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 29, then move the Ghost Walk to Greenville Union Cemetery on Saturday, October 30 and and Halloween night, Sunday, October 31. As in the past, the Cemetery Ghost Walk will begin at 6 p.m. at the Mausoleum located on cemetery grounds where groups will be led by tour guides. However, the changed format for 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.
Storytellers for the downtown Ghost Walk are Michael Bitner, Larry Delk, Marilyn Delk, Katheleen Nealeigh, Tim Nealeigh, CeCelia Rice, Laura Schaffer, and Jaime Stocksdale. Tour guides who will lead the Cemetery Walks are Michael Bitner, Marilyn Delk, and Tim Nealeigh. Actors who will spin additional spooky tales at the cemetery are Caitlin Beasecker, Larry Delk, Treva Gough, Rachel Nealm, Katheleen Nealeigh, Charlie Pope, Tiffany Pope CeCelia Rice, Sheila School, and Jamie Stocksdale.
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 for the Downtown Walk will be sold at St. Clair Memorial Hall from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. the night of the event; participants will be given 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. 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.
The Downtown Ghost Walk will be held regardless of weather conditions. However, no appropriate alternative site is available at the Cemetery; therefore bad weather may force a cancellation of the Cemetery Ghost Walk. 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.