Park celebrates haunted history

With spooky season approaching, the Park Theater is offering an event where local history and Halloween collide.

For the fourth year, the historic theater will offer Ghost Light Tours led by Warren County Historian Jimmy Haley. The tours have become a highlight of the Halloween season for many, attracting large crowds to hear Haley's stories and local legends associated with the community and the Park Theater.

The popularity of the tours, typically held on a single night in October, has prompted an expansion with six tours offered this year. Tours will be held Sunday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Thursday, Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tour tickets are $6 with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the Heritage Alliance Museum of McMinnville-Warren County. Refreshments will be provided.

Groups will be limited and each session will include a complete tour of the Park Theater from basement to balcony and will go inside and outside of the theater. The balcony and basement are only accessible via stairs. Those unable to climb stairs are asked to contact the Park Theater office at (931) 506-2787 to discuss tour accommodations. Tickets will go on sale at mcminnvilleparktheater.com Tuesday, Oct. 13 at noon and may be purchased online, at the Park Theater box office at 115 W. Main St. or at the door before each tour while supplies last.

"October is a time we really love to celebrate the history and lore surrounding the theater's past and also all the great things we have going on at the Park," Park Theater Assistant Manager Ashley Gillentine Wright said. "We are so thankful for Jimmy Haley working with us the last few years to tell stories of the Park Theater's past and of Cowan Oldham's mischief. The tours are always informative, funny and we tailor the spooky level to each group's preference."

Haley's Ghost Light Tours are just part of an eventful month for the Park Theater with Saturday's Dottie West Celebration featuring Larry Gatlin, Tess Frizzell and Bobby Tomberlin at 7 p.m. Oct. 10; Homeless Summitt 2026 presented by MATCH Thursday, Oct. 15; Strait Country: a tribute to George Strait Thursday, Oct. 22; Gospel at the Park presented by Young Men United Friday, Oct. 23; Big Gun: No. 1 AC/DC tribute Saturday, Oct. 24; and An Evening with Colin Raye Friday, Oct. 30. October also holds the 87th anniversary of the theater's original opening - Oct. 18.

"We had such a good time opening our lobby to guests during the Autumn Street Fair that we've decided to do the same thing for the next two Fridays to celebrate our upcoming 87th birthday," Park Theater Manager Joe Harvey said. "We are going to hold open-lobby hours Oct. 9 and Oct. 16 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. We'll have our concession stand open and discounts on Park Theater merchandise, including our limited-edition Christmas ornament, both of those days. It will be a convenient time to come in and buy tickets for upcoming shows and to watch the Park Theater documentary we will be showing in the lobby."