December 2022
Dear Friends of SOC,
As we wrap up 2022, we wanted to let you know what SOC has been up to.
TOURS
Unfortunately, our numbers continue to be low. Three important cemeteries are still closed: Lafayette No. 1, St. Louis No. 2, and Greenwood Cemetery, and this continues to impact our bottom line.
Happily, we are still able to offer tours in these cemeteries:
• Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery. We are fortunate to be the only tour company permitted to do tours here. Named by Forbes as one of ten of “America’s Best Cemeteries”, this tour has consistently been rated 5 stars by our guests.
• St. Louis Cemetery No. 3. Often called the “Chefs’ Cemetery”, this gem near City Park has proven to be of great interest to visitors.
• St. Roch Cemetery. This unique “neighborhood” cemetery is one of the least visited but one of the most popular cemeteries in New Orleans. We hope to introduce more people to this unique spot.
PARTNERSHIPS
We continue to believe that in the absence of tour revenue, partnerships offer us new and different opportunities to raise funds and increase awareness of our organization.
SOC has started offering a joint tour of St. Louis No. 3 and the Pitot House on Bayou St. John. This West-Indies style house is one of the last remaining in Louisiana. Its proximity to the cemetery has been a wonderful opportunity to work with the Louisiana Landmarks Society, which owns the house.
The Friends of the Cabildo has started selling our cemetery tours in their 1850 House on Jackson Square. We hope this gets our name in front of the public more and reinforces that we are a history-based tour.
We were proud to be the recipient of the silent auction for the Anne Rice Vampire Lestat Fan Club Ball for the third year. We raised over $3,000. and there is an excellent opportunity to be their charity of choice going forward.
SOC worked closely with The Broadside on 2 successful fundraising events. In October, we hosted a showing of the "Night of the Living Dead" movie with over 300 people in attendance. This was also a membership drive and we added many, many names to our database. Food trucks, a live band, and a silent auction rounded out the event. Then, just last week, we hosted a showing of the movie “Krampus” along with the Krewe of Krampus for another fun night. Food trucks, photo-ops, a live band, and a holiday market all added to the festive atmosphere.
We are hoping to develop more partnerships in the coming year.
RESTORATION
We have three projects in our sights and will announce the first one shortly. We are anxious to get back to our restoration efforts.
EDUCATION
We are planning monthly lectures for the new year. Stay tuned for announcements in our monthly e-newsletter which we are bringing back.
As we move into 2023, we hope you will continue to support us - it’s imperative. Please consider renewing and possibly increasing your membership, as it will help us to continue our mission of preservation, restoration, and education of our important "Cities of the Dead".
Thank you,
Carolyn Sinclair
Executive Director
