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Memorial ice lanterns light up night at Winter Solstice event

You can honour families from the community's past, as well as lost friends and loved ones, at the Sharon Burying Ground Dec. 21
2019 12 16 Sharon Burying Ground winter solstice
The Sharon Burying Ground hosts its annual Winter Solstice on Saturday, Dec. 21. Supplied photo

Ice lanterns will light up the night at the Sharon Burying Ground Saturday, Dec. 21 for the annual Winter Solstice.

The event, from 6 to 10 p.m., honours families from the community's past and raises funds for the historic Sharon Burying Ground’s maintenance and restoration projects.

Visitors can enjoy the peace and calm of the cemetery during a busy season on the longest night of the year.

You can sponsor an ice lantern, which are placed throughout the site, as well as honour lost friends and loved ones by lighting a candle and hanging a tag on the Memory Tree.

Admisison is free, and you don't have to have an affiliation with the burying ground to attend, organizers say. 

Located just south of the village of Sharon, the Sharon Burying Ground is the final resting place of many members of the Children of Peace, who built the Sharon Temple, as well as members of other prominent local families.

David Willson, founder of the Children of Peace, and  his wife, Phoebe Titus, are buried there, as are the master builder of the Sharon Temple, Ebenezer Doan, and his wife, Elizabeth Paxon.

In 1995, the Sharon Burying Ground was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act as a site of historical importance.


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Debora Kelly

About the Author: Debora Kelly

Debora Kelly is NewmarketToday's editor. She is an award-winning journalist and communications professional who is passionate about building strong communities through engagement, advocacy and partnership.
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