Memorial Day: Tour of historic Savannah Cemetery in Rosemead

UPDATE:  The back gate to the cemetery will be open, this means you can park off of Mission on Encinita or Claudia Ave. Last year the parking on Valley Blvd was taken up quite early on.

The Ukulady will be in attendance at the event, in full pioneer garb and singing pioneer songs. The set will begin about noon.

To sign up for this free event: First register as a user on this site, and then return to this page. Refresh the page and the signup tab will appear just to the left, above this paragraph. Click “signup” and reserve your spot. No plus-ones; each guest must register individually.

Join us for a Memorial Day celebration at Savannah Memorial Park. Established circa 1851 and recently made a California Historical Landmark (#1046), it is the oldest American cemetery in Southern California.

The City of Rosemead will host an official ceremony at 10:30am, complete with 21-gun salute and a bagpipe accompaniment. Around 12:15pm, following the city ceremony, LAVA members will gather at the main gate and at 12:30pm begin their tour of the cemetery.

Tours guides, all of whom have decades of involvement with the cemetery, will recount the trials and tribulations of the pioneer families who braved the Santa Fe Trail and the Mojave Desert to make their homes in the lowlands of the eastern San Gabriel Valley, before finding eternal rest in these hallowed grounds. You won’t want to miss this very special LAVA excursion which has become an annual tradition.