The Genealogical Society of Yuma (Arizona) has a great idea for generating publicity and I suspect it is a fund raiser as well. The society is sponsoring the eighth annual Dining with the Dead barbecue and guided tour of the Yuma City Cemetery. The idea is to relive history with some of the pioneers of Yuma who are buried there.
A group of 10 will re-enact the historical figures whose lives had significant impact on the city. Visitors will be led through the graveyard and will have a chance to meet and talk with the re-enactors.
Many people want to learn more about the pioneers who settled Yuma. One of the more charismatic figures rising from the hereafter to beguile the curious is William T. Alderson, a Yuma housepainter from the 1890s. He was known for his skill at painting as well as his ability to keep his parched palate well-hydrated. When he died, the headline read, "Town Drunk Hit by a Train."
Other early residents portrayed by re-enactors include:
Frank and Madora Ingalls. Frank was the Yuma Territorial Prison warden about the turn of the 20th century.
Anna Lenahan, who succumbed to the 1918 worldwide flu epidemic.
Great idea! You can read more in in an article by William Roller in the YumaSun.com web site at http://www.yumasun.com/news/dead-55845-yuma-society.html.
