The Champaign County Preservation Alliance (CCPA), with the support of the Oak Dale Cemetery Board, will host a Cemetery Tour led by historian and CCPA member John Bry, who will take fellow history lovers on a walking trip through a part of the Urbana cemetery on Friday, Oct. 23, and Saturday, Oct. 24.
Tours will be limited to approximately 40 minutes each, with Bry telling interesting stories about some of Urbana’s native sons and daughters buried in Oak Dale Cemetery. There will be four walking tours each day: 5, 6, 7 and 8 p.m. The walking tour is not handicap accessible and will require participants to wear comfortable shoes in order to walk carefully in grass and on asphalt. No pets are allowed and tour goers are encouraged to bring flashlights.
Due to concerns regarding the coronavirus, masks are required when social distancing is not possible, and tours are limited to 45 people.
To secure a spot, visit https://www.ccpapreserveohio.org/events.html and purchase tickets directly from the CCPA, or stop by the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, 127 W. Court St. in Urbana from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
Tickets are $10; $5 for children 6-12 years old; free for children under 6 years old. Tickets are non-refundable.
This walking tour is not “haunted” and is educational in nature.
The CCPA works to preserve historical places and monuments in Champaign County. For 28 years, the CCPA has been the custodian of the 1858 Meeting House in Mechanicsburg, previously known as the Second Baptist Church. Renovations are almost complete and the facility is available for rent. The 1858 Meeting House serves as a venue for monthly concerts sponsored by the CCPA. In addition, monies are returned to the county in the form of the annual matching façade grant program. This program recognizes and supports residential and business owners completing façade preservations to their homes or businesses.
To continue to provide these grants well into the future, the CCPA conducts several fundraisers, including the Historic Home & Garden Tour, which showcases homes in Champaign County for their historic architecture and design, and beautiful gardens. Any funds raised by the 2020 Cemetery Tour will be put toward the annual façade grant program to help the CCPA continue to preserve Champaign County’s rich history.
The CCPA expresses appreciation to the city of Urbana, the Oak Dale Cemetery Board, and Bob Jumper and his crew at the Oak Dale Cemetery for their willingness to help organize and volunteer for this event.
To become a member of the CCPA or to donate in kind, visit this https://www.ccpapreserveohio.org/.
