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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to recognize the 25th anniversary of the
4Evergreen Cemetery Walk, created to bring attention to the
5importance of preserving and respecting cemeteries; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 1995, an innovative educational program was
7proposed that combined history and theater to address the issue
8of cemetery vandalism, particularly at Evergreen Memorial
9Cemetery, Bloomington's oldest cemetery; the idea took form in
10a meeting between the McLean County Museum of History and the
11McLean County Arts Center and came to fruition with the
12partnership of the Illinois Voices Theatre-Echoes and the
13Evergreen Memorial Cemetery; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The Evergreen Cemetery Walk began with the mission
15of preventing further vandalism by teaching the community about
16the historical importance of cemeteries using the voices of the
17very people who are buried there; and
 
18    WHEREAS, The Evergreen Cemetery Walk began as a single
19weekend and four school days of performances; today, it serves
20over 3,000 people each year over the course of eight days; over
21the past 25 years, not only has vandalism been significantly
22reduced, but over 78,000 people have attended the event; since

 

 

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1its inception, the event has featured the voices of 183
2different people whose stories illustrate the impact the people
3of McLean County have had on local, national, and global
4scales; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The Evergreen Cemetery Walk is an award-winning,
6nationally recognized interpretive program and has helped
7start cemetery walks throughout the country; this would not
8have been possible without the collaboration between these
9groups and the thousands of hours of volunteering that they,
10along with the community, provide each year; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
12HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13we recognize the 25th anniversary of the Evergreen Cemetery
14Walk, created to bring attention to the importance of
15preserving and respecting cemeteries; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
17presented to the McLean County Museum of History, the McLean
18County Arts Center, the Illinois Voices Theatre-Echoes, and the
19Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.