Join the Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery

Friends of Oak Grove Cemetery Re-Established

The Friends of the Oak Grove Cemetery group is being re-established to assist in the fundraising efforts related to specific projects for the improvement, maintenance, and beautification of Oak Grove Cemetery. The FOGC group acts as an arm of the Oak Grove Cemetery Board and is dedicated to the support of Oak Grove Cemetery, Conway, Arkansas. Any person interested in projects to improve Oak Grove Cemetery, is eligible to be a member of the organization.

There are always needs like upkeep of the grounds, mowing, weed-eating, trash pickup, and removing twigs and fallen branches. There are infrastructure improvements needed: fencing, developing the new 2 acres of property given by the city, drainage improvements, street repaving and building a pavilion. It is important to the City of Conway and to all who have treasured family members buried at Oak Grove, to continue to make the cemetery a beautiful place.

Please make a donation and be a part of the effort to make this historical cemetery a peaceful resting place for those who are buried there, and those who will be.  A one-time donation or a monthly donation would make a huge impact!  Payment can be made using the QR code below. Checks, Cash, or donations through Paypal are accepted. 

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KYZHAAWXAM6WY&source=qr

You are also encouraged to contribute more than the yearly dues using the tiered system of donation levels:

$25-$99 Friend
$100-$249 Contributor
$250-$499 Sustainer
$500-$999 Benefactor
$1,000 + Patron

Click HERE for a fillable form to join FOGC!

If you are unable to contribute financially but would still like to support the mission of Oak Grove Cemetery, the Board hosts several events throughout the year that we encourage you to attend:

• Adopt-a-Street Cleanup, November 9, 2024
• The Big Event Cleanup—Assisted by volunteer college groups, March 8, 2025
• Memorial Day Service/Decoration Day, April 26, 2025, 10 a.m.
• Gone But Not Forgotten, TBD

Thank you for your continued support of the Oak Grove Cemetery. We look forward to continuing to maintain a place of peace, comfort, and solitude for the community.

Gone But Not Forgotten

 

Gone But Not Forgotten Returns!

We are bringing Gone But Not Forgotten back to Oak Grove Cemetery, thanks to the Conway High School Drama Department. 

Sunday, May 5
3:00-5:00 pm
Oak Grove Cemetery
305 E. Bruce St. 

This is a come-and-go event. You may come anytime between
3:00 and 5:00 pm and tour the gravesites of
famous Conway educators:
Sallie Cone, Ellen Smith, Julia Lee Moore and others.

Civil War Marker to be Placed at Oak Grove

This past Saturday, at the Faulkner County Museum's Holiday Open House, about 100 people were in attendance to see a Civil War marker dedicated.  This marker will be placed near the gazebo at Historic Oak Grove Cemetery and was made possible by the Faulkner County Museum and the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission.

Carol Rolf recently wrote an article for the River Valley Ozark edition of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette about the marker.  Oak Grove is very honored to have been chosen by the Museum as the location for its installation.

Be sure to read Carol's article (and see Eilish Palmer's photo) at this link:

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2014/oct/26/faulkner-county-museum-host-open-house-saturday/?f=rivervalley

Oak Grove and Central Landing

Historic Oak Grove Cemetery was recently featured in a front-page article in Conway's Log Cabin Democrat newspaper.  Michelle Corbet did a great job of interviewing the key people and summarizing how the cemetery and the city worked together.  Give the article a read when you get a chance, and be sure to thank the City Council and Planning Department for their help in making sure our historic cemetery maintains its character.  We look forward to seeing the Central Landing development take off!

http://thecabin.net/news/local/2014-10-30/historic-cemetery-included-central-landing-plans

Coming Soon: Columbarium at Oak Grove

The Oak Grove Cemetery Board has embarked on a major project, the construction of an in-ground columbarium area.  Landscape architect Barry Williams of Crafton Tull is in charge of the design.  This project has been in the works for some time, and as soon as plans are finalized, construction will begin.  The columbarium garden is to be constructed southeast of the gazebo, which is located in the heart of the cemetery and was donated some years ago by the Robinette family.  We are very pleased that Patricia Thessing, immediate past president, remains involved in the planning and fundraising for the columbarium project.  We hope you'll watch here as plans develop and construction begins!

Log Cabin Democrat Article - Feb 24 2014

A New Year at Oak Grove

Every January, new board members join Oak Grove and we are very pleased to welcome Elizabeth Cohen, Shirley Merritt, and Linda Rogers in 2014!  Following an orientation get-together, the new members attended their first meeting in January.


We are very thankful for the service of both Patricia Thessing and Sue Siria, whose terms ended in December.  Patricia has most recently served as the President of the Board where she championed the recent beautification efforts at the cemetery.  Sue has most recently served as the Secretary of the Board.  The cemetery is all the better for them having served it!

A new slate of officers was also selected at the January meeting:
Carol Powers - President
Jason Hansen - Vice-President
Brenda Collier - Secretary
Chris Odom - Treasurer

Great things are happening at Oak Grove Cemetery and we invite you to visit any time!  Keep watching for more exciting news to come throughout the year.

VolunteerConway.org Big Event

On November 1, 2013, Oak Grove Cemetery is participating in VolunteerConway.org's Big Event by hosting volunteers at the cemetery to help with some clean-up and maintenance projects which include mulching, weeding, raking, trimming and more.

We'll be there 8:00 - 11:00 am this Friday, so stop on by to lend a hand!  You can even register ahead of time at:
Oak Grove Cemetery Volunteer Sign-Up.

Join us for a day of fun while lending a hand to the cemetery and community!

To learn more about VolunteerConway.org, please visit:  http://www.volunteerconway.org/

Central Landing

It is certainly an exciting time to be in Conway, Arkansas!  On October 10, the Conway Development Corporation and Jim Wilson Associates of Montgomery, Alabama, announced plans to jointly develop Central Landing on the site of the current (soon to be vacated) Cantrell Field airport just north of the cemetery.  We are excited to have new neighbors and very pleased that the city is considering the possibility of expanding Oak Grove Cemetery to the north with a portion of this land.

Check out these links for more details:

http://www.developconway.org/news/%E2%80%9Ccentral-landing%E2%80%9D-development-announced-for-conway

http://thecabin.net/news/local/2013-10-10/central-landing-fits-citys-master-plan

http://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2013/10/10/conway-to-get-major-shoppingliving-development

Voluntary Taxes

When paying your personal property taxes this month, be sure to include your voluntary taxes. Historic Oak Grove Cemetery is supported by a portion of the voluntary tax millage and we very much appreciate your help!

Jim Owen - 1947-2013

The Oak Grove Cemetery Board lost a dear friend and advocate this past week.  Jim Owen, our newest board member, passed away August 1.  While his time working on our board was short, his contributions were outstanding and he will be sorely missed.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

Log Cabin Democrat article

Roller-McNutt Obituary

James "Jim" Carney Owen
December 29, 1947 - August 1, 2013