Elmwood Cemetery Tour Continued

We were missing a few photos of our wonderful actors from the Elmwood Cemetery Tour. May I introduce you to "Big Pete" McCullough (The hanging judge of Mexico) portrayed by Warren Brewer. And Mr. John Bingle Morris and his lovely wife Julia portrayed by John Dial and Kathy Zinkle. Although the wind was whipping, it was a sunny day and our tour guests were such great sports. A sincere thank you to the nice folks who joined us for the first Elmwood Tour.

Elmwood Cemetery Tour Part #1

Sunday was a beautiful afternoon and the tour was so much fun. Here are some pics from the day with more to come! Mary White Littrell begins our tours for the day. Martin Jones portrayed Dr. Vincent Durand. Michael Jennings portrayed Reverend Mansfield. Robin Lightfoot portrayed Clarence Barnes and Gary Littrell portrayed Rhodes Clay. Tom Usnick and Saddlebred gelding Citation portrayed Cyrus Clark and his champion horse, Thornton Star.

Check back soon- more photos of Voices Past actors to come!

2011 Walk Back in Time

What a wonderful time we had this year with Walk Back in Time. Many visitors, many wonderful stories and a barn full of equine! Father and daughter team, Tom and Katie Usnick brought in and meticulously groomed the horses for the day. (Thank you both!) Our gratitude to Dr. Ray Wilbers for lending us a few of his barn beauties. We had an American Saddlebred (Citation), a Hackney pony (Scout), a sweet orphaned Belgian filly, and a matching team of Belgian Draft mules (Alice & Lily). The barn was buzzing with happy energy and visitors. We appreciate ALL who came to our booth and trecked to our barn to see the progress. GREAT DAY!!!

Gamma Lambda Sorority tour of stables

We want to thank our wonderful group of ladies who toured our barn on June 1st, 2011. This group from Mexico added their memories and stories during the history talk. Our favorite part of tours are hearing stories from different eras and perspectives. We also want to dearly thank Gamma Lambda for their generous donation to our preservation efforts. This barn belongs to all who love & remember its legacy.

Where is Tom Bass buried?

Probably the most famous Afro-American horse trainer (if not the most famous horse trainer, period) is buried in Mexico, Mo. He was laid to rest next to the graves of his wife and son.

The images of the tombstones for Tom Bass' wife and son are also available at the International Saddebred Hall of Fame site.

Fresh paint on new stalls

Members of the Simmons' Stable Preservation Fund, Inc. have been working in the stable painting the newly finished stalls to prepare for fall tours, Mexico's Walk Back in Time and our annual Auction.

Night time barn work

The work on the barn never sleeps. With limited lighting Five Oaks continued their tasks into late hours. The restoration is progressing and the stable is slowly coming back to life.