Events
For those with loved ones buried at PCCC, the annual memorial gathering provides a time of remembrance and celebration over a potluck, musical performances, poetry and community. Whether you have a friend or family member buried here, or have been planning to come out for a visit, we welcome you to attend. RSVP Here
Twice a year, we have a memorial planting day where family and friends can join our staff and volunteers in restoring the cemetery grounds by planting living memorials at loved one’s gravesites. For this event, we will provide a variety of native species appropriate for the wooded forest ecosystem. Those who have registered for our planting days (register here) will receive an email to reserve plants by mid September.
Join us as we come together again to experience a guided Mushroom Walk within the cemetery grounds. Anyone is welcome to participate in this free event, so be sure to RSVP. It will fill up quickly! This event will be led by the Florida Academic Lichen and Fungi Enthusiasts League (F.A.L.A.F.E.L.). Attendees will learn all about fungi found within PCCC along with their unique characteristics and ecological roles. We are so excited to walk alongside you! ***REGISTRATION FULL***
Here at Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery we offer two annual memorial planting days where family and friends can join our staff and volunteers as we restore the cemetery by planting "Living Memorials" at loved one’s graves: one in the meadow in the spring and the other in the woods in the fall.
Within the month, we will send out an email with this spring's plant availability list to responsibility parties so they may reserve their desired native species in advance. Our Native Plant Program is a donation based program. If you would like to make a donation there is a suggested contribution of $35-$100 per plant (by size). If you would like to plant a living memorial at the gravesite of your loved one in the meadow, we invite you to sign up at the link below to receive more information.
Please note: on this day we will only be planting species appropriate for the meadow and grassland areas of the cemetery. We will have another Community Planting Day for the woods portion of the cemetery in the fall.
If you are unable to make it on this scheduled day, our staff is happy to plant on your behalf. If you wish to be contacted by PCCC staff about completing a planting at your loved one’s burial site, please complete the form below...
Comfortable clothing, long pants and closed toe shoes. PCCC will provide all the necessary tools and supplies for this event.
Saturday, May 4th, 2024 | 9:00AM-12:00PM
Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery
7204 SE CR 234
Gainesville, FL, 32641
For more information or if you would like to make a contribution for this event, please contact Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery by emailing info@prairiecreekconservationcemetery.org
*REGISTRATION IS NOW FULL
Join us as we come together again to experience Shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of Forest Bathing. Forest Bathing is the practice of walking while in a meditative mode among trees. Forest bathing has many documented physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. Anyone is welcome to participate in this free demonstration of this ancient practice. This event will be led by Diane Clark, a practitioner for many years. She offers inspiration for the experience and will help participants to share their reactions after guiding them through the forest.
ABOUT DIANE CLARK:
Diane Clark is the founder and director of Greystone Nature Preserve, a not for profit organization in Chautauqua New York. It has a double mission of preserving 72 acres on the Niagara escarpment of Lake Erie and offering community members of all ages and ability levels experiential environmental education. In 1986 Diane walked from LA to DC along with 500 others in the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament. She spent 33 years as a teacher, working on every educational level from pre kindergarten (Chautauqua Institution) to University (Penn State). She has been initiated into the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge of the Seneca Nation. Diane is passionate about Nature and thrives on connecting people to the earth.
WHEN:
Monday March 11th, 2024
10:00am to 12:00pm
Visitors should arrive at least fifteen minutes before the event to become orientated.
WHERE:
Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery
7204 SE County Road 234
Gainesville, FL 32641
We will plan to meet in the parking area at the head of the Kathy Cantwell (Blue) Trail.
COME PREPARED:
Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and sturdy shoes. Bring only drinking water if desired. If possible bring a small stick, no more than ten inches, to act as a threshold for your walk. Most of all bring an open mind. Expect to heighten awareness of the natural world around you and feel the benefits in body, mind and spirit. Cell phones, cameras, distracting scents, and pets are all highly discouraged.
RSVP:
Attendance is limited to the first 20 people who register below. *REGISTRATION IS NOW FULL
All of you who volunteer with us at Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery are truly amazing. To give one’s time to help a person’s grieving friends and family is an incredible act of service. Without our volunteers, PCCC would not be able to do what it does for our community. Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization and deserve more praise than we can heap on them. That’s why this year we’d like to gather everyone together to say THANK YOU!
