‘Stories in the Stones’ returns

“Stories In The Stones” the special program at the Red Oak Cemetery hosted by Calendar Girls, Questers of Red Oak and the Montgomery County Veterans Memorial Court of Honor will return during Red Oak Junction Days later this month.
Diane Brower and Sharon Bradley, Calendar Girls members, are coordinating the program again this year. Bradley said the Questers is a group focusing on historical preservation and education. They are named “Calendar Girls” after the Thomas D. Murphy Calendar Company. More than 600 chapters exist internationally, and Bradley said funds raised from “Stories in the Stones” will go towards additional tuckpointing of the entrances of Evergreen Cemetery.
“This year, we have to start on the ones on the south end. They need to be completely reconstructed. What we hope to do is use some of the original bricks. Because when you do a historical reconstruction, you need to use as much of the original components that you can in order to get grants and things. It’s $13,000 just to do those next two columns, so it’s a lot. Last year we did two of them for $6,000, so its about $7,000 more,” Bradley said.
“Stories In The Stones” will take place from 9:30-11:30 a.m. June 27 at the Evergreen Cemetery. Seven actors will be featured: James Norris as Perry “Buckskin” Tracy, Kathy Davis as Minnie Ashby, Greg Brower as Thomas H. Griffth and his wife Shelle as Griffith’s wife, Mary, Mark Euken as Lloyd Ross, AJ Baretta as Dr. John B. Hatton, and Annette Johnson as Iphigenia McElhiney.
In selecting a cast, Bradley said they sought people who would be experienced in acting and would portray the person well. They also had to be able to relate to the audience, and they have returning participants.
“It’s a pleasant feeling seeing some of the people returning from last year. We haven’t had any trouble finding actors. Some people volunteer, which is nice. I think Red Oak, especially since we’ve delved into a lot of the historical information, people are really interested in it. We have a lot of history,” stated Bradley.
Bradley expressed the importance of holding the event and keeping it going for years to come.
“I think it’s important that we remember our history. We’ve gotten a lot of interest in what we do, and anything we can get in terms of experience or donations will be very helpful for us in the future. We’ll be sure to pass out information about the Questers regarding who we are and what we do,” Bradley commented.
Some of the actors also have connections to the characters they play. Norris, portraying Tracy, has property on the stagecoach route of the Western State Company, which Tracy was superintendent of. Johnson is a retired nurse, and the historical figure she portrays, McElhiney, was a Red Cross nurse and operated a makeshift hospital on Coolbaugh during the Spanish Flu epidemic. McElhiney was able to boast that her hospital never lost a patient.
Mark Euken, who is embodying Lloyd Ross, talked about how he got involved in presenting.
“I got involved in it because I’ve got a long history in the military. I’ve served in at least five different conflicts, and the history just interests me so much. It’s one of my passions, especially the history of Red Oak in the military. My wife, Teresa, picked Ross out for me to portray. At one time, many years ago, he lived in the house that we currently live in. That’s making portraying him a unique experience,” explained Euken.
Euken said there are a few things that are making the experience of participating in “Stories in the Stones” very exciting.
“I really enjoy the research and the history. Nothing about the research really caught me off-guard. The first time I’d heard about him was when we bought our house at 605 E. Hammond St. We saw his name on the deeds, but I didn’t know his military background,” Euken said. “They always called the house ‘The Colonel’s Home,’ because they would entertain there, they would have dances in the parlor. It’s just a big Victorian home, and they entertained there a lot,” Euken said.
Kathy Davis is participating in the event for her third year in a row, and spoke about her own involvement in playing Ashby.
“I’m a member of Questers. I’ve done a good job at the other events, and when you do, they want you to do it again. I’ve kind of been thinking that this might be my last year as a presenter, but I don’t know. I may change my mind if someone can write the script for me. I’ve spent days researching Ashby. I have a thick pile of papers that have information about her. It takes a lot of effort making sure things are right,” Davis commented.
Minnie Ashby was selected as a historical figure for this year’s event because she was an ordinary pioneer who came to Red Oak in an old covered wagon at the age of 10, later becoming a teacher and owning a millinery shop. Davis said she finds performing very rewarding.
“I like to perform. I’m doing things now that I never did. It’s rewarding to get recognition. I will also perform as Minnie for my little church ladies, a brief performance. I’ll perform as her again for the ladies I do water aerobics with at the YMCA, as well as the PEO. We are hoping to all perform again in a couple of months at the Montgomery County History Center. I’ll be performing a variation of Minnie Ashby a number of times,” said Davis.
Bradley and Brower also expressed their appreciation to Mark Jackson’s Red Oak Hardware Hank and Hallmark Gold Crown Store for providing bottled water, Sellergren-Lindell-DeMarce Funeral Home for providing chairs, The Wilson Performing Arts Center for providing costumes, and assistance from the Montgomery County History Center.
Tickets are available at Pudgy Pumpkin Patch Gift Shoppe, the Red Oak Chamber and Industry Office, Questers members, or at the Evergreen Cemetery on June 27. Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for students, and kids 12 and under can attend free.
Following the walk, a lunch will be provided on the north side of the cemetery. A free will offering will be accepted.