On a Sunday morning, Prairie Haven Memorial Park in Hobbs, NM, is delightfully peaceful. Let me simplify this area for newcomers... Prairie Haven has an old side and a new side. The Cemetery directly across the street from the Memorial Park is what many original Hobbsans refer to as the "old" side. The newer side is what this review is about... it has many more elaborate and larger headstones, mausoleums, and other structures compared to the old side. Both sides are fenced and gated. They are managed by the City of Hobbs. This area has the office where the staff members can assist in finding a grave site. I am not certain what the hours are because one of the main signs only says "CEMETERY HOURS OFFICE 8AM-5PM." Okay, so what days are you available?! But now since we are onto little things that piss me off (here's looking at you, Rodney Carrington)... One sign stated, "Cleaning, repair, and other care are the responsibility of the relations of the deceased. Cemetery staff will not provide maintenance to headstones." SO... Members of the deceased are most likely expected to purchase a headstone permit fee, buy the headstones and casket, and abide by all the other rules and regulations, but the burden lies SOLELY on the "relations of the deceased." I hate this rule. I don't care if it's like this at all cemeteries. I explained this ordinance to my children. And just like I have been raising them, my 11 and 12-year-olds took matters into their own hands and persisted to gingerly clean up many of the graves we walked by on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Those two girls did this for most graves even as we were primarily there to place flags on all of the military members' graves. By the way, if you and your family volunteer for this Memorial Day event, I would encourage you to bring a screwdriver and a hammer. This is so you can more easily insert those tall flags in front of the graves of military members because the thirsty desert terrain is terribly hard. Sometimes if the dirt is mixed with sand, it's even harder to plant flags. Next time, I will bring a knife and some other tools to cut back the grass from the edge of especially the flat laying headstones and maybe a large soft brush to sweep off dirt and sand. Some were so covered up by overgrowth. read more

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