September & October 2025
- Bailey McLaughlin
- Nov 6
- 4 min read
We have grown tremendously over the past two years. The Cemetery has carried out 37 burials and has a community of almost 140 volunteers. Our beautiful labyrinth has become a place for meditation for mourners and visitors alike. We also installed a “wind phone” so visitors can talk to the loved ones they miss (for a history of wind phones click here). We cap every year off with two very special recurring events: the celebration of the anniversary of the opening of the Cemetery and an Evening of Remembrance for families. We have big plans for the next year, and we are so grateful that you have been along with us on this incredible journey.
2nd Anniversary Celebration
Thank you to all who joined us for our Second Anniversary Celebration in October. We had a wonderful afternoon of tours, poetry, citizen science, music and more! It was so good to reconnect with familiar faces and introduce new people to Vermont Forest Cemetery. Many thanks to The Sky Blue Boys, Mary Lauren Fraser, Daniel Chaffee, Lars Gold, Jan Stuart, Hannah Carpenter Pitkin, Micheal Metivier and all of our wonderful volunteers for contributing your time and energy to making this celebration shine!
If you snapped any pictures while you were at any of our celebrations this past year, please tag us on Instagram @vt.forest.cemetery, tag our Facebook page or send them to us by emailing Bailey at bailey@cemetery.eco
Evening of Remembrance
On November 1st, we hosted our second annual Evening of Remembrance for families of people whose loved ones have been buried at Vermont Forest Cemetery. The trails throughout the Cemetery, the labyrinth, and the wind phone were illuminated with hundreds of luminaria, and family members were placed small lanterns at their loved one’s grave. The event provided families with private time as well as an opportunity to share memories and stories with each other. The evening was capped off with a recitation of the 37 names of those whose memories were celebrated and by Michelle reading a poem sent by one of our bereaved who couldn't attend. We wanted to share that with you too:
“There are stars whose radiance is visible on earth, though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world, even though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind."
-Hannah Szenes
A small group gathered in the center of the labyrinth for quiet reflections and sharing stories. Although the evening was chilly, it was a beautiful and truly touching event for all of us who cherish these stories and memories.
Last Tours of 2025
As we begin to move into stick season, we will be closing out our in-person guided cemetery tours at the end of November. When winter arrives, we have found it difficult to plan tours due to the unpredictable weather and we also want to make sure that the roads leading up the cemetery are not overused for those who live around us. We only have TWO regular tours left for the 2025 season:
Michelle’s last Founders Tour will be this Saturday November 8th at 2pm.
Our final tour will be a Cemeterian Tour with Bailey McLaughlin on Saturday November 22nd at 10am. Keep your eyes on our newsletters and webpage for the schedule of next year’s tours starting in June.
Don’t Miss Out!
If you’ve been looking to volunteer but haven’t had the opportunity yet, please consider joining us on Sunday November 9th at 1pm for our last Cemetery Stewardship Day for 2025. We will be preparing the cemetery for our winter operations and many hands are a tremendous help!
Michelle will be giving a sermon at the First Universalist Parish of Derby Line on November 16th at 10am. Following the sermon, there will be a screening of the documentary From Earth to Earth: The Lost Art of Dying in America and a Q&A session.
We are revving up for our winter screenings and if you would like us to make a stop at your town, please contact Jim at info@cemetery.eco . It’s most helpful if you have a suggestion for a gathering space as well. During the winter season, we shift to hosting more Zoom Q&As with Michelle, Jim, Paul and Bailey. We will be announcing those dates and few other online events in future newsletters and our website and social media.
Those of us who work at the Vermont Forest Cemetery are committed to providing the best possible service to our community, and encourage you to contact us at any time with questions, concerns or ideas at info@cemetery.eco.
We value your continued support and are deeply indebted to those of you who have volunteered to help build trails, participate in burials, or just bear witness for those experiencing loss; for those who chose to make tax deductible donations, and to those who have chosen to support us through advanced purchases of burial rights. Thank you for your continued support!
We hope to see many of you at the cemetery. It is a beautiful place in all seasons, made all the more beautiful by the stories it holds.
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