City of Ocala hosts cemetery cleanup

OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - A cemetery in Ocala is trash-free this weekend.

Officials with the City of Ocala Public Works department held a cemetery cleanup at Chestnut Cemetery Saturday morning. It was scheduled from 8 a.m. to noon.

Despite the event being announced earlier this week, the turnout was sparse.

“This is the first time I’m the only one here,” said Caryl Lucas. “There’s usually around ten people.”

Lucas is a member of the non-profit organization Historic Ocala Preservation Society. She said the city posts notices about cemetery cleanups online.

“We clean the older cemeteries, not the newer ones,” said Lucas.

Lucas is from Pennsylvania, where she said it’s common to keep cemeteries clean. She said it was important for her to show up and do her part as a volunteer because everyone deserves the respect.

The volunteer walked around the grounds and picked up debris around the tombstones.

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