What's the perfect setting for a car show featuring funeral vehicles? A cemetery, of course.

Mount Bethel Cemetery, 700 Locust St., Columbia, will host the ninth annual Last Ride and Macabre Creations on Saturday, June 15. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The show will feature vehicles from the Mohnton Professional Car Club and the Post Mortem Car Club as well as several vehicles from local funeral homes.

"There will be some antique vehicles as well as some very unique vehicles used in funerals," explained Claire Storm, secretary of the Mount Bethel Cemetery Board of Directors and of Friends of Mount Bethel Cemetery.

The idea for the spooky show came from a member of the Mount Bethel Cemetery board, Storm recalled. "Mount Bethel Cemetery Board chair Jane Moore knew of a similar show at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia and thought it would be a great idea to do here in Columbia," Storm shared.

Along with the vehicles, the event will feature vendors showcasing antiques and oddities at booths set up throughout the cemetery grounds, coordinated by Columbia Curiosities. "Additionally, in the cottage at the cemetery, Lucy Cadwallader will demonstrate how hair was used in the Victorian Era to make bracelets, brooches and earrings," Storm said. These items allowed bereaved people to keep their loved ones with them always, she remarked, noting that jewelry crafted from human hair has existed at least since the Middle Ages, when English knights and other men might receive lockets containing wreaths or hearts woven from their lover's hair.

Mount Bethel Cemetery dates to the 1720s and is the oldest burial ground in continual use in the Columbia area. Over the past centuries, more than 10,000 people have been laid to rest in the grounds. Many of the people buried at the cemetery played key roles in Columbia's history. The cemetery is full of interesting statuary and striking grave markers, and event attendees are encouraged to walk around and explore the grounds.

Storm noted that Thunder on the River, a car show sponsored by the Columbia Lions Club, is happening on the same date as the Mount Bethel event and will feature hundreds of cars just one block away from the cemetery. Admission to both Thunder on the River and the Last Ride and Macabre Creations is free. Vendors and anyone who would like to exhibit vehicles such as hearses, limousines or flower cars in the Mount Bethel Cemetery show should register by contacting Cathy from Columbia Curiosities at 717-330-4703.

From 8 to 10 p.m. on June 15, paranormal investigations will be conducted on the cemetery grounds. To register for this event, contact Ryan at rms92784@yahoo.com or 717-813-1560.