GhostWalk 2014: 20th Anniversary
show to be most fun ever

October 08, 2014
Santa Paula News

By Dee Helsel

Producer 

This year’s GhostWalk is going to be the most fun ever and who would have thought that a simple fundraiser for the Santa Paula Theater Center would have lasted this long, and become such a tradition for this town?  Not to mention that this street theater event is now known as the original Ventura County GhostWalk and premiere Halloween event for the area.  Many of the patrons have been loyally attending since the first GhostWalk in 1994 and a large number of volunteers have been giving community service to GhostWalk for as long a time.

Hosting this year is the California Oil Museum, located on the corner of 10th and Main streets.  

COM Curator Jeanne Orcutt is delighted that the museum gets to show off its oil and citrus displays while offering such a colorful background for this “street theater” event.  

For GhostWalk 2014, the first spirit will be upstairs in the real office of W.L. Hardison, one of the founders of the Union Oil Company, and in the same room where the incorporation papers for the now-defunct petroleum giant were signed in 1890.  

The last ghost will be telling of his demise in the Rig Room that displays an authentic oilrig of the early 1900s.  

The other four ghosts are scattered throughout the vintage Downtown, one of the recognizable historic venues in Southern California due to its popularity with filmmakers.

All the stories featured in this year’s celebration of 20 years of GhostWalk are audience favorites that have been performed in previous annual productions.

A special facet of GhostWalk’s 20th Anniversary celebration was created by area historian Carlos Juarez, who with the Santa Paula Historical Society has created a display of vintage GhostWalk memorabilia now on display at the museum.  

Included are some of the costumes, props, scripts and colorful pictorial items that show how GhostWalk began and who in the community has been involved over the years. Walkers this year will find a jar inside the display room, to place your guess in a contest that awards those who can accurately name the number of stories that were real and those that were fabricated.    

Most GhostWalk scripts were based on actual people, places or events that occurred in Santa Paula, which has fulfilled the goal of making GhostWalk a way to share the rich history of the town.

This year’s GhostWalk dates are Oct. 10-12, 17-19 and 24-26, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Tours start at 6:30 p.m. and depart every 15 minutes until 9 p.m. The walk is about a mile and lasts about an hour.  Flashlights are mandatory.  

This year’s walk is not wheelchair accessible. 

Reservations are strongly suggested because tours quickly sell out.  

Call the Haunt Line to leave your reservation date and time at (805) 525-3073. Walk-ups are welcomed, but not guaranteed.  

Prices are $18 each for adults, $8 for students, and all 6:30 and 9:00 p.m. tours have a discounted adult ticket price of $12.

Each year GhostWalk benefits the Santa Paula Theater Center.

For more information visit the GhostWalk website, www.ghostwalk.com





Site Search

E-Subscribe

Subscribe

E-SUBSCRIBE
Call 805 525 1890 to receive the entire paper early. $50.00 for one year.

webmaster