Museum’s Grave Occasion rises from the ashes
Submitted by the Plumas County Museum
Join us on Saturday, Sept. 17 as we perambulate the historic Prattville Pioneer Cemetery during the return of the Plumas County Museum Association’s Grave Occasion Cemetery Tour & Dinner.
After a two-year hiatus due to circumstances beyond our realm of control, this year’s fundraising fete takes us to the open groves of the west shore of Lake Almanor where stories of Big Meadows and Prattville pioneers will be unearthed and reanimated by a cast of characters drawn from the hallowed depths of the Prattville Cemetery.
Slated to appear in this year’s procession of apparitions are Prattville woodworker, boat builder, and hotel owner, George Butterfield, Civil War veteran, miner, and civic leader, Alexander Cameron, pioneer eastside rancher, dairyman, and namesake of Hamilton Branch, John Hamilton and his wife Sarah, and pioneer rancher and mother of at least 13 children, Elizabeth Holmes.
Joining this procession with their spectral presence will be miner, rancher, and early Butt Valley and Big Meadows merchant and farmer, James Lee, early California coal miner, rancher, and landowner, Jonathan Martin, New Zealand veteran, miner, and avid outdoorsman, William Robert McAuley, Doctor, hotel owner, postmaster, and namesake of Prattville, Dr. Willard Pratt, and teenager, Willie Self, whose life came to a tragic end at the age of 14.
This year’s al fresco dining, catered by Carol Franchetti of Carol’s Prattville Café takes place at the Almanor Picnic Grounds with a meal featuring her locally famous meat/cheese and vegetarian lasagnas, fresh green salad with choice of dressings, Carol’s handmade Italian rustic bread & butter, and sundry beverages – all finished off by assorted sweet treats.
The event kicks off promptly at 3 p.m. and is laid to rest around dusk (usually around 7 p.m.). Tickets are currently on sale, and since this event is limited to 100 guests, we suggest getting your tickets ASAP.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Plumas County Museum, ordered over the phone by contacting us with a credit card number at 530-283-6320 (a small processing fee will be applied), or by visiting the Museum Store on our website at www.plumasmuseum.org and clicking on “Events.” Tickets are also available from members of our Board of Trustees. Tickets are $50 each for Members and $60 each for Non-Members.
Because of the absence of parking at the cemetery, we ask that ALL guests park at the West Almanor Picnic Grounds on Highway 89 (some 7 miles past Canyon Dam from Quincy and 5.5 miles from Chester). Watch for balloons and signs at site entrance. A free shuttle bus will transport everyone between the picnic grounds and cemetery and back again for dinner. Full directions are on each ticket.
As this event usually sells out quickly, we encourage you to get your tickets today, and join us in Prattville for the 2022 Grave Occasion Cemetery Tour and Dinner.
