There’s been some controversy over a fence at the West Tisbury Village Cemetery. The local historic district commission pushed back against a plan to use plastic fencing, and then the town decided to make more temporary changes when wood proved more expensive. Now, there is an idea to host a Day of the Dead fundraiser to bring the wooden fence back to life.
Meg Carman, a member of the town’s historic district commission, delivered her presentation as a resident to the select board on Wednesday.
The fence at the cemetery entrance, long in need of repair, was custom-made by former town select board member John Early, who passed away in 2020.
The Village Cemetery, which Carman said installed its first grave in 1688, is a town landmark, and final resting place for a number of prominent Vineyard families, such as the Fisher, Athearn, Manter, and Alley families.
“The front of the cemetery just looks so awful,” Carman told the board, “and I think we need to do something to be more respectful of our ancestors and the people who made the town what it is.”
“So I would propose starting out with something fun,” she said.
A Day of the Dead–themed event, she said, could involve inviting families to honor their loved ones, possibly by placing their photos at family plots. It could also involve asking a garden center to contribute marigolds, and horse-and-buggy rides from cars to the cemetery entrance. The film “Coco,” a Disney animated film about the Mexican holiday, could also be shown at the West Tisbury library, she said.
She does not have any funding currently in place for the event itself, she told the board.
While officials were supportive at the meeting, properly paying for the fence repair was a major lingering question. The project could involve a range of funding sources, they stated, including money from donations and Community Preservation funding.
Previous bids for the work have come in at around $100,000.
“We just have to figure out what path we’re on to figure out what questions to ask,” town administrator Jen Rand said at the meeting.
