Tag: Garson

BBQ in a Cemetery

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I have picnicked in a cemetery, had a snack in a graveyard, and even enjoyed breakfast there. But I have never had a BBQ in one before. Last Sunday I had the chance to check this off my bucket list!

On June 23, the St. John’s Cemetery Volunteer Group held their 8th Annual Cemetery BBQ. This unique fundraiser is held in St. John’s Cemetery in Garson, Ontario—rain or shine.

I have often read about interesting and different events happening in cemeteries, but I have always been too far away to attend. I was very excited when I learned this cool event was happening close to home. I first heard about this fun event a few years ago. I had hoped to attend since I read about it, but it never worked out. This year, I was finally able to check out this neat event.

  • St. John’s Cemetery sign. Garson, ON ©2024

St. John’s Cemetery was established in 1907. The earliest recorded burial is thought to be Gladys O’Brien, dated May 24, 1907.1 Find a Grave currently lists 3,521 memorials, including one famous grave. St. John’s is the final resting place of professional Hockey player Randy Boyd. Boyd was a defensemen in the NHL for various teams, including the Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks.2 Boyd passed away in 2022, due to a heart attack while out playing golf, just four days before his 60th birthday.2

ST. JOHN’S CEMETERY VOLUNTEER GROUP

The St. John’s Cemetery Volunteer Group was founded in 1993, and for the last three decades has taken great care of the cemetery.3 There are over 20 volunteers in the group and they have completed a multitude of projects to beautify and maintain the cemetery over the years. Their goal is to make the cemetery a welcoming place for those who visit and pay their respects to loved ones.3 Some of their completed projects include rebuilding the cremation gardens and installing benches and greenery.3

The volunteers come from numerous backgrounds and include electricians, mechanics, construction workers, and carpenters.4 They use this expertise in every project they complete. In 2023, the City of Greater Sudbury celebrated the volunteer group by awarding them the Civic Award for Volunteerism in recognition of all their good works.4

The barbecue has become an annual event and invites the community to visit the cemetery and see for themselves all the work the volunteer group has done. It’s also a great fundraising opportunity. This year, all the proceeds will go to the Sudbury and Garson food banks. 

  • St. John’s Cemetery, Garson, ON ©2024

When we arrived we were greeted by green and gold balloons decorating the cemetery entrance. There was a bustle of activity as the volunteers got ready for the crowds. At the entrance was an information table where you could pick up a cemetery map and make a donation.

On the grill, they served up hamburgers and hot dogs, with a small bag of chips on the side. They also had some beverages available, as well as some cake for dessert. My mother and I got our lunch from the lovely volunteers manning the grill and then headed to the Harold J Foley Cremation Garden to sit and eat our lunch. 

They had a nice set-up under some tents for folks to stay dry while they ate. My friend and her daughter also joined us for the barbecue and ate with us at the table. The long tables encouraged people to sit together and eat, creating community and conversation. 

The conversation mainly focused on the weather though. Unfortunately, the rain would not let up, which led to a chilly and soggy afternoon in the cemetery. But people did not let that stop them. By 1 p.m. there was a long line up at the grill.

After we finished our meal and stopped in at the prize table to buy some tickets, we decided to stroll through the cemetery. We were not the only ones walking the paths that curved through the cemetery grounds. 

I noticed many folks sticking to the paths as they walked the cemetery. I tend to walk directly among the gravestones, so I can get a close look at symbolism or better read inscriptions and epitaphs. It’s also better for taking photos. I was not used to seeing so many people in the cemetery. Normally when taking cemetery photos, I try to avoid getting anyone in the shot, waiting till they move, or trying different angles. There was no avoiding it here, as there were many groups of people exploring the cemetery. 

Shortly after, the cold and wet was making us uncomfortable so we decided to start heading back to the car. There was still a long lineup at the grill, and many folks gathered around chatting. Spirits were high even though the rain was coming down. It would have been a much more enjoyable event if the weather had cooperated, but there was still a great turnout, despite the rain.  

St. John’s Cemetery, Garson, ON ©2024

I really enjoyed the cemetery BBQ and am happy there was a good turnout. It was fun to share a meal among the gravestones with friends and to wander the rows with so many people. It was a lively event, despite its setting. I hope the St. John’s Cemetery Volunteer Group is also happy with the turnout, and collected a big sum to donate to charity. 

If I can attend again next year, I will be there! Have you ever had a BBQ in a cemetery before? Or maybe you have been to a different kind of cemetery event? I would love to read about it in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

References:

  1. Garson St Johns Cemetery (Updated 2018) | Ontario Ancestors
  2. Randy Boyd | Find a Grave
  3. Volunteers host Garson cemetery barbecue June 23 | Sudbury.com
  4. St. John’s Cemetery Volunteer Improvement Group celebrates 31 years of dedication, prepares for annual BBQ | Sudbury Star

25 Cemeteries in the City of Greater Sudbury

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A couple of weekends ago I was able to cross something off my cemetery bucket list—visiting all 25 cemeteries in the care of the City of Greater Sudbury. For today’s blog post, I thought it might be interesting to take a closer look at some of these cemeteries. 

