It didn't take long for help to arrive after vandals hit a cemetery in Wolfville this week.

On Thursday, someone knocked over several headstones at the Willowbank Cemetery on Gaspereau Avenue. It came after several other headstones were destroyed by vandals during two other incidents in September and mid-November.

In all, Chris Fuller, the manager of the cemetery, figures about 27 were knocked over. He said he's had calls from people offering donations and others offered to start a fundraiser.

Quick response to vandalism

"Acadia Athletics offered as many young athletes as needed to help upright some of them," Fuller said. "I'm just very, very touched by the response of the people out there."

They're likely too heavy for anyone to lift, though.

"Humans can't lift some of these stones," he said. "They're huge."

Some of the stones are more than two metres tall and 100 years old.

'Crime of opportunity'

The most generous offer came this week from Windsor-based Heritage Memorials.

The president of the company, Steven Nelson, said restoring vandalized headstones is nothing new to his business.

Nelson said it happens less frequently than it used to, but even now, vandals target cemeteries at least once a year.

"It's certainly always sad to see that, especially with the older stones," Nelson said. "It's a pretty senseless act."

Nelson said it's often a "crime of opportunity."

Repairing stones

The troublemakers likely didn't plan it, Nelson said. They probably found themselves walking through a cemetery path and had the urge to destroy something, he said.

"They start doing it and it leads to a number of them going over," Nelson said.

This Friday, Nelson and his crew will get to work fixing them.

They use a super-strength epoxy to glue the smashed stones back together. Some of the pieces will have to be cut and levelled.

Vandals still at large

In most cases, they end up in better shape than before.

"They'll never be able to be broken apart again," Nelson said.

Nelson said he should be able to get all of the damaged headstones sitting back upright again.

As for the vandals, Fuller said they'll likely get away with it.

"Hopefully someone will blab or boast about it and we'll get a lead that way."