9032-R1_ML&P_BuxtonAnnualReport_2023-2024_Web

Sandy and Beverly were instrumental in welcoming Gerald Charles Dickens to Buxton in 2002 and 2006. Gerald Dickens is an English actor and performer best known for his one-man show based upon the novels of his great-great-grandfather Charles Dickens. Gerald performed A Christmas Carol to sold-out crowds at the Tory Hill Meetinghouse for local audiences with all the proceeds benefiting the Dorcas Society’s fundraising goals for the Buxton community. Sandy and Beverly are also instrumental members of the Buxton Hollis Historical Society. They have hosted numerous fund-raising events in their historic barn, including “Antique Roadshowlike” events and Box Lunch auctions. Beverly and Sandy’s barn holds the unique distinction of being quite possibly the only barn in Buxton with multiple Oriental rugs, a disco ball, two hot dog machines and an array of antique carousel horses. They are ready for a party at a moment’s notice! These functions, once again, brought Buxton residents together to share memories and to support the preservation of history by the Buxton Hollis Historical Society. Always imaginative and playful at heart, Sandy and Beverly opened their historic barn for Halloween Trick-or-treaters for decades. Atkinson family members and friends donated elaborate costumes and strategically positioned themselves amidst Beverly’s carefully curated scenes that often-included truckloads of live greenery, bushes, and historic artifacts. Hundreds of families visited year after year to enjoy the merriment including Snow White chatting with Dracula or Cinderella laughing with the Grim Reaper, as well as enjoying the king-sized candy treats. Now when Beverly and Sandy, in the front hall of their home, greet trick or treaters, the children’s parents often share their own memories of coming to the Brewster Barn on Halloween night. Since 2005, serving as President of the South Buxton Cemetery Association, Sandy has worked to enhance the beauty of the cemetery, preserve its historical features, promote safety, and improve the financial status of the cemetery. Sandy’s efforts, along with dedicated staff and community members, have delivered noteworthy results. The historic stones of Buxton’s earliest settlers have been professionally cleaned and restored. The cemetery shed is remodeled into a functional office for sales and the storage of cemetery records. Roads, avenues, and ditches are repaired to ensure safe travel within the cemetery. Fencing has been added or repaired, and the American flag now prominently waves on a tall flagpole positioned in the center of the cemetery. Sandy introduced the first columbarium to the cemetery. Columbaria are often preferred to traditional burials because they are generally less expensive and can be more environmentally friendly due to their reduced land usage. Nearly all the columbarium’s niches are sold, and a second columbarium is scheduled to be delivered in the spring. Due to careful planning and sound investments, the financial outlook for the South Buxton Cemetery is much brighter. Finally, Sandy and Beverly, along with their dear friends, have planted thousands of daffodils in the cemetery near the columbarium, a welcome sight in the early days of spring. The South Buxton Cemetery is a lovely memorial to Buxton’s history and community members and hopefully it will be for generations to come. In 2007, Sandy, supported by the South Buxton Cemetery Association’s board and members, initiated Buxton’s participation in the Wreaths Across America event. The mission of Wreaths Across America is to “Remember the fallen. Honor those who serve. Teach the next generation the value of freedom.” For nearly 20 years, friends, families, and veterans have gathered in the South Buxton Cemetery on the second or third Saturday of December. Attendees place wreaths on veterans’ stones

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