CEMETERIES

(Contributor: Rachel Birdsell) Bluff Cemetery on Shiloh Street in Springdale.

A lively look at death to capture that Halloween spirit!

By Rachel Birdsell
TFW Contributing Writer

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
No. I don’t mean Christmas. I’m talking about Halloween!
All Hallow’s Eve is said to be the night when the veil between the living and dead is its thinnest, which makes it the perfect time to visit a cemetery.  Not that there’s a bad time to visit a cemetery, unless, of course, you’re the one being planted.
Here are four ancient writings and a game taken from the “Most Holy Doctrine of Graveyards and Other Creepy Places.” Enjoy. Be safe. And if you don’t strictly adhere to the “Five Cardinal Rules of Cemetery Visiting,” a ghost will inhabit your left ear for all eternity.

(Contributor: Rachel Birdsell) The sign for the hours at Eureka Springs Cemetery.

Five Cardinal Rules of Cemetery Visiting

▲ Don’t be a jerk
▲ Don’t be a jerk
▲ Don’t be a jerk
▲ Don’t be a jerk
▲ Wear clean underwear

Five Groovy Cemeteries to Visit

1.  Evergreen Cemetery
North of Powerhouse Seafood
Fayetteville
One of the largest and most historic cemeteries in NWA, Evergreen is a must-see.

2.  Son’s Chapel
Arkansas 45 East
Fayetteville

Son’s Chapel is one of the oldest cemeteries in Washington County and has some of the most uniquely shaped  tombstones around.

3.  Confederate Cemetery
54 E. Rock St.
Fayetteville

This cemetery was started in 1872 by the Southern Memorial Association of Washington County. The association paid to have the remains of Confederate soldiers from area battlefields removed and reinterred atop East Mountain.

4.  Bluff Cemetery
Shiloh Street
Springdale

Burials began here sometime after the Civil War. Be sure and check out the Farrar monument.
5.  Eureka Springs Cemetery
Arkansas 62 East
Eureka Springs (Duh-hoy!)

Established in 1880, shortly after Eureka Springs became a town.

Five Superstitions on Our Resting Place

▲ The last person buried in a cemetery has to act as a watch, guarding over the graveyard until relieved of his/her post by a newcomer
▲ Placing a cross made of iron on a burial site will keep the spirit of a person in their grave
▲ You must hold your breath while going past a cemetery or you will breathe in the spirit of someone who has recently died
▲ When passing a graveyard, turn your pockets inside out to make sure you don’t bring home a ghost in your pocket
▲ You will have bad luck if you pick a leaf or flower from a grave

Five Reasons to Visit a Cemetery

▲ It’s free — In these times of economical suckage, we all need as many free options as possible.
▲ It’s quiet — For obvious reasons, cemeteries are very quiet. They can be very peaceful places to sit and reflect.
▲ It’s grounding (pun intended) — Being in a cemetery will definitely help keep your ego in check.
▲ Solitude — Unless they’re in your party, people generally won’t speak to you in a cemetery.
▲ Zombies — You have a much better chance of encountering a zombie at a cemetery than at the mall.

Cemetery Scavenger Hunt

__ Statue of the Virgin Mary    20 points
__ Your birthday (month and day)    75 points
__ A pinecone    10 points
__ An iron cross    25 points
__ A tree stump    5 points
__ A last name that is also a color    35 points
__ A banana peel    100 points
__ A Masonic symbol    25 points
__ Dead roses    35 points
__ A last name that is also a body part    50 points
__ A black cat    100 points
__ A shell    50 points    __ Your name (first or last)    25 points
__ A hand-engraved tombstone    40 points
__ A leaf with holes in it    15 points
__ A body    123,957
__ A misspelled word on a tombstone    50 points
__ A dog statue    75 points
__ A freshly dug grave    75 points
__ A backwards “S”    50 points
__ An arrow    75 points
__ A crow    30 points
__ An arch    40 points
__ A tombstone    5 points

Total points __