On Saturday, March 9th we’ll gather together around a fire (if cool enough) behind the lodge at 11AM for a party and potluck.
PCCC will provide some food and refreshments, but please bring your favorite dish to celebrate these amazing folks. Any and all are welcome. Come celebrate with us!
WHAT TO WEAR & BRING:
Comfortable warm clothing and shoes. Your favorite home-prepared dish to share with your fellow digging and burial team colleagues. A mobile folding chair and or blanket if preferred.
WHEN:
Saturday, March 9th, 2024 | 11:00AM-2:00PM
WHERE:
Prairie Creek Lodge’s backyard
7204 SE CR 234
Gainesville, FL, 32641
For more information or if you would like to make a contribution for this event please contact Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery by email info@prairiecreekconservationcemetery.org
The annual memorial gathering provides a time of remembrance and celebration for those with loved ones buried at PCCC. Whether you have a friend or family member buried here, or have been planning to come out for a visit, we welcome you to attend! RSVP HERE
This fall planting day, family and friends can join our staff and other volunteers as we restore the cemetery grounds by planting Living Memorials at loved one’s gravesites within our wooded forest ecosystem. RSVP HERE
Join us for an evening presentation and information session from Kathryn Knepper, an attorney at Ossi Law Group, to learn all about estate planning. Kathryn will discuss what proper estate planning can accomplish, how it differs from a will, and more. REGISTER HERE
Wild Grief will be a structured 45 minute guided walk and then an opportunity to share in a circle what is present for us in our grief. Join us as Jessica Golderg and Rowan Rivers act as our guides during this process. REGISTRATION FULL
Join us as we come together again to experience a guided Mushroom Walk within the cemetery grounds and learn all about fungi found within PCCC. REGISTRATION CLOSED.
Whether you are considering options for your own final wishes or planning for a loved one, we hope you can attend this group walk & talk to learn about the preserve, the tenets of conservation burial & more. SIGN UP HERE
Here at Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery we offer two annual memorial planting days where family and friends can join our staff and volunteers as we restore the cemetery by planting "Living Memorials" at loved one’s graves: one in the meadow in the spring and the other in the woods in the fall.
Within the month, we will send out an email with this spring's plant availability list to responsibility parties so they may reserve their desired native species in advance. Our Native Plant Program is a donation based program. If you would like to make a donation there is a suggested contribution of $35-$100 per plant (by size). If you would like to plant a living memorial at the gravesite of your loved one in the meadow, we invite you to sign up at the link below to receive more information.
Please note: on this day we will only be planting species appropriate for the meadow and grassland areas of the cemetery. We will have another Community Planting Day for the woods portion of the cemetery in the fall.
If you are unable to make it on this scheduled day, our staff is happy to plant on your behalf. If you wish to be contacted by PCCC staff about completing a planting at your loved one’s burial site, please complete the form below.
Comfortable clothing, long pants and closed toe shoes. PCCC will provide all the necessary tools and supplies for this event.
Saturday, November 12th, 2022 | 9:00AM-12:00PM
Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery
7204 SE CR 234
Gainesville, FL, 32641
For more information or if you would like to make a contribution for this event, please contact Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery by emailing info@prairiecreekconservationcemetery.org
Over the course of the past nine months, we have completed roughly 500 plantings within our most intensive restoration area of the meadow ecosystem. This project was made possible by the Florida Wild Foundation Viva Florida Landscape Demonstration Garden Grant. The demonstration garden within our restoration area has reintroduced an increasing level of biodiversity to the meadow, enriching the landscape and providing habitat for vital fauna of the area.
If you are interested in learning more about this restoration project, we invite you to a joint tour hosted by Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery and the Florida Wildflower Foundation! This event is open to all visitors.
Saturday, April 8th
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery
7204 SE COUNTY ROAD 234
GAINESVILLE, FL, 32641
As we wrap up our partnership with Blackadder, we invite you to come play bingo, enjoy some beverages, and support your community.
All of the proceeds from bingo card sales will benefit PCCC.
