Mother's Day at the cemetery not a grave time

Mother's Day is a time for family, and just because there are family members who are no longer living doesn't mean they will be left out Sunday.

The Memorial Park Cemetery is hosting its annual Mother's Day Open House on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"Historically, Mother's Day is by far our busiest day of the year," explained cemetery administrator Sandy Hewitson. "We found it beneficial to the people that come here if we have staff on hand for that one Sunday every year."

On Mother's Day, Hewitson said she sees families coming to visit other family members and people taking advantage of the start of spring to clean up the plots of those interred at the cemetery.

"You see whole families, especially after brunch gets out. Quite often, I think it's the mother that leads that in families - going to remember their mothers and loved ones," she said. "I can think of two or three women that come out here and say 'I come and see my mom' and they polish up the headstone and that's their tradition. They don't forget because that's Mother's Day."

Normally, cemetery staff are not on site over the weekend, with the exception of Saturdays if there are services.

But since 2006, they are on hand on the second Sunday in May to hand out maps and cleaning kits to visitors. Those kits include brushes to clean the headstones and toothpaste and a toothbrush to spruce up the lettering.

"Usually [visitors] come out and they're trying to clean it with a Kleenex from their car," Hewitson said, adding it may very well be her favourite day of the year to work.

"The cemetery's not a sad place, you know. It's really a place of reflection and remembrance and peace," she said.

The gates at the Memorial Park Cemetery are open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.