by Vicki Vigil
Food and friendship are a surefire go-together. Add a touch of local ambiance and a few permanent guests and your picnic takes on a whole new flavor. We’re talking picnic in the garden, not just any garden - the garden-like setting of a cemetery.
Take in the spirit of the setting, sandwich in a bit of history and you’ve got the perfect place to enjoy a meal with people you know, and some you don’t know – yet.
Let’s look for some zesty places in greater Cleveland that fit this bill.
7789 Lewis Drive, Olmsted Falls
North Olmsted’s Turkey Ridge/Chestnut Grove Cemetery offers a glimpse at both the old and new: Turkey Ridge, the original cemetery, a former turkey farm is in a more natural park-like setting. Descendants of Governor Bradford, Louisa May Alcott, and President John Adams offer excellent history lessons while legends of a possible witch and the inventor of the Vita Mix stir things up a bit. The newer Chestnut Grove, is more manicured and modern but with its share of sadness and stories.
21400 Chagrin Blvd., Shaker Heights
A picnic in Highland Park Cemetery, set in the middle of a large commercial district offers a wonderful respite from the hustle and bustle of 21st century doings. Within the 160 acres you can choose to break bread near veterans of the Spanish American War, next to the house-like mausoleums, or under one of the many sycamore trees that accent the peaceful setting. And if you should run into Luke Easter, ask him about that famous home run; but be cautious about revealing current Indians stats – depending on our fluctuating standings!
506 S. Franklin Street, Chagrin Falls
Chagrin Falls is known as a quaint village featuring charming architecture, distinguished homes, sophisticated shops, and the movie “The Gathering”. So it should be of no surprise that Evergreen Hill Cemetery is interesting as well. Just a short drive from the center of town the rolling hills of this burial ground offer shade and sun; hot air balloon professionals, artist Henry Church, a large Civil War monument, a chess grandmaster and the recipient of The Royal Order of the Elephant.
29014 Lake Road, Bay Village
The size and location of Lake Side Cemetery make it a perfect picnic venue. Views of Lake Erie, beautiful flowers adorning the homes along the nearby roads, various members of the Cahoon family and a grave for an unknown soldier await you. Read some of the epithets they will amaze you with their expressions of hope and faith under such difficult conditions.
8200 Biddulph Road, Cleveland
The tiny brick chapel with its Eastern European styling summons you to visit St. Theodosius Cemetery. Here you can walk through the neatly kept rows of graves or sit on a nearby bench and try your hand at deciphering some of the foreign language found on the markers, look at the pictures affixed to headstones, and find the modest “strongest man in the world”!
In Good Taste – Cemeteries, like other green spaces, are in the category of, if you brought it in, take it out - aside from dead bodies, that is!
PS – If you have picnic menus with a cemetery them – share them and we’ll pass some along to our readers.
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