Tourism Commission discusses Evergreen Cemetery tour
<span>Another name has been added to the list of Evergreen Cemetery Comes Alive characters.</span>
<span>Lauren Rinne, event coordinator reported to the Chester Tourism Commission on Wednesday that Seth Allen will join the roster of the Oct. 18 event.</span>
<span>"We're going to move Col. Richard B. Servant up (on the tour) and put Allen behind him," Rinne said. "They're buried in the same row."</span>
<span>Allen, along with Amzi Andrews, established Evergreen Cemetery in 1843 and was one of Chester's earliest settlers. He also was an early justice of the peace and performed the town's first wedding ceremony in 1831 when he married Amzi and Content Andrews at the couple's home.</span>
<span>On April 25, 1835, Allen made the motion to incorporate Chester as a town. Twenty years later, that incorporation status changed to city and a board of aldermen and a mayor were elected annually.</span>
<span>Allen went on to be elected Chester's third mayor in 1858 before he died at age 65.</span>
<span>Rinne said that she has found a Chester High School student who will portray Charles Cole of Cole Milling Company.</span>
<span>"I'm hoping that we have better attendance than we had last year," she said.</span>
<span>The tour will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Pam Fraley was appointed coordinator of the rubbing portion of the event, which will allow interested people to make a copy of the inscription on family members' grave markers.</span>
<span>"If there's anybody from the (Daughters of the American Revolution) who is experienced with that, they can help you," Rinne said.</span>
<span>Rinne said in the case of heavy rain or severe weather, the event will be cancelled.</span>
<span>"If we get heavy rain, we're just not doing it," she said. "In the event of light or intermittent rain, the event will go on."</span>
<span>Chester Recreation Director Patti Carter updated the commission on the status of the riverboat visits and the Christmas Walk. The Queen of the Mississippi was scheduled to dock yesterday for tours to Spinach Can Collectibles, St. Mary's Covered Bridge, Chester Welcome Center and the Cohen Home.</span>
<span>Carter said the tour guides on the riverboats choose which locations to visit. The next riverboat docking is scheduled for Oct. 3, when the American Queen returns.</span>
<span>As for the Christmas Walk, Carter said this year's theme is "It's a Charlie Brown Christmas" and will include Santa's house at Cole Memorial Park.</span>
<span>"We are requesting committee groups and organizations donate money or time to put in a Christmas scene," she said. "We would like to fill the park with everything that we can."</span>
<span>Carter said the event will feature the usual Christmas tree at the Chester Square Gazebo, but organizers are hoping for a bigger tree at Cole Park to decorate.</span>
<span>Brenda Owen reported on the renovation progress of the Stone Cottage, stating that the floors are finished. She is working on getting bids for interior trim painting and two exterior back doors.</span>
<span>The current back doors were originally interior doors that were part of an earlier addition to the cottage that has since been torn off.</span>
Roundup
<span>Linda Sympson reported that she is in search of people to take over the restocking of tourism materials at the Chester Welcome Center. She said the Tourism Bureau Illinois South has been producing half of the materials it usually does and the city now has to pay postage to receive brochures from Springfield.</span>
<span>"The bottom line is we're running out of everything," she said.</span>
<span>Rinne said she had received a $200 bid from Total Eclipse for preventative termite treatment at the Pierre Menard Home. The bid also includes spraying for wood bees after the Total Eclipse representative noticed wood bee damage in the home's shutters.</span>
<span>Chairwoman Sandra Starr brought up the status of the Jack Harnagel Minipark in that it needs landscaping.</span>
<span>"No one is taking care of it," she said. "The city is mowing the lawn and weed-wacking, but they will not landscape."</span>
<span>Treasurer Linda Rader reported a balance of $7,080.40 in the commission's account, $128.88 of which is petty cash.</span>
<span>The commission received a $450 payment from American Eagle Cruise Lines for the river boat tours, $250 of which was paid out to the William and Ellen Cohen Memorial Park.</span>
<span>The next meeting of the commission is scheduled for Oct. 21 at 10:30 a.m. at city hall. It is open to the public.</span>
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