All Saints'/ Souls' Day Celebration

The Mt. Olivet Cemetery Association presents our All Saints'/Souls' Day Celebration. The celebration is set on the beautiful grounds of historic Mt. Olivet located at 2340 Fulton Avenue (Route T) in Hannibal, MO. As always, the celebration is free and open to the public.

All Saints' Days and All Souls' Days have been celebrated for thousands of years by cultures and religions around the world to honor deceased family members. Customs include lighting candles, offering prayers, cleaning and decorating of family members' graves, and sharing food with friends and family. Hand-written diary entries from the late 1800's and early 1900's indicate Hannibal area families celebrated in much the same way at Mt. Olivet.

The day's activities will begin with a memorial balloon release, sponsored by the James O'Donnell Funeral Home. Participants in the balloon release will be asked to meet at the cemetery chapel between 2:00 and 2:30 to personalize a balloon tag in honor of their loved ones. The ceremony will begin at 2:45 with Tim Goodman, minister of Clover Road Christian Church, officiating. Jim O'Donnell says, "Our goal of the balloon release is to celebrate the lives of those who have passed while providing comfort and healing to family and friends."

In the shadows of the stained-glass windows, Pamela Reed-Wilde will again play the antique pump organ for chapel visitors. With Mother Nature providing a beautifully-colored backdrop, Lacey (Greisbaum) Miller will take family portraits, beginning at 2:00 near the chapel.

For the history buffs, the cemetery staff will offer hayride tours of the grounds at 3:00, highlighting many of Hannibal's historic figures buried at Mt. Olivet, including: Clemens, Coontz, Dulany, Garth, Gideon, Helm, Mahan, Robards, Stowell, and Faurot. Others may enjoy a personal scavenger hunt for the various symbols carved into the older, ornate monuments.

In keeping with the celebration's tradition, family and friends are invited to decorate loved ones' graves for the winter season. These decorations can stay until March 15, 2016. An old-fashioned wiener roast around the warmth of a bon-fire will round out the day's activities.

When asked why the cemetery sponsors such an event, Donna Brown, office manager, replied, "We want everyone to experience what we believe is one of Hannibal's best-kept secrets, the beauty and history that is Mt. Olivet. Designed by the original board of directors as a 'harmonious union of nature and art,' Mt. Olivet is a place where early records reveal area residents came to 'recreate and remember.' To that end, the board invites everyone, regardless of where a loved one is buried, to come participate in our All Souls'/Saints' Day Celebration. Bring your cameras; you will be disappointed if you don't. The beautiful vistas are breath-taking."