Dublin residents celebrate Halloween like no one else in central Ohio, with a scary line-up of activities, programs and events in October.
Olde Town Ghost Tours
Kick off the Halloween season with the second installment of the Olde Town Ghost Tours in Historic Dublin.
The idea for the tours began with a paranormal experience, says Becky Schisler, tour organizer.
“About four years ago, I saw a full-body apparition at a business near Historic Dublin,” she says.
Schisler tells the story in full during the tour. She says she became a “keeper of the stories” from businesses in the area after expressing her interest in the paranormal.
She attended a ghost tour this past March in Gettysburg, Pa., which inspired her to do one in Dublin.
Schisler finalized the script by adding more history and after performing a few trial runs with family and friends.
The 90-minute tour starts at her shop, Blankets and Booties, and then proceeds along the west side of Historic Dublin to Indian Run Cemetery. After looping back onto the east side, it concludes at her store.
The tour isn’t recommended for children under the age of 12 and costs $10. October tours are Friday and Saturday nights from 6:30-8 p.m.
Blankets and Booties is located at 82 S. High St.
Halloween Spooktacular
One of the most popular holiday events in Dublin is the annual Halloween Spooktacular, which takes place Oct. 24.
The event will feature the “great line-up that we always have,” says Mary Jo DiSalvo, the city’s events marketing administrator. “(We’re) bringing back all the traditional favorites and a few surprises along the way.”
This includes popular activities such as the hay ride, the hay maze, spooky storytelling, Trunk or Treat and the Haunted Trail. Pumpkin carving demonstrations will take place on site during the event. The Monster Mash dance for Dublin middle school students will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
“It’s really a family-friendly event,” DiSalvo says. “I’ve seen entire families dress up in costumes and just have a good time.”
Volunteers are also needed to play fortune tellers, she added. The event will feature a special appearance by the King and Queen of Halloween, chosen for their volunteerism at City events.
Spooktacular will take place from 3:30-8:30 p.m. at the Dublin Community Recreation Center, 5600 Post Rd. Admission is free. Food and beverage vendors will be on site.
Grave Tales
The Dublin branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library has told spooky tales at the front of Indian Run Cemetery behind the library for 16 years.
This year’s event is Oct. 30, “which is the closest to Halloween it’s ever been,” says Loren Scully, assistant manager at the Dublin library.
The storytelling is from 7-8 p.m. The first half hour will be devoted to spooky stories for children, and include stories written by children ages 9-17 during the library’s summer Spooky Tales Writing Workshop. The rest of the hour will be devoted to scarier stories, Scully says. There will be a rendition of “The 12 Days of Halloween,” brought back by popular demand.
The Washington Township firefighters will carve pumpkins into Jack O’Lanterns, which will then be lined up along the walkway to the cemetery while the firefighters hand out candy to children.
Brandon Klein is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com
