‘Rake the Fall Leaves’ event set to clean up North Road Cemetery

On Saturday, volunteers will come together to ensure that a piece of Leavenworth History continues on.

The North Road Cemetery holds historical importance for the city of Leavenworth. However, it relies completely on volunteers.

“As Leavenworth’s ‘almost oldest’ cemetery, Washington State’s Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation considers it abandoned,” said Matt Cade, Upper Valley Historical Society Board President. “Without volunteers, it would fall back into a derelict cemetery, which is what it was in the 1960s.”

Every spring and fall volunteers work to keep the cemetery up.

On Saturday, Oct. 28, the Upper Valley Historical Society and the Greater Leavenworth Museum are hosting their annual ‘Rake the Fall Leaves’ Community Event from 10 a.m. to noon at the cemetery.

The cemetery is located directly across from the Amtrak Station.

The event is part of a wider movement of local volunteerism, Wenatchee Valley Make a Difference Day.

Working volunteers can enjoy live music by the Leavenworth Alphorns.

Volunteers are asked to bring their favorite garden tool and gloves. Winton Mfg. will remove forest organic debris piles. At noon a “Danwich” will be offered to volunteers. “A common name for a sandwich one can buy at the deli in Dan’s Market is a Danwich,” Cade said. “For us to submit orders to have the Danwiches available at the cemetery by noon, which is quitting time, we need to have orders from the volunteers by 10:15.”

“If you cannot help with the clean-up but want to share in this community experience, bring lunch and a chair, listen to music, and visit other community members, both living and non,” the event flyer states.

“We hope the weather is pleasant enough to bring out the volunteers,” Cade said. “At our spring 2022 event, we had our largest group with over 65 volunteers.”

Quinn Propst: 509-731-3590 or quinn@ward.media