Thirty years ago when vandals knocked over tombstones, the debris was usually hauled out only after a few years, when joined by others stones on the ground. Restoration was rarely done. Vandalism has always plagued western cemeteries, Adams says. The last major attack on Ross Bay occurred in 1996 when 53 stones were pushed over. Unlike the 1960s, a huge outcry follows any tomb bashing now and some form of restoration is undertaken.
Marketing can be a great tool for raising the popularity of the dead.
Walking tours conducted by the society since 1987 have certainly helped Ross Bay's profile. Cemeteries in the United States go even further. Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx holds concerts and a holiday tree-lighting festival. In Cincinnati, Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum hosts weddings and pruning seminars. With room for 90,000 occupiers it's the first in Canada and the largest in North America.