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Shepherdstown “BooFest” Halloween Celebration

The historic town of Shepherdstown WV will celebrate Halloween this year with its fourth annual "BooFest." The BooFest will begin the evening of Wednesday, October 26 with a showing of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" and conclude with trick-or-treating and other events on Halloween night, Monday, October 31. In between, there will be a wide variety of activities that everybody can enjoy, with a special emphasis on activities for children and families. Most activities will be free and everyone will be welcome. One of the highlights of this year's BooFest will be a visit on Saturday, October 29, by Bill Hartley, one of the stars of the popular "Ghosts of Shepherdstown" television series. The series aired this summer on the Destination America cable TV channel. Hartley, who was the tech expert of the series' paranormal investigative team, is the head of the Greater Maryland Paranormal Society. He will lead a discussion about the series from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Shepherdstown Opera House. He will be joined by local historian Dana Mitchell and town police chief Mike King, who also appeared in the series, The discussion will be followed by a Ghosts of Shepherdstown walk led by Mitchell from 4 to 5 p.m. and a "Meet the Stars of Ghosts of Shepherdstown" event, where Hartley, Mitchell and King will sign posters, DVDs, and pictures, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. There will also be a showing of Hartley's favorite episodes from the Ghosts of Shepherdstown series from 3:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Opera House. Other BooFest events will include the following: • a "Vampire Ball" at the Community Club on Friday night, October 28 • special Halloween concerts at the Opera House on Friday, Saturday, and Monday • a Haunted Hogs Poker Run and bike judging Saturday afternoon • a Saturday evening Thriller dance and street party • a Sunday costume competition There will also be history walks, carriage rides and many children's activities on Saturday and Sunday, plus family Halloween movies on Sunday. On Halloween night, in addition to trick-or-treating, there will also be a "Haunted Hallway" for young children and a performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth with a post-show costume party at the Black Box Theatre. Go to the Shepherdstown Visitors Center website at www.shepherdstown.info for a full schedule of activities. For more information, contact Marianne Davis at 304-876-2786 or svc@shepherdstown.info.