Thursday, March 30 at 7:00 pm
Blackadder Brewing Company
618 NW 60th Street, Suite A
Gainesville, FL 32607
Join us for a virtual information session where Carlos Gonzalez, PCCC’s Executive Director, will review everything you need to know about conservation burial and Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery. This presentation will provide information about the various disposition choices available today with a special emphasis on natural and conservation burial. This session will review each step of how a burial is completed at PCCC, from first contact to the day of interment. Carlos will also go into detail about the things you will need to consider when planning for a burial at PCCC. Following the session, we invite community members to ask any questions they might have about conservation burial and Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery.
The virtual meeting link will be provided upon registration for this free event:
Join us as we come together again to experience Shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of Forest Bathing. Forest Bathing is the practice of walking while in a meditative mode among trees. Forest bathing has many documented physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. Anyone is welcome to participate in this free demonstration of this ancient practice. This event will be led by Diane Clark, a practitioner for many years. She offers inspiration for the experience and will help participants to share their reactions after guiding them through the forest.
To learn more about the practice of forest bathing, check out this article: https://www.theatlantic.com/.../06/forest-bathing/532068/
Diane Clark is the founder and director of Greystone Nature Preserve, a not for profit organization in Chautauqua New York. It has a double mission of preserving 72 acres on the Niagara escarpment of Lake Erie and offering community members of all ages and ability levels experiential environmental education. In 1986 Diane walked from LA to DC along with 500 others in the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament. She spent 33 years as a teacher, working on every educational level from pre kindergarten (Chautauqua Institution) to University (Penn State). She has been initiated into the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge of the Seneca Nation. Diane is passionate about Nature and thrives on connecting people to the earth.
Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and sturdy shoes. Bring only drinking water if desired. If possible bring a small stick, no more than ten inches, to act as a threshold for your walk. Most of all bring an open mind. Expect to heighten awareness of the natural world around you and feel the benefits in body, mind and spirit. Cell phones, cameras, distracting scents, and pets are all highly discouraged.
Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery has partnered with Blackadder Brewing Company during the month of March. Come join PCCC at Blackadder for a game of trivia!
A percentage of all beverage sales will benefit PCCC.
Wednesday, March 8 at 7:00 pm
Blackadder Brewing Company
618 NW 60th Street, Suite A
Gainesville, FL 32607
The people who volunteer with us at Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery are truly amazing. To give one’s time to help a person’s grieving friends and family is an incredible act of service. Without our volunteers PCCC would not be able to do what it does for our community. Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization and deserve more praise than we can heap on them. That’s why this year we’d like to gather everyone together to say THANK YOU!
On Saturday, December 3rd we’ll gather together around a fire at 11AM for a party and potluck.
PCCC will provide some food and refreshments, but please bring your favorite dish to celebrate these amazing folks. Any and all are welcome. Come celebrate with us!
We kindly ask people who have tested positive for COVID-19 within 10 days of this event or who are not feeling well to please not attend this gathering as safety for our staff and community remains one of our main priorities.
Your favorite home-prepared dish to share with your fellow digging and burial team colleagues. Comfortable warm clothing and shoes. A mobile folding chair and or blanket if preferred.
Saturday, December 3rd, 2022 | 11:00AM-2:00PM
Prairie Creek Lodge’s backyard
Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery
7204 SE CR 234
Gainesville, FL, 32641
For more information or if you would like to make a contribution for this event please contact Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery by email info@prairiecreekconservationcemetery.org
Once per year, for each ecosystem we have a planting day where family and friends can join our staff and other volunteers as we restore the cemetery by planting a Living Memorial at their loved one’s grave.
For this event, we have pre-ordered a variety of native species appropriate for the ecosystem from a local grower. To see what we have available and to reserve a plant, please contact us! If you are unable to make it on this scheduled day, our staff is happy to plant on your behalf or schedule a specific time during the following week for you to do the planting on your own.
Our Native Plant Program is a donation based program. If you would like to make a donation there is a suggested contribution of $35-$100 per plant (by size).
Please note, on this day we will only be planting species appropriate for the hammock and forested areas of the cemetery. We will have another Community Planting Day for the meadow portion of the cemetery in the spring.
