“We were competing with a lot of different events in June, and we wanted to try something different,” said Rick Carle, volunteer and long-time board member for the Friends of Oakland Cemetery.

The 21st annual Oakland Cemetery Walk is planned for Friday, Sept. 27, and Sunday, Sept. 29. As in recent years, there will be a walking tour of the cemetery on Friday evening, and actor portrayals of some of the historic figures who call Oakland their final resting place on Sunday afternoon at Iowa Central Community College.

The Friday evening tour on Sept. 27 will begin at 6 p.m. Due to the narrow roads, and to protect the cemetery grounds, the public is asked to park at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1436, 21st Ave. N., for the Friday evening stroll. Those wishing to attend should arrive in time to board DART buses for free transportation to Oakland Cemetery at 6:45 p.m. Free bus rides will be provided back to the church parking lot following the cemetery stroll.

Wear comfortable shoes for the leisurely walk through the cemetery, where guides will point out some of the more unique and historic headstones and remark on the people they honor. Free will donations are accepted for the Friday event.

-Messenger file photo

The weekend continues at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29, with local actors in costume to portray the lives of several of the men and women who now rest at Oakland Cemetery. Each portrayal takes about seven to nine minutes and gives the audience a taste of what life was like in early Fort Dodge for the people who called this frontier community home.

Tickets for this event are $7 and will be available at the door. The portrayals will be held in the Bioscience and Health Sciences Building on the ICCC campus.

Among those being portrayed this year include the following:

Cornelia Bagg, who lived from 1821 to 1896, will be portrayed by Lacey Cullum. Bagg was the wife of Egbert Bagg Sr., the designer of Oakland Cemetery.

Cyrus Carpenter was the first school teacher in Fort Dodge and actually had an early school named for him in the community. Carpenter went on to become governor of Iowa and served in the U.S. House of Representatives. He lived from 1829 to 1898 and will be portrayed by Garrett Savery.

Samuel J. Robertson lived from 1846 to 1929. A Union soldier during the Civil War, he will be portrayed by Randy Hoover.

Dr. John Luther Marshall lived from 1844 to 1890 and was an early physician in the community. His story will be told through the lens of his wife, Luella Wallace Marshall, portrayed by Teresa Naughton.

Maude Lauderdale, 1873-1956, was the first woman elected to office in Webster County and served as curator of the Fort Dodge Historical Museum. She will be portrayed by Beverly Davis.

George M. Hull, 1831-1884, gained fame as a businessman in Fort Dodge. He will be portrayed by Sean O’Connor.

Hazel Schroeder Quist, 1888-1933, was a musician and wife of the conductor of a very early community band, which in later years would become known as the Karl King Band. She will be portrayed by Grace Cullum.

Gratia Lovejoy Paige, 1819-1895, like many of her contemporaries, put motherhood first in her life. Her son would become a priest and help rebuild St. Mark’s Church after a destructive fire. She will be portrayed by Ruth Bennett.

Four chances to bid on silent auction

The lead-up to this year’s Oakland Cemetery Walk actually begins on Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Brown’s Shoe Fit Co. monthly Fit Night event. That’s when the silent auction will begin with a table full of goodies to bid on. As Carle noted, this year’s slate of auction items has a number of great get-aways, from Branson, Missouri., to the Kansas City Zoo, Arnold’s Park, Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad, and overnight stays at various casinos.

‘It’s a really great variety of items for the auction,” Carle said.

All proceeds from the silent auction benefit the work of preserving and restoring Oakland Cemetery. The funds can be used for such things as cleaning stones, doing repairs, or larger renovations.

This year, there will be four opportunities to check out the auction items and make a bid. The auction table will also be present at the cemetery tours on Friday, Sept. 27, at the portrayals at Iowa Central Community College on Sunday, Sept. 29, and then for the final time at the last Fit Night of the season on Thursday, Oct. 17.

“People will have all four chances to keep an eye on their bid to see if anyone has outbid them,” Carle said. “It’s really nice things, and they can all be used in 2025.”

Community support is vital

The annual Cemetery Walk is supported by Friends of Oakland Cemetery, Fort Dodge Parks and Recreation, and the Ann Smeltzer Charitable Trust, Iowa Central Community College, Visit Fort Dodge, the Fort Dodge Historic Preservation Commission, Fort Dodge Public Library, Webster County Historical Society, Judy Warnick Recovery Center Volunteers, The Messenger, Twist and Shout, Alpha Media, Party Productions and Masque Productions and MIDAS- DART Bus also received appreciation for their assistance in making the event possible.