Would you ever think to see a movie at the local cemetery? Or hold a run/walk at a gravesite?
As people consider options outside of formal burials, cemeteries are looking for new ways to fund and maintain graves and grounds, according to a report by MarketWatch.
“As cemeteries run out of space, they are going to have to adapt or die. They’re becoming more community centers, and transitioning away from being solely a cemetery,” A.J. Orlikoff, director of programming at the Historic Congressional Cemetery, told MarketWatch.
Raffles, movie screenings, book clubs, birders, are all activities that have been utilized at cemeteries across the county.
“I can see it working, but too much (activity) could be unwelcome,” WTMJ’s Steve Scaffidi told Wis. Morning News on Monday. Scaffidi is a volunteer at Oakwood Rest Cemetery in Oak Creek. “Some people will go to a gravesite and sit for hours. They’re just looking for peace and quiet.”
Scaffidi believes the most important thing cemeteries can do to attract customers, etc. is to enhance the grounds.
“How a cemetery looks increases interest,” Scaffidi explained. “When we cleaned it up, cut the brush, hired a landscaping company to make it look nice, we had a lot more people interested in being buried there. We sold plots and have had lot of burials in the last five years because it looks nicer.”
One thing is for certain, the industry is evolving and cemeteries are considering new options in order to maintain a healthy revenue stream.
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