An All-Access Evening Fundraiser Returns to Forest Home
Summer Soulstice tickets, sponsorships available now
Photo courtesy of Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum.
MILWAUKEE, May 26, 2026 – The city’s oldest cemetery will open its gates for one night only this summer. Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum, an active cemetery, accredited arboretum, and National Historic Landmark on Milwaukee’s south side (2405 W. Forest Home Ave.) will host its annual Summer Soulstice fundraiser on Thursday, June 18. The event features a behind-the-scenes tour of Forest Home’s mausoleums and monuments, carriage rides through its 200 acres, and a dinner and dance in the Victorian Garden.
Summer Soulstice sponsorships are available and tickets are now on sale. All proceeds benefit the Forest Home Historic Preservation Association, the nonprofit that supports Forest Home’s preservation and programming work.
“The founding of Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum in 1850 was a groundbreaking moment for Milwaukee. It became the city’s first park as well as an affordable, welcoming final resting place for any Milwaukeean,” says Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum Director of Development Kelly Gerlach. “Race, religion, and income were no barrier. Where else in Milwaukee will you see an abolitionist buried near a beer baron, or a German-speaking Civil War POW laid to rest under a magnolia tree?
“Preserving the monuments and stories accumulated here since 1850 is a privilege we hope to carry on for another 175 years,” Gerlach adds.
EVENT DETAILS
- 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 18
- Live music
- Horse and carriage rides
- Visit historic mausoleums not open to the public
TICKET TIERS
Ticket prices vary, and sponsors are welcome at all levels, including in-kind donations of flowers, photography, auction items, and more. Prospective donors and sponsors should contact Kelly Gerlach.
Ticketholders have one-night-only access to the selected mausoleums, which are never open to the public.
About Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum
Established in 1850, Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum is Milwaukee’s oldest operating cemetery and the city’s first accredited arboretum, featuring more than 2,800 trees representing 100-plus species across nearly 200 acres. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Forest Home serves as a place of remembrance, education, history, and nature. Each year, the cemetery welcomes 500 students for educational programming, partners with more than 700 volunteers, hosts signature community events including Memorial Day and the Día de los Muertos 5K & Festival, and presents a wide range of historical and nature-based programs for all ages.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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