General George Meade who lived on Delancey Street in Philadelphia celebrated his 199th birthday this year and as is the custom of the Meade Society, a party in his honor is organized on the exact day-December 31! The venue: Laurel Hill Cemetery, an historical and stunningly beautiful cemetery located on the hill above Kelly Drive. where he is buried with his family.Unlike most of my other adventures, the day is cold, bitter cold, so even bundling up is not quite enough to keep warm from the wind.
An entourage of soldiers, representatives from veterans groups and women's groups and the rest of us in the riffraff form a parade to the grave sight accompanied by the civil war band. I wonder as I did at Gettysburg how they can play in such cold, but then again, those crazy football marching bands have the same problem. Liquor?
The ceremonies are delightfully managed as we see wreaths placed at the graves, hear the gunfire of the soldiers rifles, listen to music, and watch a short informative speech by an actual former navy captain who is, no surprise, playing a civil war naval captain. Dressed in his fancy naval plumed hat, he with his wife beside him play their parts well.
Although the celebration is my original motivation for coming out on a frigid December 31 afternoon, once again I have another 'Who knew?' moment. Who knew this cemetery was so exquisite? Who knew that just 10 minutes from my house is a hillside of such historical value? Now I do! Can't wait until spring to explore more of this Philadelphia treasure.
