On a clear crisp evening in late October, passersby of the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery might catch the fleeting glimpse of a lone figure carrying a lantern and weaving his way through a maze of massive headstones. But don’t be too alarmed. It’s just a local volunteer performing his role in the cemetery’s annual Lantern Tours event. This event has become a local favorite and is the cemetery’s largest fundraiser, with proceeds benefiting education programs and headstone restoration projects. Established in 1849 and recognized as one of the oldest operating cemeteries west of the Mississippi River, the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery or Old City Cemetery still has room for future “

This Halloween season, take a unique nighttime tour through the Old City Cemetery with nothing but a lantern to light the way through the maze of historic tombstones and wandering spirits. The annual Lantern Tours offer guests a special visit with Sacramento’s oldest residents. “Guests are led by a gas-lit lantern through the cemetery, and we stop to meet residents who are played by costumed docents,” said Old City Cemetery Committee Director Lynda Walls. Walls, who doubles as the official tour guide, said the stories are often told through skits. “It’s very entertaining. We try to have a sense of humor with the most respect,” she said. There is a palpable sense of history at the Old

The tales told during the Old City Cemetery's annual Lantern Tours sound like they were pulled from today's headlines: dead prostitutes, drunks, suicides, gunfights, couples killed for their money, an estranged husband ordering a contract hit on his wife. Many folks murdered because of greed, love, and jealousy. This past Friday and Saturday nights, costumed volunteers dressed authenticly as they told the tales of the cemetery's notable residents who roamed our area over one hundred years ago. Their ghosts roamed among us as we headed deep into the cemetery under the moonlight.                               Reserve your tickets now for 2010 Lantern T