October 2026 Newsletter
| Hollywood Cemetery Restoration Project: October Updates This past week, four women from our Task Force attended the Memphis Historic Cemetery Network Conference at the University of Memphis on October 1st and 2nd. The two-day symposium included on-the-ground tours of Mt. Carmel, Zion, Elmwood, and our own Hollywood Cemetery. Seeing the incredible progress made at other formerly overgrown historical resting places was deeply inspiring. The overarching lesson from the conference was simple: restoration requires consistent “baby steps.” Cemetery preservation demands up to 50 different types of expertise—from genealogists and legal advocates to arborists and stonemasons. We are building a wide spectrum of people working together for different reasons, and moving forward relies entirely on local partnerships and networking. We are already laying the groundwork to bring University of Memphis students on board to assist us in this major endeavor. [I removed the XAI information as it is incorrect. XAI is not coming near Holly wood Cemetery.] 🎥 Family Interviews at Stax Music Academy (Oct 10–12)We continue to seek the family and friends of anyone buried at Hollywood Cemetery. Your stories are the heartbeat of this restoration, and we want to record them.From Saturday, October 10 through Monday, October 12 (9:00 AM to 3:00 PM), our documentary film crew will be conducting on-camera interviews. The incredible team at Stax has generously given us permission to use their school building as a dedicated, quiet space to film these conversations. If you have a family member resting at Hollywood, please come share their legacy with us. 🎸 Kick Off the Weekend: “One Kind Favor” Benefit ShowBefore we hit the grounds for our massive 3-day volunteer cleanup, we are kicking off the weekend with live Memphis music.Join us for the “One Kind Favor” benefit concert this Friday, October 9th, starting at 7:00 PM at the Zen House (831 S Cooper Street). Dozens of local musicians are coming together to perform the foundational tracks of Furry Lewis and Frank Stokes to raise funds for our heavy landscaping equipment. https://partiful.com/e/lCJRljj0jSh74TjLHURcThere is so much to learn and so much more to accomplish, but we have seen firsthand the kind of progress other abandoned Memphis cemeteries have achieved. We can do this.See you at the Zen House on Friday, and on the grounds this weekend! 👉 Donate Here for Cemetery Restoration: https://gofund.me/a02897973 |
| Keep Havin’ a Good Day! ~dianegreen |