By Andy Dahn
BLOOMINGTON – Fall is fast approaching and that means it’s nearly time for the Evergreen Cemetery Walk.
The award winning outdoor history program will feature characters such as Dr. Thomas Rogers, Matilda Calcote and Dr. Eli Crothers. Cemetery Walk spokeswoman Candace Summers said the event tells the stories that aren’t always told.
“We’ve featured David Davis and Jesse Fell in the past and they’re important parts of our history,” Summers said. “But it’s the people you may not have heard about like Malitda Calcote or even Clara Louise Kessler that have just as important stories to tell as some of our area founding fathers and mothers.”
The program tells stories of the people of McLean County who have impacted history locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. One example is Harvey DeMotte, someone Summers said wasn’t your average Illinois Wesleyan professor.
“He was actually an adventurer who accompanied naturalist and explorer John Wesley Powell out West,” said Summers. “They explored unchartered territories in Colorado, Utah and Arizona.”
Also featured will be the story of Dr. Marie Louise Crothers.
“She was an early female physician here in Bloomington, one of the earliest ones,” Summer said. “It was very unusual to have a female physician in that day and age. And what’s even more unique is that her husband, Dr. Eli Crothers, supported her to become a doctor.”
Local actors and actresses will portray the eight characters during the Cemetery Walk on October 3rd, 4th, 10th and 11th at 11 a.m and 2 p.m. Advanced tickets go on sale Tuesday and can be purchased at the McLean County Museum, The Garlic Press in Normal, Evergreen Memorial Cemetery and Casey’s Garden Shop in Bloomington.
Andy Dahn can be reached at [email protected].