{"id":685,"date":"2018-06-29T15:31:26","date_gmt":"2018-06-29T22:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/?p=68480"},"modified":"2018-06-29T15:31:26","modified_gmt":"2018-06-29T22:31:26","slug":"saving-sunnyside-organizers-behind-festival-obscura-have-a-spirited-plan-for-keeping-the-dead-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/saving-sunnyside-organizers-behind-festival-obscura-have-a-spirited-plan-for-keeping-the-dead-alive","title":{"rendered":"Saving Sunnyside: Organizers behind Festival Obscura have a spirited plan for keeping the dead, alive"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[easy-image-collage id=68487]<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos courtesy of Festival Obscura co-founder Ryan Hughes.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The goal is to create a place that\u2019s alive, revered in the minds of the Long Beach public; a historic site, a time capsule, well taken care of with its gates open to the those with family members buried there and the curious minds, students, residents and history buffs who want to explore.<\/p>\n<p>The inaugural Festival Obscura will present \u201cA Celebration at Sunnyside Cemetery\u201d on Saturday at the 112-year-old historic site and will be the first craft libation, art and music fundraising festival held in a California cemetery, according to organizers.<\/p>\n<p>Founders of the festival Martin Svab, co-owner and founder of Carson-based Phantom Carriage Brewery, and partner Ryan Hughes, Phantom\u2019s director of sales, hope to raise $40,000 to support the future of the burial ground, which has been in slow decline for a little over a decade.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s more than the cemetery is bringing in annually with its current endowment fund, according to Hughes.<\/p>\n<p>Festival Obscura has been a couple years in the works, however Svab and Hughes are not the first to have tried sustaining the cemetery in non-traditional fashion. Lola\u2019s Outdoor Retro Cinema nights began in 2013, a collaboration between The Frida Cinema, Sunnyside and title sponsor Lola\u2019s, while the Historical Society of Long Beach has rented the space to host numerous educational events.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"1G6OOHjiBn\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/art\/lola-s-outdoor-retro-cinema-returns-to-the-cemetery-with-screening-of-nosferatu\">Lola\u2019s Outdoor Retro Cinema Returns to the Cemetery with Screening of NOSFERATU<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Lola\u2019s Outdoor Retro Cinema Returns to the Cemetery with Screening of NOSFERATU&#8221; &#8212; the Hi-lo\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/art\/lola-s-outdoor-retro-cinema-returns-to-the-cemetery-with-screening-of-nosferatu\/embed\/#?secret=0F3k66dS4L#?secret=1G6OOHjiBn\" data-secret=\"1G6OOHjiBn\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Hughes, who started and runs the cemetary\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sunnysidecemetery\/\">Instagram<\/a>, as well as its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sunnysidecemetery\/\">Facebook page<\/a>, is on a mission to raise awareness that Sunnyside is a local gem worth taking care of. It\u2019s currently privately owned, and operated by its board members as well as a charity named \u201cThe Friends of Sunnyside.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The current manager, Mike Miner, has been trying to retire, but in order for him to do so there needs to be a replacement ready to step in, someone licensed with at least two years of experience managing cemeteries. In a worst-case-scenario situation, the state would take over management of the cemetery. The problem with finding Miner\u2019s replacement, said Hughes, is that no one wants the job.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to Miner, the only other paid worker is a groundskeeper, Jose Robles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve been not able to water the lawns[&#8230;] they have a really bad gopher problem,\u201d Hughes said. \u201cTheir former owner embezzled half their endowment fund and so they have no space left to bury anybody. Right now they need the money, quite frankly, just to keep the doors open.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sunnyside relies on interest from that endowment to maintain operations, but in 1994 a aforementioned former owner embezzled more than half that million, a serious financial loss for the site. Years of drought combined with the limited funding have resulted in the deterioration of the grounds.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-68482\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_4501-832x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One option might be for the city to step in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the city were to take over the cemetery, there could be the potential for Mike to retire and for Friends of Sunnyside to handle the day-to-day operations,\u201d Hughes explained. \u201cIn order for the city to take over, the cemetery needs to prove that it can bring in money, as well\u2014which hopefully this festival will be able to help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The city\u2019s Department of Economic Development is working with Sunnyside in pursuing a Port of Long Beach Community Infrastructure Grant opportunity, according to Property Services Officer Johnny Vallejo. The application was recently submitted and is being considered.<\/p>\n<p>Vallejo said that as part of that process the city is working with Sunnyside and a landscape designer provided by the water department to develop a plan for the site.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is all relatively preliminary, but the City recognizes Sunnyside as an important historical and cultural resource,\u201d Vallejo wrote in an email.<\/p>\n<p>Miner, the cemetery\u2019s manager of the last 24 years, 12 of them as a volunteer, plans on retiring in November, but said that everything\u2019s negotiable. Sunnyside came close to closing after he suffered a recent heart attack, but Miner is still hanging on despite still recuperating.<\/p>\n<p>He said he\u2019s been trying to sell the site to the city for the last two decades. Vallejo said right now the city is working with Sunnyside to pursue grant opportunities and other potential partnerships.<\/p>\n<p>When Miner first started as a volunteer, it wasn\u2019t out of an interest in the funeral business, it was because his father\u2014who was dying at the time\u2014implored him to take care of their family\u2019s eight plots there.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him that I would do it and I\u2019ve tried to do my best, so it\u2019s cost me 24 years, but I wouldn\u2019t say cost me because it\u2019s like a labor of love, hate&#8230; It\u2019s more on the love side, it really is,\u201d Miner said. \u201cBut it means an awful lot to me and I\u2019ve kept it open all these years with the help of our board and other people and donations, things like that.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s worth keeping open, it\u2019s a genuine treasure for anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-68486\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_4503-970x709.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>With tickets almost sold out for this first iteration of Festival Obscura\u2014where 20-plus macabre artists and musicians, local historians, authors and morticians alongside 45-plus independent local craft breweries, cideries, wineries and food trucks are readying to provide guests a hauntingly good time\u2014Hughes hopes to have the event at least annually, and perhaps even twice year, as an ongoing effort to raise funds for Sunnyside.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t believe what Martin and Ryan have done to go through the bells and whistles to get the permits and everything to do this,\u201d Miner said. \u201cIt was a huge undertaking for them. If things run smoothly I think we\u2019ll be here for the next two years, I do, even though I\u2019m going to retire I pretty much believe that the cemetery will go on with or without me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really exciting to see everybody actually trying to\u2014especially in this day and age\u2014actually trying to come together to do something positive for something that can\u2019t actually speak for itself,\u201d Hughes said. \u201c I think it is really important to Long Beach, and the history of Long Beach. Hopefully this brings some awareness to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For more information on Festival Obscura, visit the website <a href=\"https:\/\/www.festivalobscura.com\/\">here<\/a>.\u00a0 Tickets are still available through Eventbrite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/festival-obscura-presents-a-celebration-at-sunnyside-cemetery-tickets-45957589387?aff=eac2\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Sunnyside Cemetery is located at 1095 E. Willow St.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The inaugural Festival Obscura will present \u201cA Celebration at Sunnyside Cemetery\u201d on Saturday at the 112-year-old historic site and will be the first craft libation, art and music fundraising festival held in a California cemetery, according to organizers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":65977,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[373],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hi-lo","tag-sunnyside-cemetery","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=685"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=685"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}