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HANNIBAL, MO. -- All Souls Day gives people the chance to remember the loved ones they lost.

That is exactly what happened at Mount Olivet Cemetery's second annual All Souls Day celebration.

"When you release that balloon you're making a connection with that family member as well as remembering all the good things," Donna Brown said. Brown is the Office Manager for Mount Olivet, and was inspired to start hosting the event by a similar celebration when she attended as a child.

The cemetery hosted dozens of people who wanted to memorialize friends and family at the balloon release.

"They held a special place in our lives and just because they've not physically here anymore doesn't mean we should forget about them," Brittany James said.

James said she wrote a note for a loved on she recently lost on one of the white balloons.

Families also came out to leave flowers and decorations to mark the day. "We decorated grandma's grave," Emma, a four-year-old attendee said.

Brown described the event as a chance to, "... celebrate. That's what life is all about and I think that's what our loved ones would want us to do,"

She says the number of people who returned this year, and the number of new faces at the event, are a sure sign it's now going to be an annual event for the public.

"I think my job as the manager of the cemetery is to help people celebrate their loved ones," Brown explained.