Andover Cemetery Committee Needs Volunteers for Spring Cleanup

Cemeteries to re-open Mid-April

By Cheryl Swenson
Proctor Cemetery still snowed in, hopefully to be open soon.

At the time of this publication Spring is officially here and snow, hopefully, is melted from the ground.  New England’s fifth season, known as Mud season, is here. Your Cemetery Trustees anticipate being able to open up Proctor and Lakeview Cemeteries around April 15 – the official opening day – but that depends on how soft the ground is. Too soft and ruts develop in the roads leading through the cemeteries making a mess out of them, creating extra work and expense to make them drivable. Please be patient with us if it is determined that we need to wait a few days more.

Once you are able to drive in the cemeteries please help us out by removing and disposing of all seasonal decor, empty plant pots, and weathered artificial flowers. A reminder that flowers, either natural or artificial, are only permitted around the base of the main headstone. This allows our maintenance person to easily mow and maintain the cemeteries. The Spring cleanup will begin soon after May 1, and this does include the removal of Christmas wreaths and other items that have been left over the winter.

Keep an eye out in May’s Beacon for a date and location for gravestone cleaning!  Our plan is for early June and we are working on identifying a location.  If you would like to get on an email list of people interested in participation please email me at cheryl.swenson@nulltds.net. Hope you can join us.