Love is a many splendored thing. Love is patient; love is kind. Love will set you free. Love conquers all. Blah, blah, blah, you’ve heard all the cliches about love, but for all the cliches out there, there are probably a million times more love stories.
And love stories don’t have to be romantic; they can be about friendship or community, and they don’t have to end in a happily ever after — ever heard of Romeo and Juliet? At least, that’s been the expansive definition for the folks at Elmwood Cemetery as they prepare for this year’s Soul of the City, where the theme of the year is Love Stories.
At the popular annual event, sponsored by Raymond James, guests will be taken on a tour of the cemetery as local actors share Elmwood’s love stories at the grave sites of the residents they’re playing. “You should be prepared to be really blown away by the types of stories that you’re going to hear,” says Kim Bearden, Elmwood’s executive director. “I don’t want to give away too much, but I can tell you that a couple of married couples are included in the tour this year, including the Reverend Dr. Benjamin Hooks and his wife Frances Hooks. They are being featured in the tour because they had a long marriage and love story, and they also gave deeply of themselves to their fellow man during throughout the Civil Rights Movement.”
On a less romantic note, Bearden adds, “There is also one love story that is included in which there is a murder because of a love triangle. … So we really have taken some of what we think are the most interesting love stories to be found here.
“In between the characters that you’ll meet, you’ll be greeted by tour guides who are going to share information about what you’re seeing as you walk through the cemetery. So not only are you going to get to meet the people who are buried here, but you’ll also get a little bit of background about Elmwood in general, too. It’s a great way to learn Memphis history, to be entertained, to get to know Elmwood a little bit better, and to experience the city in a way you probably haven’t before.”
Tours last approximately 75 minutes and are family-friendly and wheelchair accessible. Tickets are sold in time slots and are selling out fast, so be sure to get yours soon at elmwoodcemetery.org.
Memphis Dawgs food truck will be on site Friday night, and Chi Phi Food Truck on Saturday; the Tipsy Tumbler will have beverages for sale on both nights.
