PETERSBURG, Va. — As summer heat and rain accelerate grass growth at Petersburg's Blandford Cemetery, two senior citizens are voluntarily maintaining family plots that city crews struggle to keep up with.
Joey Kidd, 71, and Herbert Dance, 75, have taken it upon themselves to mow dozens of gravesites at Virginia's second-largest cemetery, where the oldest marker dates back to 1702.
"It gives you a good feeling," Kidd said.
Dance maintains about 30 plots throughout the nearly 200-acre historic cemetery.
"I cut 30 plots out here because the city doesn't keep them up like they should," Dance said.
The two men, who met by chance while tending to different sections of the cemetery, share a commitment to honoring deceased friends and family members.
"It's routine for me now, come over here and check. Cut grass and talk to them when I go by them. I do say hi to them," Dance said.
Kidd maintains his mother's grave and those of family friends. He also tends to the final resting place of famous film actor and Petersburg native Joseph Cotton.
"He's pretty important, he's a good guy," Kidd said.
Both men expressed disappointment with the overall maintenance of the historic cemetery despite its perpetual care designation.
"Looks like a mess, I mean the grass not cut, that's a month right there, I know," Dance said.
However, visitor Stephen Gill believes the city is doing its best with the massive property.
"They keep it right nice, as much as they can. I've noticed they stay on top of it as much as they can," Gill said.
To address maintenance challenges, Petersburg has partnered with Nottoway Prison, bringing in inmates to help with grass cutting.
"It's been a great partnership and quite successful in getting the job done," said Kenneth Miller, Deputy City Manager.
The arrangement also benefits taxpayers, according to city officials.
"We're paying them less than we were paying our contractors and getting a lot more work out of them, a lot more successful," Miller said.
For Dance and Kidd, their weekly grass-cutting ritual may be time-consuming, but they believe it's the right thing to do. Dance, who plans to be buried at Blandford himself, has realistic expectations about the future.
"That's going to be it. Ain't nobody else going to do nothing. Nobody in the family I mean, that's just the way it is," Dance said.
To assist maintenance crews, the city requests that families remove flowers and other items from graves after one month.
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