Newton Citizen

Special Photo From left, Bobby Posner and Paul Best portraying Civil War soldiers, participated in last year’s Social Circle Cemetery Tour.

Get into the Halloween spirit this weekend by visiting Social Circle for a tour of the historic City Cemetery -- led by the those who lie in rest there, that is.

Social Circle Theater actors will do their best to bring the dead to life on the fifth annual Social Circle City Cemetery Tour.

The main thrust of the tour is to educate the public about important historical figures who are buried at the cemetery. But in keeping with the season, the actors who play the historical figures will be dressed in period costumes and look a little ghostly with help from some pale makeup.

Tour director and script writer Tyson White said the tour is a mix of the eerie and the informative.

"It's a little bit of both. It's a good way to get a little scared, but more importantly it's a great historical (experience) that's not boring. It's real people telling other people's stories. It's more theatrical than what you'd find in a museum," said Tyson.

The Social Circle Cemetery Tour, presented by the Social Circle Theatre with support from the Social Circle Better Hometown program, takes place 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 28 and 29. The 30-minute tours run continuously throughout each evening until 10 p.m. Cost is $5, or $7 for those opting for a spooky ending to their tour.

Among the characters portrayed in the tour are children's mystery writer Wiley Folk St. John and former slave and Atlanta's first black millionaire Alonzo Hearndon.

White said he based his script on information from previous tours and used the Internet to flesh out the characters.

"What I've noticed through research is that everybody's life was pretty much the same. There was a great sense of community and friendship and pride and they always wanted to do what was right," said White.

If you go

What: Social Circle Cemetery Tour

When: 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 28 and 29

Where: Social Circle City Cemetery off Highway 11 at the intersection of Memorial Street and Lakewood Drive in Social Circle

Cost: $5 for basic tour; $7 for haunted ending tour. Tickets can be purchased the nights of the tours at the Weatherford House at the corner of Memorial Drive and Highway 11.

Info: Call 770-464-2269