Waukegan’s Oakwood Cemetery Walk set for Sept. 21

The Waukegan Park District’s 2013 Oakwood Cemetery Walk is Saturday, Sept. 21, from noon to 3:30 p.m.

The Oakwood Cemetery Walk is an annual “living history” event that showcases the rich history of Waukegan through costumed actors portraying local historical figures with connections to the cemetery and Waukegan.

The Cemetery Walk starts at Lilac Cottage in Bowen Park, 1911 N. Sheridan Road, Waukegan. Buses will depart from Lilac Cottage to Oakwood Cemetery at noon, bus No. 4500; 12:30 p.m. bus No. 4501; 1:30 p.m. bus No. 4502; 2 p.m. bus No. 4503; and 3:15 p.m. bus No. 4504.

Ticket prices are $3 in advance and $5 the day of the event. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Jack Benny Center for the Arts, 39 Jack Benny Drive in Bowen Park; the Waukegan History Museum, 1917 N. Sheridan Road in Bowen Park; and online at www.waukeganparks.org. There is no public parking at Oakwood Cemetery.

The theme of this year’s Oakwood Cemetery Walk is “Going West.” Unique stories have been chosen for this year and they include the fate of the reporter who was with General Custer at Little Big Horn, how Waukegan Barbed Wire shaped the West, when Little Fort was “the West,” death exploring the West, Western politics and art, as well as Western justice, with the story of the first public hanging in Lake County.

Participants will also hear other unique “Going West” stories and the history of Oakwood Cemetery.

Each tour is expected to run approximately 1.5 hours and will include walking on uneven ground. The event will proceed during inclement weather.

The event is sponsored by the Waukegan Park District, the Waukegan Historical Society, and the City of Waukegan. The Waukegan History Museum will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the event.

For more information, contact Ty Rohrer, museum supervisor, at (847) 336-1859 or the Jack Benny Center for the Arts at (847) 360-4740, or visit www.waukeganparks.org.