HR0490 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0490 LRB101 13800 MST 62658 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to recognize the 25th anniversary of the Evergreen Cemetery Walk, created to bring attention to the importance of preserving and respecting cemeteries; and

WHEREAS, In 1995, an innovative educational program was proposed that combined history and theater to address the issue of cemetery vandalism, particularly at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, Bloomington's oldest cemetery; the idea took form in a meeting between the McLean County Museum of History and the McLean County Arts Center and came to fruition with the partnership of the Illinois Voices Theatre-Echoes and the Evergreen Memorial Cemetery; and

WHEREAS, The Evergreen Cemetery Walk began with the mission of preventing further vandalism by teaching the community about the historical importance of cemeteries using the voices of the very people who are buried there; and

WHEREAS, The Evergreen Cemetery Walk began as a single weekend and four school days of performances; today, it serves over 3,000 people each year over the course of eight days; over the past 25 years, not only has vandalism been significantly reduced, but over 78,000 people have attended the event; since its inception, the event has featured the voices of 183 different people whose stories illustrate the impact the people of McLean County have had on local, national, and global scales; and

WHEREAS, The Evergreen Cemetery Walk is an award-winning, nationally recognized interpretive program and has helped start cemetery walks throughout the country; this would not have been possible without the collaboration between these groups and the thousands of hours of volunteering that they, along with the community, provide each year; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize the 25th anniversary of the Evergreen Cemetery Walk, created to bring attention to the importance of preserving and respecting cemeteries; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the McLean County Museum of History, the McLean County Arts Center, the Illinois Voices Theatre-Echoes, and the Evergreen Memorial Cemetery.