By Lindsey Rowland
lrowland@wbcowqel.com
Crawford County is a place that is rich with history, and according to the board of Crawford: 20/20 Vision, it’s important to “Know Who You Owe.” It is this mentality that prompted the creation of the Cemetery Walk, which took place in the Oakwood Cemetery in Bucyrus on Sunday afternoon.
A stroll through the event was like a step back in time, during which one would meet ten different personas of figures that helped shape Bucyrus. Each character was played by an actor dressed in period clothing who stood on the grave of the person they were representing and delivered monologues to give a snippet of their story. The figures who stepped out of history were: Malete Hanzakos played by Dick Hulsmeyer, Edwin Norton, portrayed by his son, Dennis Norton, The Stoneburner Brothers, narrated by their father, played by Jim Cox, William Mader, played by Tim Musselman, Josiah Scott, portrayed by Robert Clark Neff, Jr., Amos and Aaron Keller, narrated by Doug Ebert, Judge Thomas Beer and his daughter, Mary Elizabeth Beer Lothian, portrayed by Judge Sean Leuthold and Trish Ratliff, respectively, and, finally, Maria Aumiller, as played by Joanne Weisenauer.
Deb Pinion played the role of coordinator for the cemetery walk and feels quite passionately about the heart behind the event.
“We believe that for better quality of life in the community,” Pinion said, “people need to understand where their community came from.”
The cemetery walks, which take place in different locations across Crawford County, features a different cast of characters, famous and not so famous, each time the event takes place, with each person playing an important role in making Bucyrus what it is today.
Pinion continued, “We just believe that it’s great for people to understand where they came from and, once they do, they’ll feel more ingrained where they are.”
The next cemetery walk will take place on Sept. 28 at the Crestline Greenlawn Cemetery, and all are invited to come and “Get to Know Who You Owe.”