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Date: 9/1/2021
WESTFIELD – The Historical Commission changed the dates for the return of the annual Ghost Tours in the Old Burying Ground to Oct. 1 and 2 to accommodate some of the participants.
The tours were originally supposed to take place Sept. 24 and 25, but will now take place in the first weekend in October.
The Ghost Tours are an annual event in which local residents and officials dress up as significant historical figures from Westfield’s 352-year history. The tours did not take place last year due to the pandemic, though Historical Commission members in 2019 had expressed an interest in skipping 2020 anyway, as the tours can be very time intensive and a break was needed.
During the tours, participants will be dressed up as historical figures while standing next to said figure’s grave in the Old Burying Ground on Mechanic Street. They will read a history of the lives and contributions of their character while acting as the historical figure themselves.
An exact time was not given for the Oct. 1 and 2 Ghost Tours, but Historical Commission Chair Cindy Gaylord said that they will take place after 6 p.m. when it becomes darker, as is tradition for the tours.
The event will also feature lighting and audio effects from Jay Pagliuca of Westfield on Weekends.