DUBOIS – The fifth annual Spirit of DuBois Lantern Walk will be held Saturday, Oct. 13 and recall the town’s worst natural disaster, the flood of 1972. Tours will leave from the DuBois YMCA beginning at 6 p.m.
“Preparations started 10 months ago and the DuBois Area Historical Society believes it has gathered some significant history that will be presented in an entertaining fashion. No one will leave this walk without learning something new about the community,” said Tom Schott, chairman of the Lantern Walk committee.
Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Children who are sixth grade and younger will be admitted free if accompanied by an adult. All proceeds benefit the historical society. The program is suitable for all ages.
The first tour will leave the YMCA at 6 p.m. with tours to follow every 20 minutes. Parking is available at the YMCA.
“The Hurricane Agnes Flood of 1972 caused a great deal of damage in DuBois and resulted in the flood control project,” said Schott. “The tour will also go through the ‘flats,’ an area prone to bad flooding and one that it is quite interesting because of its ethnic mixture.
“Some of the ‘Spirits’ to be encountered include an elected official, a ‘King’ of the road, a lost Catostomus commersoni, a young girl seeking a homemade dinner and a 125-year-old athlete. We invite the entire community to come out and support the historical society. This is your history, come and experience it.”
Performing as “Spirits” are: Mike Gressler, Shawn and Tara Deemer, Tom Shade, Carolyn Rhoades, Noah and Ben Hayes, Pam August, Sarah Whitaker, Mel Amrhein and Beecher Klingensmith.
Six hundred-and-four people have attended the previous four Lantern Walks. To make advance reservations for a specific walk time, telephone 814-371-4627 between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Tour groups will be limited to 20 people. Walk-ins are also welcome and will be assigned to the next available tour. The walk is approximately nine-tenths of a mile on very flat surface and will last around an hour.
The DuBois Area Historical Society will conclude its 2012 activities on Tuesday, Nov. 13 when Scott Shaffer will speak about “Archeological Findings in the DuBois Area.” The presentation starts at 7 p.m. in the E. D. Reitz Museum, 28 W. Long Ave., DuBois. It is free and open to the public.
