News & Features
October 2005

Volunteer scrubbers preserve gravestones
By Ron Couture
Historical Commission

Happy scrubbers—what did you say was in that cleaning solvent?

It was a bright, sunny Saturday morning Sept. 10 that 16 of us gathered to begin the washing and cleaning of the stone markers in our cemetery. We started with an area that contains mostly granite stones, which allowed us the reserved use of a power washer, but only on the granite, since other stones are softer and we would damage them. Even the granite needs to be carefully washed when using this kind of modern invention.

Most of us liked the idea of actually scrubbing and loosening the years of dirt left on the stones and insisted that we get the very last bit of lichen removed before going on to the next one. The group, made up of some husband and wife teams, fathers with daughters, sister-in-law and sister's kid, singles and neighbors, worked from 8 to 10 a.m. or so before taking a break for coffee and doughnuts...bad, bad, bad! But we all seemed to enjoy them. A few hung on scrubbing away and shooting a little power washer water into the crowd now and then.

As we enjoyed our nasty doughnuts, State Rep. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) dropped by to leave a donation for the Cemetery Preservation Fund for which we are all thankful and appreciative. Then it was back to work washing and scrubbing our way along. The larger monuments needed the use of a ladder and even then we had a bit more to reach. We'll have get taller people the next time around.

Peter Masuzzo and state Rep. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) with their preservation T-shirts.

Our Preservation Fund "Scrubbers" each got a nice dark green "Preservation" T-shirt and a picnic lunch of hot dogs, burgers and tasty desserts as a just reward for all the work they did. Thanks go out to all who helped in this preservation cleaning effort: to the cemetery staff and the commissioners of both the Cemetery and Historical Commissions; a very special thanks to Pauline Merrick, who organized the event and kept everyone in "soap" and brushes while scrubbing along with the rest of us, too; and to Peter Masuzzo and Wayne Yaskoski who made sure the food and equipment got to us in time.

If you'd like to help by being a "Preservation Scrubber," you can join us at our next scrubbing session on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 8 a.m. Watch for reminders in the local papers, and call Pauline Merrick at 508-867-9138 so we can be sure to have enough equipment on hand.

If you can't help with the scrubbing but want to donate to the cause, you'll receive a donation certificate, framed with a donation over $50. Memorials in someone's name can also be made for various large items that need to be purchased or can be put toward landscape preservation or tree purchases. Checks can be made out to Cemetery Preservation Fund and sent to: Brookfield Town Treasurer, Brookfield Town Hall, 6 Central St., Brookfield, MA 01506.