The Alternative Press

WESTFIELD, NJ – Downtown Westfield officials have confirmed that Whitney Houston will be buried in Fairview Cemetery on Sunday.

The service will be brief is for family and invited guests only. The cemetery will be closed to the public. The exact time of the service is still unknown, but it is expected to be held in the late morning hours. Minor road closures and parking prohibitions should be expected in the immediate vicinity of the cemetery. It does not appear that at this time that this event will have any effect on the downtown.

Meanwhile, residents are preparing for the onslaught of traffic and people, and ruminating on what it means for the town to be the 80s pop diva’s final resting place.

“I think it’s going to cause lots of traffic around the area,” said Michele Patrone.

But Marjorie Leffler was more optimistic. “I don’t think it will be bad in town,” she predicted.

“I’m glad we’re going to be away for the weekend,” said Gianine Handwerker. “I think it’s going to bring traffic. I feel bad for the people who live really close to there.”

Though he believes the singer has every right to be buried in town, “I’d be lying if I didn’t recognize the inconvenience,” said Marc Herzog.

On the bright side, noted Herzog, all the hoopla could mean good news for local businesses. “Just the amazing influx of people who are trying to catch a glimpse of someone famous—they’re all going to have to eat somewhere,” he noted.

Others aren’t so sure. “I don’t think it’s going to bring commerce. I just think that it’s going to bring traffic, for a long time,” said Handwerker. “It’ll be a pilgrimage place.”

Some cared less about her final resting place than the fact that New Jersey’s flags will fly at half-mast that day.

“Personally, I think she’s a wonderful singer, she’s beautiful. But the fact that we’re idolizing her is troubling,” said Patrone. She called the Governor Chris Christie’s decision to lower the flags “ridiculous.” “I think we do that for heroes—war victims, soldiers, people who fight for our country, for our freedom.”

“I think it’s sad that towns in New Jersey are flying the flags at half mast,” said Leffler, who believes that the honor should be reserved for public officials and members of the military. “I don’t believe that an entertainer’s death would warrant flags being flown at half-mast.”

Herzog agreed. “I think there are much more worthwhile causes to honor by lowering the flag at half-mast,” he said. “The obvious choice is soldiers who died in combat, or soldiers who fought valiantly and died years later. Civil rights leaders. People who fought in their own way for the betterment of society. I don’t feel like Whitney Houston fits that billet.”

Not everyone felt the governor’s decision was a mistake. “That doesn’t bother me. They do it for other musicians,” said Handwerker. “She brought a lot of pride to people from New Jersey.”