Hallettsville, Texas –– Join the Lavaca County Historical Commission for a day of historic cemetery preservation education at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 24 at Sacred Heart parish Family Center, South Glendale (between E.5th & Church Street). Cemetery preservationists, community volunteers and local officials are encouraged to attend.

Speakers include Gerron Hite, cemetery preservation coordinator for the Texas Historical Commission and Anne Shelton, RIP Guardian coordinator for the Texas Historical Commission, Doug Kubicek, chair of the Lavaca County Historical Commission and Carroll Brincefield, cemetery educational coordinator.  

Presentations will include how to apply for a Historic Texas Cemetery designation and the RIP Guardian program, the significance of historic cemetery fencing and local cemetery preservation education programs that work. A guided tour of historic Memorial Park cemetery will follow.  

“We are excited and honored to be hosting the first RIP workshop. We hope that everyone will come away with a new understanding of the program and what actions can be accomplished through this program. Our goal is to share with the communities our successes and introduce to them ways of involving their communities and schools in preserving our state and local history through the saving of our cemeteries. Through these workshops we hope to inspire the next generation to continue in this most important part of our counties histories and to carry on the efforts of past generations. The future of our cemeteries will depend on education, determination and most importantly the heart and soul of concerned citizens.” Doug Kubicek, chair, Lavaca County Historical Commission.  

For more information about the South Central Texas Cemetery Workshop contact Carroll Brincefield at 361/798-4280 or 361/798-6588. WEBSITE FOR THE LAVACA COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION: www.rootsweb.com/~txlavaca/histcom.htm