05/21/2026
This weekend was picked as Decoration Day for Big Creek I for 2026. We have made an effort to blow leaves, w**d eat, put mulch and flowers on our ancestors graves, so we will be able to help others. We also blew leaves on the main pathway out to our gravesites. This year we will be dodging raindrops so our efforts will take place between the showers. Last year we started having a hot dog dinner on the grounds. We invite any families to come join us this weekend in celebrating this tradition. Call Wayne Brewster for more information. I want to share information about the history of this tradition. Decoration Day in Appalachia is a cherished folk tradition where families gather in late spring or early summer to clean, decorate, and honor the graves of loved ones. Often predating the national Memorial Day, it blends cemetery maintenance with community-wide fellowship, church services, and potluck “dinner on the ground” picnics. Families & neighbors gather to mow, w**d, mend fences, and clean headstones. Graves are adorned with flowers. The event serves as a massive family reunion. People travel from far and wide to return to their ancestral home mountains, allowing older generations to share genealogical histories and oral stories with the youth. Following the work there was a “dinner on the grounds”. Unlike the nationally recognized Memorial Day, which centers specifically on military casualties, Appalachian Decoration Day is deeply personal. It is a holistic remembrance of all deceased family and community members, serving to bridge the gap between the past and present while reinforcing the vital role of kinship in mountain life.
