Rochester's History Comes Alive at Cemetery Walk

Rochester Avon Historical Society offers a first-person, interactive way to learn more about our community's history in the upcoming Mount Avon cemetery walk entitled Stories in the Stones.  Historical re-enactors, wearing period costume, will greet tour guests and present first-person narratives of their lives and experiences in Rochester. Among the characters that tour guests will meet are pioneers, shopkeepers, a justice of the peace, and someone involved in Rochester's most notorious nineteenth-century scandal. The tour is a family-friendly event suitable for all ages, and combines local history with community theater in an educational and entertaining way.

The cemetery walk will be held on Saturday, September 29, with timed tours departing at intervals between 1 and 5 p.m. from the municipal parking lot located at Walnut and Third streets. Tour participants will be transported to the cemetery by shuttle van at their appointed tour time and will be returned to the municipal parking lot at the conclusion of the tour.  The tour will be held rain or shine and will be canceled only in the event of severe weather.

Stories in the Stones is a fund-raising event to support the local history education and historic preservation initiatives of the Rochester Avon Historical Society. The event is generously sponsored by Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Pixley Funeral Home, and Potere-Modetz Funeral Home.  Tickets are $15 each and are non-refundable.  Tickets may be purchased during the week at the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce office, 71 Walnut St. This weekend only, September 22-23, tickets will be available at temporary sales booths  at Yates Cider Mill from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. or behind the Rochester Municipal Building, 400 Sixth St.,  from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Any unsold tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served walk-up basis on the day of the event from the tour departure point at Third and Walnut streets.

For more information about the cemetery walk, contact Rochester Avon Historical Society at rahsupdates@gmail.com, or phone 248-266-5440.  To view a video trailer about the cemetery walk, click here.