Sachse’s Historical Society is venturing into the unknown waters of a paid event to celebrate an important holiday to those of Mexican heritage.

The event is called “Celebration of Souls” and will not only educate residents about Dia de los Muertos — Day of the Dead — but also highlight some of Sachse’s more famous past residents. It is scheduled for Oct. 8 and will be held at the museum, located at 3303 Sixth St.

Diana Smith, who serves as president of the historical society, said there has been more collaboration between her organization and the cemetery board, which spawned the idea for the event. The historical society has also talked about holding a fall fundraiser in the past ahead of its usual veterans celebration.

Tricia Lindsey, the society’s secretary, said it made sense to partner with the cemetery since Dia de los Muertos is about honoring one’s ancestors.

“All the pieces came into a line,” Lindsey said. “We have the cemetery and have always wanted to do something there. Now, we can incorporate a fall tradition that a lot of people aren’t aware of and incorporate the traditions that people are aware of.” 

Bob Soule, who serves on the society’s board of directors, said the collaboration was a long time in the making and made sense given the overlap between the boards of the history museum and cemetery.

The Celebration of Souls will not be a haunted house or intentionally scary because the focus is on honoring the city’s ancestors and famous individuals rather than scaring people, she added. 

The event will feature “eerie” lighting and the cemetery will have torches scattered around to illuminate the graves, said Smith. 

For the full story, see the Sept. 22 issue of The Sachse News.