There's nothing like a good ghost story, especially around Halloween.
This week you'll have two opportunities to hear a variety of creepy tales, all with a Peoria or Midwestern twist, thanks to central Illinois storyteller Brian "Fox" Ellis.
The first opportunity is "River City Ghosts," part of the Writers Live Program at the Peoria Public Library. This free event, which is appropriate for all age groups, takes place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the downtown library's auditorium.
"The emphasis will be on local ghost stories," Ellis said. "There are supposedly a couple of ghosts who live at the library itself. The original land was cursed by the older woman whose son lost the land in a gambling debt. I just recently heard a story of a ghost -I'm not sure if it's a ghost or an angel -who had visited the Saint Francis Medical Center.
"There are a couple of Native American ghost stories and some other things that I'm toying with."
The other ghost story event - this one recommended for audiences age 10 and up - will take place at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday at Lindsay's on Liberty in the Sky Room. An evening of song and storytelling, it features Ellis as well as local entertainers Barry Cloyd and Cherie Beever.
A production of Prairie Folklore Theatre, "River Ghosts" will include Mark Twain's classic retelling of an ancient tale, "The Ghost with the Golden Arm." It also will feature a spooky tale about a woman who dies in childbirth and how she protects her newborn infant - a tale told in lands as diverse as Ireland, Japan and the Midwest, according to Ellis.
One of the most intriguing tales has a central Illinois tie. It tells about an excursion boat that went up Spoon River in the 19th century and vanished - until a spectral likeness was seen by eyewitnesses seven years later.
These events represent a different way of celebrating Halloween - through literature and storytelling in addition to the traditional pumpkins and candy.
"We know that it's only a story, but we love the adrenaline rush," Ellis said. "Reading stories helps us grapple with real fears."
Gary Panetta
Peoria Journal Star
