A person has danced at the gates of St. Joseph Cemetery in a monkey costume and hundreds of extra visitors drove in to try and catch a glimpse after 911 reports of monkeys on the loose.
No monkeys have yet been seen since those initial calls, but the extra attention at the cemetery has been a lighthearted moment that has people talking, said Stephen Bittner, president of Cincinnati Catholic Cemetery Society, which owns St. Joseph. During the initial search,
“Someone stopped in front of our gates 9 or 10 (p.m.) last night dancing outside our front entrance in a monkey suit,” Bittner said.
On Thursday, the Enquirer noticed people driving into the cemetery and shouting the question of where are the monkeys as Cincinnati police officers and Cincinnati Zoo officials looked over the grounds.
Beyond the cemetery's gates, Cincy Shirts is selling an "Undercover Monkeys" shirt. A monkey wearing a fedora holds a newspaper on the shirt with the headline "West Side monkeys on the loose" and contains a nod to East Price Hill iconic gathering spot Price Hill Chili.
Twitter accounts popped up purporting to be the monkeys with the question "Where should we should we swing by?"
Restaurants and companies including Gold Star Chili, Wardway Fuels, Java Jackets Coffee House and Ivory House all were among those getting into the spirit of monkey business on Facebook.
Back at the cemetery, the number of visitors dropped to double of what is normal Friday, Bittner said.
But on Thursday, Bittner said 400 or more cars, which is about 10 times as much as normal, drove through the grounds. People asked workers tending the grounds about the monkeys. Many then complimented the workers on the cemetery's appearance, he said.
Bittner said he even received a text with an image of monkeys, instead of dogs, playing poker. A regular visit to a bank resulted in a teller's own experience seeing a monkey with a customer once.
There were no funerals at the cemetery on Thursday when the monkey sightings brought the extra attention, he said.
No regular visitors have complained, and the staff has had two fun days at work, he said.
COVID-19 has made the past year difficult for everyone, including the cemetery, Bittner said.
“I just think in hindsight I think this was kind of a blessing to give people something to be lighthearted about in a really gloomy time,” he said.
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