In Focus: Volunteers Put Final Touches on Greenwood Memorial Park Before Rededication

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Following the cleanup event Saturday, a formal rededication ceremony for Centralia’s Greenwood Memorial Park will occur at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 28. The public is invited to attend. The ceremony comes after years of restoration efforts by volunteers and the city. The damage done to the cemetery was synonymous with neglect, as former owner John Baker let the place fall into disrepair due to personal and legal troubles, according to previous Chronicle reporting. But since 2018, Centralia received $250,000 from the state to purchase the cemetery, subsequently obtaining an additional $500,000 from the 2019 state capital budget for its restoration. The cemetery had undergone quite the transformation as of 2021. The city and stakeholders removed dead trees, cut back the overgrown brush, power washed the headstones and repainted the concrete vaults, replacing those broken.