Forest Hills Cemetery has just won a coveted spot on the National Register of Historic Places. The public is invited to celebrate the nomination in a gala weekend of festive events, including a concert and slide show in Forsyth Chapel about the grand French cemetery which inspired the founders of Forest Hills. The concert will be followed by a champagne toast and flashlight tour.

On Saturday night, June 25, at 8 pm, a slide show and chamber music concert will transport the audience to Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France. Founded by the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, Père Lachaise was one of the inspirations for the lush greenery and winding paths of Forest Hills. Until Napoleon decided to locate his fashionable cemetery in a rural setting, burial grounds were crowded stone-yards sandwiched between city buildings.

Many celebrities now reside at Père Lachaise, notably Frederic Chopin, Edith Piaf, and The Doors’ Jim Morrison. For this celebratory event, The Riverview Players will perform their music on violin, viola, cello and flute, while photographer and historian Susan Wilson shows her superb slides of the art and architecture of this extraordinary French treasure.

This event takes place in Forsyth Chapel; tickets are $10/$8 for Trust members. Reservations recommended; call 617.524.3354 or via email to tickets@foresthillstrust.org.

Presented by the non-profit Forest Hills Educational Trust.

Champagne Toast, Floral Installation, and Flashlight Tour
The concert and slide show will be followed at 9 pm by a champagne toast and flashlight tour of Forest Hills Cemetery. The toast will be given by noted poet Charles Coe, who will read an e.e. cummings poem as well as something of his own written for this special occasion (cummings is buried at Forest Hills). After the toast, we will set out for The Illuminations tour, a rare evening tour of the cemetery, which is normally closed after dark. Led by Susan Wilson, visitors will walk by flashlight, starlight, and candlelight to the founder's gravesite (Henry Dearborn) where artist Susan Baltozer is constructing a 20' floral installation for his monument. The walk will continue to loop around Lake Hibiscus and back.

These events take place outdoors and will be rescheduled to Tuesday, June 28 in the event of heavy rain. Admission to toast and tour: $8/free with a concert ticket.

On Sunday, June 26, join us for trolley rides, treasure hunts, live music and contemporary art. More information.

SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTOS OF PERE LACHAISE AND FOREST HILLS. AVAILABLE AT HIGH RESOLUTION VIA EMAIL. PLEASE SEND REQUEST WITH THE TITLE TO: cmiller@foresthillstrust.org

A string quartet plus flute will play the music of Chopin, Edith Piaf, and Jim Morrison, all buried at Père Lachaise, while a slide show takes the audience on a virtual tour of Napoleon's splendid cemetery in Paris.

Forest Hills Cemetery: Lake Hibiscus with White Tree
Forest Hills is a 250-acre picturesque landscape minutes from downtown Boston – a lush green space and open-air museum. For too long, it has been forgotten and ignored. Now, with its nomination to the National Register, Forest Hills regains its rightful place amongst Boston’s treasures.

Forest Hills Cemetery: Milmore Memorial by sculptor Daniel Chester French

Photo of Gravesite of Edith Piaf by Susan Wilson