A History of the Evergreen Cemetery Walk

Join Director of Education Candace Summers for a program on the Museum’s longest running and most successful outreach program, the Evergreen Cemetery Walk.

This program will explore the roots of this event and how it began as a call to action because vandalism was a major problem at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery. Audience members will also be introduced to the individuals who will be featured during the 25th Anniversary Evergreen Cemetery Walk this year and view a clip from the 2018 Walk.

Candace Summers, Director of Education and lead coordinator for the Evergreen Cemetery Walk, has worked at the McLean County Museum of History for almost 14 years. Each year she helps to educate over 20,000 people in Central Illinois through educational programs like the Evergreen Cemetery Walk. About half of those individuals are school children and senior citizens who receive in-depth educational programs free of charge. Candace has over 15 years of experience working in museum education with age groups ranging from K-12 to adults and over twenty years of historical research experience. She has extensive leadership and training experience and has helped other museums and organizations launch their own cemetery walks. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology from the University of Evansville in Evansville, IN. She obtained a Master of History in 2006 from Illinois State University. Candace began her career at the Museum in 2005 as an intern in the Education Department and has worked there ever since.