An evening out at the graveyard: Cemeteries seek to liven up with concerts, social events...

WHEAT RIDGE (The Denver Post) — For more than a century, folks have gone to Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery to mourn endings. But now, the 260-acre, 103-year-old graveyard is working to reimagine itself as something more than a spot for solemn rituals.

Crown Hill is pushing into the territory of galleries and performance halls, scheduling concerts and art exhibitions in hopes of engaging more routinely with the community, said general manager Kevin Wolfe.

"People come to cemeteries, and they are always looking down," he said.

But Wolfe wants them to look around, to experience the music and the art, the plants, the history and the culture.