Forest Home Cemetery 5K celebrates Día de Los Muertos

MILWAUKEE - Spooky season celebrations don’t end on Halloween. A unique celebration was held Saturday, Oct. 30 at Forest Home Cemetery – honoring the Day of the Dead. 

"The cemetery is really for the living. This is a very important event because we want people from the community and other communities to really come here and celebrate the life of their loved ones," said Kevin Rutherford, Forest Home Cemetery director of sales.

Forest Home Cemetery hosts events celebrating the Day of the Dead every year – with this year bringing exercise and culture together, creating the Día de Los Muertos 5K.

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Día de Los Muertos is celebrated on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2, celebrating the life of loved ones who have passed away.

"If you forget them or can't really think about them the rest of the year, it’s a day to reflect," 5K participant Sarai Melendez said. 

The holiday originated in Mexico but has since been celebrated in many other places.

"It's really cool to see everyone united and together here in the cemetery to take a walk, and it's cool to see all the costumes and there are dogs everywhere," said 5K participant Elizabeth Gamillo.

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"It’s the Day of the Dead, but we’re honoring our dead and celebrating our dead," said Milwaukee Alderman JoCasta Zamarripa. "The eighth district is home of the largest Latino community in the great state of Wisconsin, and we want folks to see us as their fellow Wisconsinite, so I think it’s a beautiful thing to have this fusion and immersion of cultures."

All of the proceeds from Saturday's race go toward maintaining Forest Home Cemetery.