Darke County Center for the Arts will continue a long-standing Halloween-season tradition with their annual Ghost Walk in downtown Greenville on Friday, October 28; then the event moves to Greenville Union Cemetery on Saturday, October 29 and Sunday, October 30. The downtown Greenville Ghost Walk will see ticketed patrons moving at their own pace from one location to the next where storytellers will be stationed to share their spooky tales beginning at 6 p.m. The Cemetery Ghost Walk will also begin at 6 p.m at the Mausoleum located on cemetery grounds where groups will be formed, then led by tour guides to the sites where storytellers are stationed.
Storytellers for the downtown Ghost Walk are Michael Bitner, Larry Delk, Marilyn Delk, Katheleen Nealeigh, Tim Nealeigh, Charlie Pope, Tiffany Pope, and CeCelia Rice. Tour guides who will lead the Cemetery Walks are Michael Bitner, Marilyn Delk, and Tim Nealeigh. Actors who will spin spooky tales at the cemetery are Melissa Clark, Larry Delk, Ann Gibson, Kent Holmes, Katheleen Nealeigh, Adam Patton, Cate Patton, Adam Pohl, Charlie Pope, Tiffany Pope, Isabelle Sommer, and Chastity Westfall.
According to DCCA Executive Director Andrea Jordan, many of the tales to be spun are based on stories of ghostly encounters collected by Arcanum-area resident Rita Arnold, while some of the bizarre tales have been gathered from contributors who have shared their eerie experiences and tales of the unknown and unexplained. “DCCA is proud to once again present this appropriate-for-all-ages, fun-filled fundraiser which helps underwrite great programs such as DCCA’s Arts In Education series that takes professional artists to perform for students in every grade of all local public schools,” Ms. Jordan said.
Tickets for the Downtown Ghost Walk and the Cemetery Ghost Walk cost $10; however, tickets for the two Walks are not interchangeable. While advance tickets for the Cemetery Walk are only available on-line at www.darkecountyarts.org and by contacting DCCA at 937-547-0908 as well as at Greenville Public Library, tickets for the Downtown Walk can also be purchased at Readmore’s Hallmark in downtown Greenville. Tickets will be on sale at Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall from 5:30 p.m. till 7 p.m. immediately prior to the Downtown Walk; along with their tickets, participants in the Downtown Walk will receive a map identifying the locations where storytellers will start spinning their tales at 15-minute intervals from 6 p.m. through 8:45 p.m.
The Downtown Ghost Walk will be held regardless of weather conditions; in case of rain, the Walk will take place within St. Clair Memorial Hall. However, no appropriate alternative site is available at the Cemetery; therefore bad weather may force a cancellation of the Cemetery Ghost Walk. Entry to the Cemetery Ghost Walk will be at the North Main Street entrance to Greenville Union Cemetery where tickets may be purchased immediately prior to the event. Parking will not be allowed within the Cemetery. Additionally, since the Ghost Walks travel over uneven terrain and in dimly lighted areas, DCCA officials suggest participants might want to carry a flashlight to help light their paths.