September Newsletter
Welcome to the September update for HollywoodCemeteryMemphis.art. As the brutal summer heat hopefully breaks soon, our reclamation efforts are accelerating with more volunteer days, live music, and crucial land management strategies.
Thank you Hattie Banger (whose photo is above) for getting your family and more working through 2 super hot Saturdays in August to help Hollywood continue clearing!
October Events & Clean-Up
The “One Kind Favor” Benefit Concert: Join us Friday, October 9th at Zen House for live music honoring Memphis blues legends to fund our ongoing restoration. It starts at 7 pm and goes will most likely till midnight at 831 S Cooper Street, Memphis TN. Tickets for the show can be purchased at https://partiful.com/e/lCJRljj0jSh74TjLHURc
Mega Volunteer Clean-Up (Oct 10–12): We are hitting the grounds hard from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM each day. We are running a BBQ and potluck for the crew, so please bring whatever food or drinks you can share!
Documentary Filming: Our film crew will be present at all events. We are actively looking for family members with loved ones buried at Hollywood Cemetery—we want to hear and preserve your stories on camera.
Land Management & Equipment Needs
The grounds have suffered severe soil erosion from droughts and heavy rains, compounded by aggressive kudzu that destroys everything in its path. Plus there’s something really wrong going on with Cane Creek! Can we get the city of Memphis to fix that? We are preparing to remove the kudzu across the creek. There is also a 75 ft. tall dead tree to remove but no telling when that can happen. To pull this off, we urgently need to secure lawnmowers, chainsaws, and weed-eaters (either through donations or weekend rentals), alongside a nearby storage unit to keep them safe.
Clearing an abandoned sapling forest requires a careful balance between aggressive management and delicate historic preservation. Here are some strict restoration protocols:
The “Cut-and-Treat” Method: Because pulling root systems destroys subsurface grave structures, we do not dig up saplings. We cut the trunk flush to the soil and manually paint the exposed cambium ring with a triclopyr herbicide within 5 minutes.
No Spraying: We never spray liquid herbicide. Wind carries overspray onto porous historic marble, causing permanent chemical erosion.
Strategic Timing: Sapling removal is strictly scheduled between mid-October and mid-January during dormancy to weaken root systems and prevent aggressive spring sprouting. We leave established canopy trees alone, as their shade naturally suppresses new saplings.
Grave Protection: We shield hidden stones with plywood during cutting, strictly prohibit heavy machinery (skid-steers, tractors) that can crush settling grave shafts, and only clean stones with water, soft scrapers, or D/2 biological cleaner—never wire brushes.
Debris Compliance: Following Memphis city ordinances, all curbside limbs are to be cut under 5 feet long and 13 inches thick, kept completely separate from trash or metal junk. But maybe…just maybe if we collect those cut sapling trees and save them to age so they can be built into something like benches, sculptures or even a bridge across Cane Creek! Or maybe they’re just good firewood!
We are looking forward to an incredibly busy weekend in October. If you cannot be there in person, please share this newsletter with someone who can, or help us secure our required equipment by making a financial contribution today.
| 👉 Donate Here for Cemetery Restoration: https://gofund.me/a02897973 |
Keep Havin’ a Good Day!
~dianegreen
