Let Viva Cuba's "Echoes from the Past" Cemetery Tour introduce you to some of Cuba's historical figures. The Sunday tour loads in the Recklein Commons area.
Viva Cuba Celebrates 25th anniversary with trolley tours and the “Queens of the Chili”
Viva Cuba, a local beautification organization, celebrates 25 years of projects at this year’s Cuba Fest on Smith Street during the October 17-18th celebration of family fun, crafts, food, music, and activities.
By royal decree, on Saturday, October 17 at 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, Viva Cuba events kickoff with Crawford County Fair Queens and their moms commanding some royal chili for the 18th Annual Chili Cook-off. For $3.00, you can get a some royal nectar, taste all the chili recipes, and vote for your favorite. The winner will be “Queen of the Chili” for a year and receive the royal scepter, exucuse me, royal ladle. Some of the Queenly Chefs are Rockael Chaudhry, Jaclyn Gilliam, Carrie Macier, Hannah Lea, and Brooke Hutson Gibson.
The annual narrated Trolley Tour of the Murals takes place on Saturday beginning at 11:00 am until the last tour, which ends around 4 pm. The bright red 1904-style trolley loads in the Recklein Commons area for the free tours along the Route 66 Corridor. Each mural has its own story, and the tour is a great time to hear them. Tours last 30-40 minutes and are in great demand, so be sure to get your ticket and be ready board.
The Saturday Trolley Tour will feature the murals and their stories. On Sunday the tours will travel to Kinder Cemetery for some "Echoes for the Past."
Viva Cuba plans a small celebration of its 25 years of community support and special projects on Saturday from 4 pm to 6 pm. There will be appetizers, wine, and 80s music as well as a slide show of 25 years of Viva Cuba activities. The organization hopes that the public will share this celebration in front of Recklein Auditorium.
A new event this year is the Sunday, October 18 “Echoes from the Past” Graveline Tour from 11:00 am to the last tour, which ends around 4 pm. The trolley loads every 45 minutes in the Recklein Commons area and travels by historical houses of the departed on the way to Kinder Cemetery. Tours are free, but donations will be accepted and used to continue the mural projects of Viva Cuba.
At the cemetery, various historical figures from Cuba’s past will tell their story to the trolley guests as they wind their way through the cemetery. These tall tales from deep graves will make sure to bring truth to the quote “We live as long as we are remembered.” Sunday’s “Echoes from the Past” cemetery tour promises to be an innovative Cuba Fest event, so get aboard for a fun and informative experience.
Historical figures on the “Echoes” tour are the following: Brig. Gen. Egbert Benton Brown, a Civil War general and his scout Jerome Alyn Stanton; Henry Herman Tieman and his wife Elizabeth; Dr. Walter Sherman Cox; Fenetta Sargent Haskell; Elizabeth Lewis Saigh; Elizabeth Parks, J.M. Wallace, and Alexander Fleming. Step back in time and hear their stories.
The Viva Cuba organization encourages everyone to come to the Tri-C sponsored Cuba Fest to share its activities and celebration of 25 years of beautifying Cuba.
A version of this article “Viva Cuba recognizing its 25 years at Cuba Fest” appeared this week in the Cuba Free Press, www.threeriverspublishing.com.
Related Posts: “Cuba Missouri’s Viva Cuba Organization First Adopt-A-Highway Group” and “25 Years of Beautifying Cuba, Missouri…“
[…] October 14, 2009 Posted by Ron in Events, Ghosts and Mysteries, History, Towns. trackback Cuba Fest, an annual festival thrown by Viva Cuba in the Route 66 town of Cuba, Mo., is holding a chili […]