The City of Greater Sudbury is centrally located in Northeastern Ontario. It sits on the Canadian Shield in the Great Lakes Basin and is composed of a combination of urban, suburban, rural, and wilderness environments. Greater Sudbury is 3,627 square kilometers in area, making it the largest municipality in Ontario, geographically.1 Making up this municipality are many small communities that over time, have been amalgamated into the City of Greater Sudbury. Almost all of these little communities have their own cemeteries, that now fall under the care of the city.2

Capreol Cemetery, Capreol ON ©2020
McFarlane Cemetery, Sudbury ON ©2011

Each of these cemeteries has their own charm and has been very interesting to visit. Some are newer cemeteries with very modern stones, that are still very active, like Valley East and Park Lawn cemeteries. Some of them have tombstones marking persons who are still living. Those always make me think—do the owners visit their gravestones? Other cemeteries are pioneer cemeteries, like Ruff Pioneer Cemetery. Those types of cemeteries hold a lot of history. I wrote about my visit to the Ruff Pioneer Cemetery, you can read it here. 

Valley East Cemetery, Hanmer ON ©2021
Ruff Pioneer Cemetery, Garson ON ©2020

Two of the oldest of these cemeteries, I believe, are the Eyre and Anglican cemeteries. They are directly beside each other, and there is no distinct line to separate the two. The earliest grave is from 1890.3 Both of these cemeteries can tell you a lot about our city. You can find the namesakes for the Gatchell and Lockerby areas of town, as well as the grave of Frederick J. Eyre, who discovered one of the first mines for the Canadian Copper Company.3 Sudbury, at its roots is a mining and railroad town.

Eyre Cemetery, Sudbury ON ©2008
Anglican Cemetery, Sudbury ON ©2021

Some of these cemeteries were a challenge to find and can be hard to access. Ruff Pioneer Cemetery would be more easily accessible with a four-wheeler. Make sure you have plenty of water with you for that adventure in the woods. The Coniston Cemetery is a little bit more accessible now, as a cemetery trail has been created, linking it to the Jean Tellier hiking trail. The first time I visited that one, we searched for a while before deciding to ask for directions from some locals at a convenience store. They were more than happy to help and even drew me a map. They also shared some stories from their childhood, of how they would play in the cemetery and nearby woods. Coniston Cemetery is particularly interesting because there are no more headstones. There may have originally been wooden markers or fieldstones there that have since deteriorated or have been moved. It was an active cemetery from 1914 to 1926, when the parish that was taking care of the cemetery announced they could no longer do so.4 In 1997 a memorial plaque was installed honoring the deceased known to have been buried there. Another hard-to-find cemetery is the Wahnapitae Public Cemetery. This one is located on a hillside with seemingly hidden access. I tried to find it again recently, but with no luck. 

Coniston Cemetery, Coniston ON ©2010
Wahnapitae Public Cemetery, Wahnapitae ON ©2010

There are a few cemeteries on this list that I have visited many times, either due to their size or proximity to me. Lasalle Cemetery for instance is one of the largest cemeteries in the area. So large in fact that every time I have visited I have focused on a different section to photograph. Another large one, that just so happens to be down the street from me, is Civic Cemetery. This is an active cemetery, and I think has changed the most over time. It has a large columbarium, as well as some lovely winding paths. It’s a lovely rural cemetery. I have many friends of the family that are buried here.

Lasalle Cemetery, Sudbury ON ©2011
Civic Cemetery, Sudbury ON ©2008

I have enjoyed seeking out all these cemeteries. I feel like I can now say that I have truly explored my city. All these cemeteries hold small threads, connections, that all lead to the creation and growth of my hometown. I have learned a lot about the history of Sudbury, like the stories of some of its founders, the history behind street names, and much more. I would love to spend more time in some of them, to fully explore the grounds, look for specific graves and to see what else I can learn. 

Thanks for joining me, as I look back on this bucket list milestone. Do you have a bucket list? What’s on your list? I would love to read about it in the comments.

Thanks for reading! 

The full list of Greater Sudbury cemeteries:
  1. Anglican Cemetery
  2. Beaver Lake Cemetery
  3. Blezard Valley Cemetery
  4. Capreol Cemetery
  5. Chelmsford Protestant Cemetery
  6. Civic Memorial
  7. Coniston Cemetery
  8. Eyre Cemetery
  9. Good Shepherd Cemetery
  10. Grassy Lake Road Cemetery
  11. Lasalle Cemetery
  12. Long Lake Cemetery
  13. Maplecrest Cemetery
  14. McFarlane Cemetery
  15. Ruff Pioneer Cemetery
  16. St. Jacques Cemetery
  17. St. John’s Cemetery
  18. St. Joseph Cemetery
  19. St. Stanislaus Cemetery
  20. Valley East Cemetery
  21. Wahnapitae Catholic Cemetery
  22. Wahnapitae Public Cemetery
  23. Waters Cemetery
  24. Whitefish Catholic Cemetery
  25. Whitefish Public Cemetery

