A female bootlegger from Prohibition, a Depression-era hobo living near the railroad tracks, a survivor of an 1853 shipwreck, a Japanese “picture bride” from the 1920s, a longtime lady lighthouse keeper, and a newspaper editor murdered in 1880 – six real or inspired-by-real figures from Santa Barbara history return from the spirit world to tell their stories over three nights as part of the first “Ghosts Along the Coast” in Santa Barbara’s Elings Park.
“Ghosts Along the Coast” is held outdoors on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, Oct. 13, 14, and 16.
The performances are seen during guided walking tours held every 30 minutes (on the hour and half-hour).
Tickets are $15, and must be purchased for a specific tour date and time. “Ghosts…” is recommended for ages 9 and older. Purchase tickets online at https://coastghosts.brownpapertickets.com. Space is limited, and advance ticketing is recommended. Tickets will be sold at the door if space allows and on a first-come, first-served basis.
For information, visit www.elingspark.org or call (805) 569-5611. All proceeds benefit Elings Park Foundation.
“These theatrical portrayals are based on true events, but definitely are not ‘living history’ – they’re more like ‘deceased history,’” said Dean Noble, Elings Park executive director. “You’ll get a feeling for life in Santa Barbara in different era as you listen to the stories, some scary, some humorous, and all entertaining.”
The walk is short, but pathways are not well lit. Guests are strongly urged to bring flashlights or cell phones to help illuminate their way. Carpooling and ridesharing are highly recommended. Limited parking is available in Elings Park at the top of George Bliss Drive and Jerry Harwin Drive. No dogs are allowed in Godric Grove during this event.
Six Characters Based on Santa Barbara History
Each guided tour makes six stops as part of “Ghosts…” to visit the deceased costumed characters who may (or may not) have been actual figures in Santa Barbara history. Tours are roughly 90 minutes long and led by Elings Park’s “Ghost Hunters,” who share tidbits of local history, including facts about the park itself.
“Our ghosts are dying to entertain you,” said director Kirk Martin. “It’s eerie but fun, and there’s nothing else like it in Santa Barbara. We hope people come back year after year to hear new stories from different ghosts.”
The six restless spirits recount the stories of their lives and untimely demises on lit vignettes positioned under shadowy trees in Godric Grove. The characters and actors include:
1. Yuko (Deborah Cristobal): this “picture bride” arrived in Santa Barbara from Japan in the 1920s to marry a man she’d never met. She searches for him in the afterlife after a horrible fishing accident.
2. Julia Williams (Karen Dalton): her lazy husband couldn’t handle his job as keeper of the lighthouse on the Mesa, so this mother of five took over – for 40 years. Her ghost is ready for a deserved rest.
3. Sally Stanford (Nicole Iaquinto): the spirit of this female bootlegger is still distressed about a big delivery of Prohibition hootch that was interrupted by the opening of duck hunting season.
4. The Bookman (Kirk Martin): all this Depression-era hobo (and his pets) needed was a fine roof and their shack would have been the best in “Jungleland.” But living so near the train tracks proved fatal.
5. Theodore M. Glancy (Alfred Smith): the Santa Barbara Morning Press editor was gunned down in 1880 by a district attorney nominee who was livid over a negative editorial. Is there no justice?
6. F. S. Crane (Patrick Turner): he made his fortune in the Gold Rush and survived the 1853 shipwreck of steamer Winfield Scott on Anacapa Island. His ghost just wants to find his lost gold.
