Coffin Race Benefits Sandersville Cemetery

"Race in Peace."

That's the slogan of the Sandersville Old City Cemetery Committee this year.

"I think it's catchy," said Susan Lewis, one of the committee members. "But we are trying to come up with unique fundraisers."

On Monday night in downtown Sandersville by the Washington County Square, she says one of those unique fundraisers helped raise more than just money for cemetery improvements, but in fact the dead.

"We had a coffin race with 11 seven-member teams that ran around the square and got timed," she said. "Six pallbearers carried coffins with a body inside. We call that person the rider."

She says the race brought in a few thousand dollars for Sandersville's oldest and most historic cemetery.

"It's been needing a lot of work done over the years and we've been fixing things up a bit at a time, from the grounds to the walkways and now the fence," she said. "This fundraiser will help us complete putting up a new brick and iron fence around the back of the property instead of the chain-linked one that was coming down."

More than a hundred people came out to watch the race, with many fans saying they had plenty of freaky fun.

"What a great event," said Brian Powers of the WACO Exchange Club. "We put together a team, built and decorated our own coffin, brought out some friends and family to support us and helped make a historic part of our community a little better in the process."

Lewis says she'd like to make the coffin race an annual event if people in the community continue the support.

"It's to die for," she said. "So why not keep it going."