Pinetree Cemetery benefit to be held at Seton Hall
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By Carmen Ensinger
For those accustomed to traveling to Patterson to attend the Pinetree Cemetery benefit, there has been a change of plans this year.
This year, the luncheon benefit auction and raffle will be held at Seton Hall on March 26 beginning at 11 a.m. rather than at the old Patterson School as in the past.
Pinetree Cemetery Board President Mary Jane Steelman explained the reason for the change of venue this year.
“After not having the benefit for the last two years because of COVID, we went out there this year to check the building out and found out that it had really gone down a lot,” Steelman said. “The kitchen was still in good shape, but the bathrooms needed some work so we thought it would be better to just hold it at Seton Hall. Plus, we thought that we might draw a bigger crowd holding it here in White Hall where people wouldn’t have to drive out of town to get lunch or get to the auction.”
Steelman thinks Pinetree Cemetery has been around since around the 1830’s.
“We know the land was donated by a family because back there in the old part they had family buried and I think that was sometime around 1832,” Steelman said. “Since then, it has been added on to several times. In fact, we are needing to add on to now, but that has been put on hold.”
Lots are still being sold and the sale of these lots and the money raised from this cemetery benefit are the sole source of income for the upkeep of the cemetery and the Old Patterson Cemetery, which the cemetery board also takes care of.
“It really depends on the weather, but it can run up to $18,000 a year to take care of both cemeteries,” Steelman said. “Bill Pruitt has been taking care of the cemeteries since I have been on the board and he does an excellent job and we are very lucky to have him and with the price of gas going up things are going to only go up this year.”
Steelman said in the past, the cemetery benefit has brought in around $8,000 per year, so not having the benefit due to COVID in 2020 and 2021 has cost the Cemetery Association around $16,000 in lost funds.
“We have managed to keep our head above water by the donations that have come in when people pass away,” Steelman said. “But half of the upkeep of our cemetery has come to depend on the money from this benefit and we have been without that for the past two years. We are hoping to do really good this year and recoup some of that money.”
In addition to the food, which they will begin serving at 11 a.m., there will be an auction which will begin at 3 p.m. They are taking donations of items for this auction now and will continue to take items up until 1 p.m. on the day of the auction. Cox Auction will be providing the auction services.
Food will be ala-carte and will include chili, potato soup, hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, pies, cakes and cookies. Donations of pies, cakes and cookies are welcome as well. Carry-out will be available.
There will also be a 50/50 drawing and a raffle for a beautiful quilt made by the Jones Sisters and donated by Mary Ann Farris.
