ELLERBE – In the northern reaches of the county, spooky tales are waiting to be told.
With Halloween right around the corner, haunted houses, haunted forests and Scarowinds come to mind. But in the Town of Ellerbe, the Rankin Museum of American Heritage will be the source of a different seasonal fear factor: “Haunting Tales.”
On Saturday, October 28th, from 6 to 7:30 p.m, the Rankin Museum will open its doors to 100 guests, all on a quest to hear chilling tales throughout the museum. Haunting Tales will be a flashlight tour through the museum with six storytellers, in costume, scattered throughout waiting to paint a vision of the past that will be hard to forget.
“Some of the stories are true, and some are folklore that have been passed down generation to generation,” says Gail Benson, a curator and event coordinator at the Rankin Museum. “Some are really quite disturbing.”
The event caters toward a more mature audience, ages 12 and up. Each story will last five to eight minutes relating to the exhibits in the museum. There will be 10 different time slots, in which 10 guests will tour the museum at a time.
The idea for Haunting Tales came about years ago as a potential partnership with the Richmond Community Theater, but was tabled. Benson revisited the idea and it will now come to life at the end of this month.
“I just hope people will come out and enjoy the stories,” Benson said.
One of the stories involves a member of her family and another discusses the famous Nelson Rockefeller and his family. The stories range from local to national lore, from fact to fiction.
“They are all really good and interesting stories that will definitely capture your interest,” Benson added.
Perhaps what makes the Rankin Museum’s event so intriguing is that unlike a haunted house that only scares people while they’re there, haunting tale stick in their memories for years to follow.
Tickets are $5 each, and can be purchased by contacting the Rankin Museum at (910) 652-6378.
