Pioneers Come to Life during Dining with the Dead

The dead will come to life, not to haunt the living, but to tell their stories to the intrepid who dare to dine with the dead. You're watching the local news network brought to you by Sunray Park & Casino and CMIT Solutions. I'm Wendy Graham Settle, Meet Eli Rufus Cline whose Main Street bakery caught on fire and destroyed a number of businesses in Downtown Farmington in 1910 Or talk with the notorious Ike Stockton, whose cattle wrestling activities prompted the San Juan County Wars. Stockton died in Durango from a gunshot wound inflicted by a Silverton sheriff who tried to arrest Stockton for murder. Stockton is buried in the old animus city cemetery, but will haunt the Greenlawn Cemetery during the Rio Del Sol Quantis Club's dining with the dead event on Saturday, September 11th. 15 local celebrities and actors will reenact some of the pioneers who settled in San Juan County in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

We research the history so that everything that the actors say is as close to the truth as we can get it. Because when you're researching history sometimes you have this version, and sometimes you have that version and you have to decide what you feel like is closest to the truth. And a lot of times, family members will help us. We've had family members that have said, would you portray my great-grandmother? You know my great-grandfather? And that's where we get so much history, and we love that.

You'll also meet the Reverend Hugh Griffin, the cowboy circuit preacher who traded his 10 acre homestead for a five acre plot where the town's original cemetery was founded. Graves at the old cemetery were relocated to Griffin's original homestead and in 1896, the area officially became the Greenlawn Cemetery. Reverend Griffin's grave is on the northeast edge of the cemetery grounds. Dining with the Dead tours run from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. Tickets are 30 dollars each and include dinner. They may be purchased at Howard's Cleaners across from the cemetery. Proceeds benefit Quantis Children's Projects. For more information, call 5 0 5 - 3 2 5 - 5 9 3 1 or 5 0 5 - 8 6 0 - 5 1 6 5. Thanks for watching this edition of the local news network. I'm Wendy Graham Settle.

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