WOODVILLE – In spaces that have weathered many years, and even centuries, there’s likely to be some spirits caught in limbo, if one believes in the supernatural.
At Heritage Village in Woodville, the collection of frontier-era buildings and artifacts is serving as a backdrop for a new event for Halloween this year. Dubbed “Spook Fest at the Haunted Village,” Heritage Village will host a haunting experience for attendees during Halloween weekend of Friday Oct. 30 and Saturday Oct. 31, which is Halloween. From 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on both nights, attendees can tour the Village and experience spooky stories, treats and old-fashioned fun for all ages, and best of all, it is free.
According to Tyler County Heritage Society board member and Village volunteer John Michael Sanchez, who is organizing the event, it serves as a way to bring the community together with a focus on children “to give them an experience that we often forget about from our own childhood.”
He added that it will be a good way to provide for the kids a safe place for the community to gather, and to give back an experience to the children that they will be able to cite as a great memory down the road.
“A lot of times as a community, we have these stories and we have these buildings, and we can’t put a name to a face,” Sanchez said. “This will be a great opportunity to bring to light many of these names, and to build excitement for future generations.”
The focal point of the event in the Village will be the Z.C. Collier General Mercantile Store, where attendees can get many goodies, and a good, spooky tale or two.
Sanchez said the Friday date will be a sort of soft opening for the event, while the Halloween date will include the main event, which will feature some smoked barbecue goodness for attendees.
Sanchez added that the event will draw deeply from the collection of Pickett House circus posters that adorn the walls of the restaurant as a motif; bringing the circus theme and the spooky Halloween mythos together.
“We can enjoy the spooky theme of Halloween, which ties it all together to where we can pay homage to our heritage, and also honor it through the lens of a new tradition and bring it all together for a great Halloween experience,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez added that the event is also about honoring the youth. “As a community we do a good job of creating bonds among one another, but nothing for the kids. This is a good way to create a tradition for the kids,” he said.
