Issue date: 11/5/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Halloween is just around the corner. Pumpkins already are being sold everywhere, and neighborhoods soon will be filled with children in bright-colored costumes, shouting those three little words: "Trick or treat!"

 

Pensacola has had a few Halloween events that have been going on for years, for instance, Pensacola Little Theatre's Stage Fright downtown. The event began Wednesday Oct. 26 and will continue each night at 7 p.m. through Monday Oct. 31.

 

This year's theme is "Trilogy of Terror."

 

"Every year we try to do a different theme," said William S. Wirth, a UWF graduate and Pensacola Little Theatre's marketing and public relations director.

 

Last year, the plans for "Trilogy of Terror" were canceled.

 

"[We were] unable to do it last year because of Hurricane Ivan," Wirth said.

 

At the Pensacola Little Theatre, there are three areas of the building, the south side, which was previously the old jail and now the theatre; the north side, which is three floors and home to the studios, and the courtroom.

 

This year, there will be three separate venues instead of just one big one, he added.

 

In the courtroom, there will be "Mad Doctor Steve's Traveling Underground Freak Show Cabaret." This is a 15-minute freak show, where viewers can watch a torso with no arms or legs do stand-up comedy or listen to a spider woman sing, Wirth said.

 

In the theatre, there will be a 3-D "Carnival of Fear," which is a maze with crazed clowns, Wirth said. Viewers wear 3-D classes that "pull the colors of the rainbow out," Wirth said. He added that this room wouldn't be the best one for people terrified of clowns.

 

The second and third floors in the old jailhouse are being used for "Jail House Shock," an abbreviated haunted house, Wirth said.

 

"Each venue is $7, or you can go to all three for $15," Wirth said. Also, $25 gets you to the front of the line. Coupons can be found at Subways throughout Pensacola, he added.

 

The Pensacola Historical Society is having their 15th annual Haunted House Walking and Trolley Tours Oct. 28 and Oct. 29. The event is the society's annual fundraiser.

 

"Your guide will lead you through the haunted streets of historic Pensacola by candle light, sharing some of the bizarre happenings and stories of apparitions of this very old city that was the very first settlement in the new world," the Pensacola Historical Society's Web site said.

 

"The stories are true as ghost stories can be," said Nina Winkler, curator of education at the Pensacola Historical Museum. She wants to remind the public that the event is a "fun event, not just a historical event."

 

The tours last an hour and leave every half-hour, with the first tour leaving at 6 p.m. and the last one at 8:30 p.m., Winkler said. Walking tours are $9, and trolley tours are $14.

 

One of the tours is adults only, as it "focuses on the brothel district," Winkler said. In general, she said doesn't recommend bringing children younger than age 6 for the tours.

 

The tour guides are mostly volunteers who are all very well trained, Winkler said. Many of them have been leading the tours for years.

 

Many students, such as sophomore Jessica Potter, are planning on going to the Trick or TKE party conducted each year. Others, however, would rather spend time with a few close friends.

 

"I'm going to a friend of mines party, just a small get together with some friends, enjoying a few drinks and some laughs," said Josh Martin, a junior electrical engineering major.

 

For more information about Stage Fright, contact William S. Wirth at the Pensacola Little Theatre at 432-2042. Check out www.pensacolahistory.org for information on the Annual Haunted House Walking and Trolley Tours.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools