Who doesn't like a good chill going up and down their spine? It is the time of year where spooky happenings abound. We have put together a collection of events that offer folks interesting ways to learn about local history and even take in musical, storytelling, and dance performances that tap into the macabre. Enjoy!
ALL SOULS' WALK
This narrated historical walk with costumed interpreters begins at the museum and covers a half-mile loop through Kennebunk’s Hope Cemetery. Not too spooky, it’s a perfect activity for the whole family. Each tour lasts about one hour, and they run continuously starting at 1 PM. The last tour departs at 4 PM. Costumed interpreters cast from the local community will portray the historical figures at the gravesites. Participants will learn local history through the fascinating and often tragic tales of residents from bygone eras. There will be stories about ill-fated sea captains, a Civil War soldier killed in battle, children lost at sea, a Kennebunk girl’s calamity atop Mount Washington and other Kennebunk notables from the past 250 years. Tours conclude back at the museum, with cider and treats.
The event will take place rain or shine. Tickets are $10 per person or $30 per family; no advance reservations required except for large groups.
ALL SOULS' DINNER
In conjunction with the All Souls' Walk, the third annual All Souls' Dinner will be held at Duffy’s Tavern and Grill, 4 Main Street, Kennebunk. Cocktails will be available starting at 6:30 PM. Dinner (choice of four entrées) will be served at 7 PM. In the ancient All Souls’ tradition, an empty chair will be left at each table in honor of the dearly departed. The cost is $25 per person with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Brick Store Museum. Advance reservations are required by calling the museum at 207-985-4802.
The Brick Store Museum is located at 117 Main Street in Kennebunk’s historic district. For more than 70 years, the museum has been dedicated to preserving and exhibiting the region’s rich cultural and artistic heritage. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday Year-round. For more information visit www.brickstoremuseum.org or call 207-985-4802.
9th ANNUAL OGUNQUITFEST
Featuring the Bridge to Beach Bed Race, scarecrow contest, haunted house, classic car show, scavenger hunt, ghost stories and tours, wagon rides, marketplace, pumpkin and cookie decorating, costume parade, high heel race, crafts and more. October 19 through October 21. Sponsored by the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce. For more information: 207-646-2939 or www.visitogunquit.org.
WALK AMONG THE SHADOWS IV: SOULS AT SEA
Hear tales of long-dead residents inside the oldest resting place in Portland.
WHEN: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. October 18-20 and October 25-27; tours leave every 15 minutes
WHERE: Eastern Cemetery, Congress Street, Portland
HOW MUCH: $10; $5 for kids under 12
INFO: spiritsalive.org
WICKED WALKING TOURS
Learn about Portland's dark legends and ghostly tales during a twisted tour through the Old Port.
WHEN: 8 p.m. October 19-20, October 23, 25-26, 29, and 31
WHERE: Meet at Bell Buoy Park near Casco Bay Lines, Portland
HOW MUCH: $15; reservations required
INFO: wickedwalkingtours.com
TALES OF TERROR AT VICTORIA MANSION
Victoria Mansion would like to invite you to the 6th annual Tales of Terror! Spine-tingling stories from nineteenth-century writers are read and performed as the Mansion's lights are dimmed to gaslight levels.
There are four performances:
Friday, October 19 at 6 & 8pm (general audiences).
Saturday, October 20 at 6pm (kids 10 & under) & 8pm (general audiences).
On Friday night, storyteller/playwright Lynne Cullen will tell two frightening stories by great writers of Victorian horror fiction: The Family of the Vourdalak by Aleksey K. Tolstoy and Louella Miller by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman.
To learn more about Lynne, please visit her website HERE.
On Saturday night, storyteller and actress Brittany Cook will perform Poe’s Menagerie: A Radio Play featuring some of the Writer’s Best-Known Beasts. Saturday’s 6pm performance is especially for families with kids 10 & under and includes The Conqueror Worm followed by Hop-Frog, both by Edgar Allan Poe. Saturday’s 8pm performance is for general audiences and will include The Black Cat, followed by The Raven.
To register for a seating, please click the appropriate link below. Registration opens September 21, 2012
Admission: Adults $20, Museum Members $15, 17 & under $10
Friday, October 19
6pm
8pm
Saturday, October 20
6pm (for children 10 & under) SOLD OUT
8pm
'PHANTOM OF THE OPERA' WITH THE KOTZSCHMAR
Watch the classic 1925 silent film accompanied by organist Scott Foppaino. The Portland Ballet performs "Danse Macabre" before the film.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28
WHERE: Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland
HOW MUCH: $18
INFO: tickets.porttix.com
SYMPHONY SPOOKTACULAR
Hear some of the best-known spooky music under the direction of conductor Robert Moody. Portland Ballet will dance during a piece from "Twilight" and lead the audience in the zombie dance from Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Oct. 30
WHERE: Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle St., Portland
HOW MUCH: $10
INFO: tickets.porttix.com
If you primarily associate March in Maine with mud and the still real and present danger of snow squalls, you may want to recalibrate your thinking. Marking its fourth year of providing a late winter culinary pick-me-up, Maine Restaurant Week kicks off February 29th and runs through March 10th, offering the perfect opportunity to cozy up and flirt with all of those restaurants with whom you keep meaning to make a date.