References:

  1. Greatersudbury.ca
  2. Cemeteries | Greatersudbury.ca
  3. Tales of lives lived | Sudbury.com
  4. Historical mystery: Just how many people were buried at the old Coniston cemetery? | Sudbury.com

Finding the abandoned Happy Valley cemetery

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In August of 2020, a friend and I set out to find an abandoned cemetery. She had been to it before, having stumbled upon it while out and about on four-wheelers. She was excited to share it with me. She and I have been on many cemetery adventures, but this one was a bit different for us. Normally we would jump in the car and head for a destination while stopping at all the cemeteries we found along the way. This one was a bit closer to home and would need to be reached on foot. So with the camera in hand, we started walking. Have you ever seen the movie Stand by me? It sort of had that feeling, except we weren’t going to see a dead body, we were off to see a cemetery. 

Happy Valley is considered a ghost town. According to Ontario Abandoned Places, it never really was considered a town at all. 

“…more of a settlement which belonged to Falconbridge. Happy Valley consisted of residents who wanted to be separate and independent from the residents of Falconbridge…The residents were mainly farmers and mill-workers who worked at the sawmills by the lake. The children would have to endure a three-mile walk every morning to the nearest school (established in 1907) located in Garson…Other than the mills and homes, there were no stores or a post office to be found. Residents had to travel to Falconbridge Township for amenities…By 1970, the town was abandoned…almost. The last resident, “Gizzy”, left the town in the late ’80s.” – Ontario Abandoned Places

For more formation on the Happy Valley ghost town, visit Ontario Abandoned Places.

Our trip began by taking us into a more industrial part of the town. There were dunes everywhere and an old abandoned railway track. Small trees and bushes were growing from in between the railway ties. Those tracks had not seen much use in a while. We walked the train tracks for a little bit, but then found a dirt trail that took us more into the surrounding wilderness. We passed old culverts and a few small lakes. It was a beautiful day for a walk! 

The way to this cemetery wasn’t a straight shot, or well marked. We had a general direction and were using landmarks to help find our way. We referenced old photos from the first time my friend had been there. We seemed to have made our way into some backcountry, where there were sandy trails and lots of sandy hills, that would be great for four-wheeling. After climbing up into a rocky area we reached a plateau where it levelled off and there was a two-lane sandy road. It was nice to not have to watch our footing anymore for fear of catching a toe on a rock.

My friend felt we were getting close. We walked on, enjoying each other’s company and chatting about life. Now and then we would stop to assess how far we had gone. We were alone in the woods, having not seen anyone else out on the trails. After a while, we started to question if we had gone too far. We checked a side trail, but no, it was going off in the wrong direction. We took a small break to rest and re-evaluate. Luckily, we still were getting cell service in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. She was able to look at satellite photos on Google and find what looked to be our cemetery. We had gone too far! We had to backtrack a little way and take a dirt road that forked to the right. Our goal should be right around that corner. 

We found it! It’s a small cemetery, having been recently surrounded by a chain-link fence. We theorized that the fence was put up to protect the cemetery from people unintentionally running through it on quads and snowmobiles. There are about a handful of headstones, some up-right and a few flat to the earth. There seem to be more pioneers buried there than there are headstones.

Ruff Pioneer Cemetery, Garson ON ©2020

Having found the cemetery and being able to visit it was well worth the hike. It was super satisfying! Almost more rewarding than if we would have driven straight there. After spending some time among the tombstones, we made our way back the way we came. Through the woods, along the dirt paths, and along the train tracks, ending by having to climb back up a massive dune that we had first scaled down at the beginning of our journey. It was a great adventure! I am grateful that I have good friends who want to share these kinds of experiences with me! 

More recently, I was doing some pre-emptive cemetery road trip research, getting ready for this spring. I was going through all the cemeteries listed in my hometown, there are 25 in total. I have been to all but 3 of them, or so I thought. Based on my archived photos I had not visited Ruff Pioneer Cemetery, Chelmsford Protestant Cemetery, and St. Joseph Cemetery. As I did a bit more research into where these cemeteries are located, I got stuck on Ruff Pioneer Cemetery. It’s listed as being off of Goodwill Road, in Garson. As I searched Google Maps, it just was not making sense. I was able to zero in on its location using satellite photos. Low and behold—Ruff Pioneer Cemetery is our Abandoned Happy Valley cemetery!

Looking back at my photos, though, it all makes sense!

  • Ruff Pioneer Cemetery, Garson ON ©2020

Goodwill road was most likely named after those pioneers buried in this cemetery.

  • Ruff Pioneer Cemetery, Garson ON ©2020

Looking back at this cemetery adventure has me pining for summer and the opportunity to visit new cemeteries. I have a few road trips already planned and mapped out, but I may take a look for more abandoned cemeteries that are harder to find. Do you have a story about an abandoned cemetery? Share it in the comments!

Thanks for reading!