By Wendy Elliott
Call it Kentville, Horton Corner or the Devil’s Half Acre - Kentville has a colourful past and the best way to view it is the town’s new ghost walks.
Jerome, Wolfville’s gravekeeper, was masterful leading around 50 curious folk around CentreSquare Oct. 5. He began with the Cornwallis Inn’s glory days and then moved onto a tragedy. Poor Elsie Acker, a maid at Dimock’s hostelry, met an untimely end at the hand of a suitor with undesirable attentions..
One of my favourites was a mad scientist and early electric lighting wizard named Walter D’Arcy Ryan, performed eccentrically by a very comic Mike Butler.
The ghost of Rupert Davis, an early Kentville police chief, was fascinating. The actor scared a few young imps on the walk, but current Chief Mark Mander said Davis, who served from 1894 to 1931, was a highly respected individual.
Davis rode a bicycle instead of a police cruiser and he met an untimely end in 1938, the victim of a hit and run. After hearing from Davis’ great grandson Jeffery, Mander is planning to honour his predecessor’s memory in a fitting way to mark the department’s 125th anniversary.
I don’t want to give too much away, but the ghost of Gladys Porter was portrayed well and Brian Smits did an excellent job evoking another mayor and the MacKay car history.
I’ve no doubt the old-time, horse-drawn hearse at White’s Funeral Home is packed with ghouls and the Old Courthouse is a hangout for lost souls.
Kernville’s Ghost Walks are an entertaining 90-minute historical production. The second one saunters around Oak Grove Cemetery. Funding for the project came from the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage. The project is a joint venture with CentreStage Theatre and the theatre receives some of the proceeds.
The Kentville Downtown Ghost Walk will run one more weekend, Oct. 19 to 20. All shows start at 8:30 sharp. Adult tickets are $13, students $8. Contact [email protected] or 692-8546 to make your reservations.
In addition, two shows will be held at CentreStage Theatre. This indoor production will be a compilation of both ghost walks running Oct. 21 and Sunday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. For this show only, phone 678-8040 for reservations.
By Wendy Elliott
Call it Kentville, Horton Corner or the Devil’s Half Acre - Kentville has a colourful past and the best way to view it is the town’s new ghost walks.
Jerome, Wolfville’s gravekeeper, was masterful leading around 50 curious folk around CentreSquare Oct. 5. He began with the Cornwallis Inn’s glory days and then moved onto a tragedy. Poor Elsie Acker, a maid at Dimock’s hostelry, met an untimely end at the hand of a suitor with undesirable attentions..
One of my favourites was a mad scientist and early electric lighting wizard named Walter D’Arcy Ryan, performed eccentrically by a very comic Mike Butler.
The ghost of Rupert Davis, an early Kentville police chief, was fascinating. The actor scared a few young imps on the walk, but current Chief Mark Mander said Davis, who served from 1894 to 1931, was a highly respected individual.
Davis rode a bicycle instead of a police cruiser and he met an untimely end in 1938, the victim of a hit and run. After hearing from Davis’ great grandson Jeffery, Mander is planning to honour his predecessor’s memory in a fitting way to mark the department’s 125th anniversary.
I don’t want to give too much away, but the ghost of Gladys Porter was portrayed well and Brian Smits did an excellent job evoking another mayor and the MacKay car history.
I’ve no doubt the old-time, horse-drawn hearse at White’s Funeral Home is packed with ghouls and the Old Courthouse is a hangout for lost souls.
Kernville’s Ghost Walks are an entertaining 90-minute historical production. The second one saunters around Oak Grove Cemetery. Funding for the project came from the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage. The project is a joint venture with CentreStage Theatre and the theatre receives some of the proceeds.
The Kentville Downtown Ghost Walk will run one more weekend, Oct. 19 to 20. All shows start at 8:30 sharp. Adult tickets are $13, students $8. Contact [email protected] or 692-8546 to make your reservations.
In addition, two shows will be held at CentreStage Theatre. This indoor production will be a compilation of both ghost walks running Oct. 21 and Sunday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. For this show only, phone 678-8040 for reservations.