We kindly ask people who have tested positive for COVID-19 within 10 days of this event or who are not feeling well to please not attend this gathering as safety for our staff and community remains one of our main priorities.
Comfortable clothing, long pants and closed toe shoes. PCCC will provide all the necessary tools and supplies for this event.
Saturday, November 12th, 2022 | 9:00AM-12:00PM
Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery
7204 SE CR 234
Gainesville, FL, 32641
For more information or if you would like to make a contribution for this event, please contact Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery by emailing info@prairiecreekconservationcemetery.org
Our 12th Annual Memorial Celebration will be held in person on Sunday, November 6th 2022. For those with loved ones buried at PCCC, the annual memorial gathering provides a time of remembrance and celebration. Whether you have a friend or family member buried here, or have been planning to come out for a visit, we welcome you to attend PCCC's 12th Annual Memorial Celebration. Chairs will be provided, but feel free to bring your own chair or blanket to stretch in the grass.
Attendees with loved ones buried at PCCC will be invited to speak the name of their loved one and ring the ceremonial bell.
Comfortable clothing, long pants and closed toe shoes are recommended. Attendees are welcome to bring mobile folding chairs/blankets if preferred. Face masks are encouraged.
Sunday, November 6th 2022 | 1:00-4:00PM | Potluck begins at 1PM | Main program starts at 2PM
We kindly ask those who intend to bring food items to arrive prior to 1:00.
Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery
7204 SE CR 234
Gainesville, FL, 32641
Hope to see you there!
Musical performances by local individuals and groups will be listed here soon
For more information or if you would like to make a contribution for this event please contact Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery by email info@prairiecreekconservationcemetery.org
On Wednesday, October 26th, we will gather together in the cemetery to welcome Cory McAbee, founder of I_Butterfly and his accompanying bike riders as they close out their tour promoting butterfly conservation/protection efforts. I_Butterfly is a nationwide festival of self-guided bike tours that will follow the monarch butterfly paths during the summer/fall migration season. The three paths will include the East Coast route stretching from Maine to Florida, the mid-America routes from Canada to Mexico, and the West Coast route from the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean and/or from the Northern West Coast states downward. Since 2019, I_Butterfly has been in communications with green burial grounds and conservation cemeteries to collaborate on the reintroduction of native milkweed and to bolster their native wildflowers that are essential for monarch butterfly restoration.
PCCC will provide some light food and refreshments. Any and all are welcome… especially bicycle riders.
We kindly ask people who have tested positive for COVID-19 within 10 days of this event or who are not feeling well to please not attend this gathering as safety for our staff and community remains one of our main priorities.
Comfortable warm clothing and shoes. A mobile folding chair and/or blanket if preferred.
Wednesday, October 26th 2022 | 3:00-4:30PM
Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery
7204 SE CR 234
Gainesville, FL, 32641
Come out to the cemetery the morning of September 17th for a guided hike through Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery led by community member Sarah Prentice. This tour will be focusing on the local fungal populations of North Central Florida during the late summer months.
This event is limited to the first 30 participants to register. To register, CLICK HERE:
Join PCCC's Executive Director Carlos Gonzalez for a virtual information session about Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery.
Once a year for each ecosystem at PCCC we have a planting day where family and friends can join our staff and other volunteers as we restore the cemetery by planting a Living Memorial at their loved one’s grave.
Join PCCC's Executive Director Carlos Gonzalez for a virtual information session about Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery.
Join us as we come together to experience shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of Forest Bathing. Forest Bathing is the practice of walking while in a meditative mode among trees This event will be guided by Diane Clark, a practitioner for many years.
Join us as we restore the land by removing invasives
For those with loved ones buried at Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery (PCCC), the annual Memorial Celebration provides a time of remembrance and reverence. Due to COVID-19, we have made the difficult decision to hold this year's annual Memorial Celebration virtually for the second year in a row. While we will miss seeing you all in person, we are excited to be able to share this event once again with an even broader audience of folks from across the country and even beyond!
Once a year for each ecosystem we have a planting day where family and friends can join our staff and other volunteers as we restore the cemetery by planting a Living Memorial at their loved one’s grave.
