It's a tradition almost forgotten in modern days, but families once use to gather regularly for celebrations among their deceased relatives in cemeteries. Several families would gather on appointed days, usually a Sunday, to work in the cemeteries to clear them of weeds and plant flowers. At about noon the work would usually stop for a huge picnic with fried chicken, potato salad, beans, breads, iced tea, cakes, pies and whatever else someone brought along for the feast. It would be common for singing to accompany prayers. That hardly ever happens now, but some communities like Aley, Texas, near Cedar Creek Lake, continue to honor the tradition with a picnic. There will be little focus on work, but there will be food and entertainment Families will meet for the annual picnic Friday, July 5, at King Cemetery. This year's event will celebrate 85 years of tradition, and all of the proceeds will go to the upkeep of the cemetery. There will be food, games, prizes, a country store and live music by Cactus Moon. For information call Belinda Greenhaw at 903-498-6482. The Aley community is generally located at the intersection of Flagg Lake Road and Highway 85 west of Seven Points. The King Cemetery is on Flagg Lake Road. Aley is the site of the quaint Aley Methodist Church, where popular, humorous pastor Eston Williams preaches weekly. Other cemeteries taking advantage of the July 4 holiday weekend to pay respect to the deceased include Payne Springs Cemetery Association, which will hold a annual business meeting July 4 at the Payne Springs Community Center. There will be a catered lunch at 11:30 a.m., and the proceeds will benefit the Payne Springs Cemetery. Four-Mile Community Cemetery will host its 165th annual observance at 10:30 a.m. with a memorial service at 11 a.m. on July 4. A bell will toll for each name of deceased veterans during a reading. Living veterans present also will be recognized. The Four-Mile Cemetery event will include a picnic. Meats, drinks and utensils will be provided, and participants are asked to bring a covered dish of vegetables, salads and other side dishes. There will be a silent auction, and the proceeds will benefit the cemetery. Four-Mile Cemetery is two miles east of the Prairieville Store at SH 90 and VZCR 2607. For information call 903-887-0833. Aley, which is the site of the Aley Methodist Church, once was a thriving small community with stores and many residents.