Backporch Storytellers set the scene for Halloween at North Charleston Ghost Walk

Get into the Halloween spirit with spooky tales and creepy legends appropriate for all ages at the North Charleston Ghost Walk on Saturday, October 27. The Olde Village section of East Montague Avenue in North Charleston will host up to eight storytelling stations featuring lively presentations of local folklore and traditional ghost stories by the talented members of the Backporch Storytellers of Charleston.

This exclusive one night only event will take place from 6:00-8:00pm. Groups will begin their haunted adventure at The Meeting Place, located at 1077 East Montague Avenue. Guests may visit any number of storytelling stations, with the full tour lasting approximately one and a half hours. Stations are located both indoors and outside. Participants are encouraged to add to the Halloween fun by attending in costume.

Tickets are available for purchase on the night of the event and cost $4 for adults and $1 for children 12 and under. A special rate of $6 is being offered for groups consisting of one adult and three children. All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards the City’s Christmas Charity benefiting needy families. Homemade treats and hot chocolate will be available for purchase.

About the Backporch Storytellers
The Backporch Storytellers is a non-profit organization created in 1987 to serve as a storytelling support group for adult storytellers and listeners and a resource for people interested in oral literature. The mission of the group is to preserve and perpetuate the ancient art of Storytelling and to preserve the multi-cultural stories of the Old South, which includes Sea Island and Gullah tales and stories. Several members are listed on the Artist in Residence in Education roster for the South Carolina Arts Commission. For more information, visit backporchstorytellers.com.

The North Charleston Ghost Walk is sponsored by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department. For more details about the event, or for information about other programs and services offered by the department, visit http://bit.ly/culturalarts, call 843-740-5854 or email culturalarts@northcharleston.org.

Olde Village of North Charleston to host Ghost Walk

Flick user Loren Javier

Get into the Halloween spirit with spooky tales and creepy legends appropriate for all ages at the North Charleston Ghost Walk on Saturday, October 29, 2011 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. The Olde Village along East Montague Avenue in North Charleston will host eight storytelling stations featuring lively presentations of local folklore and traditional ghost stories by the talented members of the Backporch Storytellers of Charleston.

Groups will begin their haunted adventure at The Meeting Place, located at 1077 East Montague Avenue. Guests may visit any number of storytelling stations, with the full tour lasting approximately one and a half hours. Stations are located both indoors and outside. Participants are encouraged to add to the Halloween fun by attending in costume.

Tickets are available for purchase on the night of the event, $4 for adults and $1 for children 12 and under. A special rate of $6 is being offered for groups consisting of one adult and three children. All proceeds from the event will benefits the City’s Christmas Fund benefiting needy families.

About the Backporch Storytellers
The Backporch Storytellers is a non-profit organization created in 1987 to serve as a storytelling support group for adult storytellers and listeners and a resource for people interested in oral literature. The mission of the group is to preserve and perpetuate the ancient art of Storytelling and to preserve the multi-cultural stories of the Old South, which includes Sea Island and Gullah tales and stories. Several members are listed on the Artist in Residence in Education roster for the South Carolina Arts Commission. For more information, visit backporchstorytellers.com.

The North Charleston Ghost Walk is sponsored by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department. For more details about the event, or for information about other programs and services offered by the department, call (843) 740-5854 or email culturalarts@northcharleston.org.

Halloween Fire Safety Tips

Halloween is approaching fast. Here are some fire safety tips from the National Fire Protection Association presented by the North Charleston Fire Department:

First, begin thinking safety.  When choosing a costume, stay away from billowing or long, trailing fabric. If your child is wearing a mask, make sure the eye holes are large enough so they can see out.

Provide children with flashlights to carry for lighting or glow sticks as part of their costume.

Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper are highly flammable. Keep these and other decorations well away from all open flames and heat sources, including light bulbs, and heaters.

It is safest to use a flashlight or battery-operated candle in a jack-o-lantern. If you use a real candle, use extreme caution. Make sure children are watched at all times when candles are lit. When lighting candles inside jack-o-lanterns, use long, fireplace-style matches or a utility lighter. Be sure to place lit pumpkins well away from anything that can burn and far enough out of way of trick-or-treaters, doorsteps, walkways and yards.

Keep exits clear of decorations, so nothing blocks escape routes.

Tell children to stay away from open flames.  Be sure they know how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches fire. (Have them practice, stopping immediately, dropping to the ground, covering their face with hands, and rolling over and over to put the flames out.)

Use flashlights as alternatives to candles or torch lights when decorating walkways and yards.  They are much safer for trick-or-treaters, whose costumes may brush against the lighting.

If your children are going to Halloween parties at others’ homes, have them look for ways out of the home and plan how they would get out in an emergency.

Happy trick-or-treating!