ofrendra honoring the Dio de los Muertos traditions with Danny Flores and Theresa Marino.
The highlight of the day were the wonderful performances at different final resting places of the permanent residents of the cemetery. In no particular order, they were:
