A rededication of the Native cemetery at 3.5 Mile Haines Highway will be held 5 p.m. Friday, June 10 at the site.
It will be followed by a dinner at Tlingit Park.
Chilkoot Indian Association tribal youth program director Rod Hinson said the event will recognize the work of young tribal members who shaped hundreds of balasters to replace about 20 grave fences there last year.
Work included brushing and clearing at the cemetery, where dates on headstones go back to 1872. “It’s a celebration of cleaning up and fixing up and the new fences. It’s a good reason to get together on a hopefully nice Friday night.”
Hinson said the tribe would provide a main course and that picnickers should bring a salad or side dish.
He’s hoping that residents who made skin drums through the youth program will bring them to the event. He estimates 140 drums were made in the past 14 months, including by local Cub Scouts. “We want Tlingit and non-Tlingit people there.”