A newly-formed Weston theatre troop is hoping to bring some new blood and a lot of boo to a long-time favorite Parkville Halloween event.
Ghost Story Night has been a staple event at the Parkville Nature Sanctuary for about 30 years, founded by the sanctuary’s first director, Jim Reed. This year, Ghost Story Night will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 with the Lil’ Goblins Hour and will feature a scary haunted trail at 7 p.m., staffed by the Little Theatre of Weston. The Little Theatre of Weston started last year in Weston, hoping to expand opportunities to explore the arts in the area.
“The Haunted Trail is truly a scary experience that is not to be missed by the bravest Halloween lovers,” said Parkville Nature Sanctuary Director Kristen Bontrager. “We are so excited to collaborate with Little Theatre of Weston.”
Laura Pridgen of the Little Theatre of Weston said the group started with a short season last year and has seen great success in 2023, hosting monthly improv classes, script reading sessions at Weston Wine Company, producing a stage combat workshop, the sold-out Moon Over Buffalo, Halloween fund raiser Witches and Bitches and more.
“We’ve found that our community is hungry for a variety of entertainment and education,” Pridgen said. “Under the leadership of local professionals within our organization, with the insight brought from non-local professionals, alongside the fantastic support our community has shown, we’re happy to provide that entertainment and higher-tier performance education while exposing the community to theatrical events and creatives that might not have otherwise worked in the area.”
The organization’s treasurer met Bontrager at a local trivia event and soon the Little Theatre of Weston was approached to take on organization and operation of the haunted trail at Ghost Story Night.
“We will be the first organization to independently operate the Haunted Trail alongside the Parkville Nature Sanctuary,” Pridgen said. “We’re so excited to scare you with some ‘Magical Mayhem.’ This is going to be a very different trail from the one you’re used to seeing at the nature sanctuary. We’ve brought together a team of local FX artists and designers to create a new haunting experience for the trail that we can only dream of improving upon each year we’re able to continue working with the Parkville Nature Sanctuary.”
Bontrager said while Ghost Story Night started as a fund raiser for the nature sanctuary, it is now a free event hosted annually for everyone in the community. Friends of Parkville Nature Sanctuary will hand out glow sticks and Lil Goblins Hour sponsored by Three Tree Forest Adventure and the Missouri Department of Conservation will teach kids about spooky animals, let them play Halloween games, visit the selfie station and pick a ghost from a tree.
Starting at 6:30 p.m., ghost stories will begin at the Girl Scout Shelter, with music by The Shortleaf Band and magic by David the Magician. S’mores at the fire pit and music by Bentley Guitar Studios students will also be available.
The shelter can be found by following the event’s jack-o-lantern trail – a very different experience from the haunted trail, which will begin at 7 p.m.
Ghost Story Night will kick off with the annual pumpkin carving night held Thursday, Oct. 26 at McKeon Stage in English Landing Park. Find a full list of activities at parkvillemo.gov/nature-sanctuary.
Next up for Little Theatre of Weston is Witches and Bitches on Sunday, Oct. 29-30 at O’Malley’s Pub in Weston. Later this year, the group will produce a radio play of It’s a Wonderful Life. For more information, visit littletheatreweston.org.