Kit Bloom, of Uniontown, has given ghost tours in the city of Frederick for years, but Saturday she will be spinning webs of haunted history a little closer to home.
Historic Uniontown Inc., a group that owns and maintains historical properties owned by the village and works to preserve the historical appearance of the village, is offering ghost tours every half-hour from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Bloom said the idea came about as the organization was brainstorming ways to raise money for the group to use toward maintaining some of its properties.
“A number of us have gone on ghost tours and enjoyed them, and they’re very popular and they’re fun to do,” said Bloom, a member of the association. “We thought this might be a nice way to get people into our town and get some funding for our Academy.”
The Uniontown Academy is a one-room schoolhouse from the mid-19th century that needs quite a bit of work done, said Will Meyers, a member of Historic Uniontown Inc. and volunteer on the ghost tour committee. The work needed includes the repair of the foundation and a wall in the rear of the building, replacement of rotting wood in some areas and repair of plaster walls inside.
This is the first time Uniontown has had a ghost tour, and the committee had to develop the tour from scratch.
“I asked all the residents in town what their stories were and what they had heard, and I tried to get to a number of the people who have lived here a very long time,” Bloom said. “So we got all of the things they told, took a look at the history of the houses and who lived in them, what uses they were put to and that kind of thing, and came up with some interesting stories. It’s a little bit of folklore and some history.”
While the homeowners are the sources of some of these stories, they will also be the storytellers during the tour, Meyers said.
“The main difference between this tour and others, like the ones in Gettysburg for example, is that for the most part the stories will be told by the homeowners that have actually experienced the paranormal activity,” he said.
The house with the most activity seems to be the old Dr. Jacob Weaver Jr. home, he said, where there are reports of everything from items being moved to apparitions being seen.
While it is a ghost tour, it will still be family-friendly, Bloom said.
“There are no gory stories on this one,” she said, so the limiting factor for children is more whether an hourlong tour can keep their attention and if they can stay on their feet for that long. “If your child can walk that far, that’s fine. But if you want to bring a stroller and your baby, that’s fine too.”
Participants are also asked to bring flashlights with them, since their tour guides will be relying on lanterns to light the way.
“It’s going to be very dark in Uniontown that night, and it’s on bumpy sidewalks,” Bloom said.
The tour will begin at the Academy, located in the 3300 block of Uniontown Road in Uniontown. From there, groups will go west to the cemetery and learn about some of the people buried there and about the location of the cemetery, Bloom said, then visit four private homes and end at Uniontown United Methodist Church, where a cafe will be selling refreshments on the lower level. Live music will also be played in the Academy and church for those who want to extend their time in town.
Uniontown is the home of many artisans, Bloom said, several of whom have donated some of their homemade pieces to the nonprofit to be raffled off on the night of the ghost tours. Items include blacksmithed pieces, pottery, baskets, jewelry, knit work and handmade lotions, as well as gift certificates to local businesses. Tickets are $2 apiece or three for $5. The drawing will take place at 9 p.m., and the ticket holder does not need to be present to win.
Tickets for the tour cost $10 for adults, $5 for children younger than 13, and $25 for a family of three or more.
The tours will be offered rain or shine, Bloom said.
Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes.
Halloween party
The New Windsor Lions Club will have its annual Halloween party Oct. 24 in the New Windsor Fire Hall, with registration beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the costume contest starting at 7 p.m.
There will be three classes of judging for the costume contest: birth to 5 years old, 6 to 8 years old, and 9 to 12 years old. Awards include most original, scariest and judges’ choice.
Local magician Roger Lindsay will perform a show, and free pizza and refreshments will be provided. All participants will also receive a bag of candy.
Lions club member Kevin Null said the Halloween party is always held on the Friday before Halloween, and while Halloween is on a Friday this year, the club decided to still have the party a week earlier so that children could trick-or-treat in their neighborhoods on Halloween night, the day the town has designated for trick-or-treating.
The event is free and open to the public.
The fire hall is at 101 High St., New Windsor.
Playing basket bingo
St. James Lutheran Church is hosting a basket bingo Oct. 25 at the Union Bridge Community Center.
The doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with games beginning at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, with only 130 tickets being made available.
The ticket entitles participants to 20 games, though additional games and specials will be available.
Anyone who wears a costume or brings a canned good or personal-hygiene product to donate to the St. James Food Pantry will receive a special raffle ticket.
Light-fare refreshments will be available for purchase.
Money raised from the bingo will support St. James Lutheran Church.
To purchase your ticket in advance, call Stephanie at 410-635-6872 or Pam at 410-861-5567.
The community center is at 4770 Ladiesburg Road, Union Bridge.
Carrie Ann Knauer covers New Windsor, Union Bridge, Taneytown and neighboring communities in the West Carroll area. Contact her at 410-596-9248 or carrie.knauer@gmail.com.
