Skip to content
Entertainment
Link copied to clipboard

Meet Philly's queen of the graveyard bash

Drexel alum programs concerts, parties, plays, and more at historic Laurel Hill Cemetery

WHEN IT WAS founded in 1836, Laurel Hill Cemetery provided a tranquil alternative to the crowded churchyard burial grounds of Center City, a place where Philadelphians could enjoy a picturesque stroll while paying their respects to the dearly departed.

Today, the national historic landmark is also the setting for inventive and often irreverent nighttime shows, like Friday's sold-out performance by the Dead Milkmen.

The wake-the-dead show by Philly's punk rock legends kicks off the busy Halloween season at the cemetery, which this year includes an interactive murder mystery, a moonlit 5K run, a classic car show, and the Gravediggers' Ball, Laurel Hill's annual fund-raiser.

The macabre mastermind behind this eclectic calendar is director of programs Emma Stern, who talked with reporter Shaun Brady at her cemetery office.

Q How did you come to Laurel Hill?

I majored in photography at Drexel and had worked for other nonprofits - the Main Line Art Center, the Print Center - and I became really interested in the Philadelphia nonprofit community, as well as the arts. I also have a love of history, so it was a good fit.

I started in general office support. I've been running the programs for about two years now.

Q Have you always had a taste for the macabre?

I wouldn't say I was a diehard cemetery or horror film fanatic. It's something that developed.

Now, whenever I go somewhere, I try to find a local cemetery to visit. I was just in Vermont and stopped at the state's first cemetery, where Robert Frost is buried.

Q How do you see your mission, given that Laurel Hill is at once a cemetery, a historic site, and an event space?

The cemetery was founded as a sacred burial space for Philadelphians, but back then it was also considered a place that the living could enjoy. Victorians would come and bring their picnics, visit their loved ones, take strolls, enjoy the site, and use it as a place of recreation.

This was before public parks were really established, so there was a very different view of cemeteries. That's what we're trying to bring back to the public today.

Q What have been some of the most memorable events?

There's been a lot. One of my favorite things that we've done for the last three years is the Ghostly Circus . It's basically a variety show, and there's always a storyline that loosely connects to the residents who are buried at Laurel Hill.

I also love the classic Halloween tours, because that's when our tour guides get to shine. You can bring your flashlight and learn about some of Laurel Hill's general history as well as some of the spookier, more Halloweenish stories that we have here.

Q What are your aspirations outside the graveyard?

I run a photo gallery called Gravy with a few other people that I went to school with. So I get my photo kick from that.

We put on different First Friday shows every month, usually showing artists that are local to Philadelphia and the surrounding area. That pretty much keeps me busy in my spare time.

Q Is there anything you'd like to do at Laurel Hill that you haven't been able to yet?

I love crafts, so I'd like to do some sort of large-scale flea market. The possibilities are pretty unlimited here.