Evergreen Cemetery
Committee Members
John Ricklefs, jricklefs@stny.rr.com
Fran VanHousen, franvanhousen@gmail.com
Barbara Hughes
Candace Cerretani
Alicia Cerretani
It is that time of the year again when the Village of Owego appointed Evergreen Cemetery Committee in conjunction with the Friends of Evergreen, are preparing to open the gates at Evergreen Cemetery for the continued preservation efforts of its historical beauty. Besides the ongoing projects of cleaning out flower beds, the removal of fallen tree debris (raking included), and the removal of invasive species of shrubbery, there are some bigger projects in the plans. Some of our volunteers began last summer, the professional cleaning of the older grave markers. They have received some excellent training and are anxious to continue putting their new skills to test.
In conjunction with the villages Department of Public Works, plans are being made to begin a major repair job on the roads. Plans are also in the works on getting the guard rail replaced along the main entrance road. It should also be noticed of the ongoing restoration of the cemetery mortuary on East Avenue. The removal of dangerous and unsightly trees will also continue aa weather and ground conditions permit. Last Fall, the grounds were so water saturated, it was difficult to remove as many trees as planned.
None of this would be possible without the strength of volunteers. Yes, it is the responsibility of the village DPW to keep the cemetery grounds in good condition, but they also have the rest of the villages groundwork to attend too. The DPW crews who do work in the cemetery are mostly there to keep the grounds mowed and for weed whacking purposes. So, it is the generous and sometimes back breaking efforts of volunteers that is needed the most to return Evergreen Cemetery to its former glory and to keep it that way. That’s where you can help. Listed below are the work crew dates for the Spring, Summer and Fall season for 2022.
Each work crew event begins at 9 A.M. and end at 12 P.M. on the third Saturday of each month of the season. Except for June when the date has been switched to the fourth Saturday, so as not to interfere with the villages Strawberry Festival.
The work crew dates are as follows: April 16th, May 21st, June 25th, July 16th, August 20th, September 17th, and October 15th. The use of power tools such as gasoline powered lawn mowers and the use of chain saws is always prohibited by anyone except for DPW staff. Of course, the times of volunteering are not just limited to these work crew hours. If you are available at some other time, please do as you can. Always wear proper comfortable clothing as well as work shoes. Most importantly, keep your safety at the top of your priorities.
Feel free to reach out to me at jricklefs@stny.rr.com with any questions or, leave a message on our Evergreen Cemetery Committee Facebook page, or the Friends of Owego Evergreen Cemetery Facebook page. If you are able to join us, we are looking forward to your much needed assistance.
John Ricklefs, jricklefs@stny.rr.com
Fran VanHousen, franvanhousen@gmail.com
Barbara Hughes
Candace Cerretani
Alicia Cerretani
It is that time of the year again when the Village of Owego appointed Evergreen Cemetery Committee in conjunction with the Friends of Evergreen, are preparing to open the gates at Evergreen Cemetery for the continued preservation efforts of its historical beauty. Besides the ongoing projects of cleaning out flower beds, the removal of fallen tree debris (raking included), and the removal of invasive species of shrubbery, there are some bigger projects in the plans. Some of our volunteers began last summer, the professional cleaning of the older grave markers. They have received some excellent training and are anxious to continue putting their new skills to test.
In conjunction with the villages Department of Public Works, plans are being made to begin a major repair job on the roads. Plans are also in the works on getting the guard rail replaced along the main entrance road. It should also be noticed of the ongoing restoration of the cemetery mortuary on East Avenue. The removal of dangerous and unsightly trees will also continue aa weather and ground conditions permit. Last Fall, the grounds were so water saturated, it was difficult to remove as many trees as planned.
None of this would be possible without the strength of volunteers. Yes, it is the responsibility of the village DPW to keep the cemetery grounds in good condition, but they also have the rest of the villages groundwork to attend too. The DPW crews who do work in the cemetery are mostly there to keep the grounds mowed and for weed whacking purposes. So, it is the generous and sometimes back breaking efforts of volunteers that is needed the most to return Evergreen Cemetery to its former glory and to keep it that way. That’s where you can help. Listed below are the work crew dates for the Spring, Summer and Fall season for 2022.
Each work crew event begins at 9 A.M. and end at 12 P.M. on the third Saturday of each month of the season. Except for June when the date has been switched to the fourth Saturday, so as not to interfere with the villages Strawberry Festival.
The work crew dates are as follows: April 16th, May 21st, June 25th, July 16th, August 20th, September 17th, and October 15th. The use of power tools such as gasoline powered lawn mowers and the use of chain saws is always prohibited by anyone except for DPW staff. Of course, the times of volunteering are not just limited to these work crew hours. If you are available at some other time, please do as you can. Always wear proper comfortable clothing as well as work shoes. Most importantly, keep your safety at the top of your priorities.
Feel free to reach out to me at jricklefs@stny.rr.com with any questions or, leave a message on our Evergreen Cemetery Committee Facebook page, or the Friends of Owego Evergreen Cemetery Facebook page. If you are able to join us, we are looking forward to your much needed assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
On the Southern slope of Each Beecher Hill, overlooking the village, in 1851, the citizens of Owego established Evergreen Cemetery—a “Rural Cemetery”—a park-like burial ground, a picnic area, a pleasant stroll, and an escape among the clouds from the vagaries of life in what was becoming a crowded Village.
Evergreen is the municipal cemetery of the Village of Owego under the supervision of the Department of Public Works. The DPW telephone is (607) 687-1101 or fill in the complaint form on the Village website.
The Village is exploring creating additional burial space in Evergreen. Currently there are over 9,200 people buried in Evergreen and there are no open plots available.
We invite you to join the Evergreen Cemetery Committee and/or the Friends of Owego Evergreen Cemetery. The Friends is a 501(c)3 charitable corporation who organize work-days, educational seminars, tours, and target donations toward specific restoration projects beyond the normal Village maintenance work. Both are volunteer organizations whose division of labor is organized by their shared vision to maintain Evergreen as the "gem" of Owego.
Contact the Evergreen Cemetery Committee via their Facebook page linked above, and contact the Friends at friendsowegoevergreen@gmail.com.
Contact the Evergreen Cemetery Committee via their Facebook page linked above, and contact the Friends at friendsowegoevergreen@gmail.com.