cemeterytour One of Long Beach’s most-special Halloween traditions will continue for the 15th consecutive year when the Historical Cemetery Tour visits the graves of 10 special residents of the city’s two oldest permanent resting places—the Municipal Cemetery and the Sunnyside Cemetery—on Oct. 30.

The Historical Society of Long Beach (HSLB) presents the annual event and selects which of the dearly departed will be temporarily revived from among more than 20,000 graves in the two cemeteries.

Over the years, these individuals have ranged from historical figures who helped shape the city’s political past to ordinary people whose stories remind us that rich or poor, well-known or barely remembered, everyone has a story to tell.

The inhabitants of the graves are represented as authentically as possible by actors wearing period costumes and speaking in the first person of themselves and their times. Every script is researched by a historian using the HSLB archives, newspaper accounts and primary resources. Many cast members are professional actors. All are directed by Denis McCourt, co-artistic director for the Long Beach Shakespeare Company.

The HSLB stresses that the event is appropriate for all ages. The scariest thing about the tour is the sometimes-uneven ground that sometimes surrounds the gravesites, although attendees are recommended to bring a sweater to guard against the cool breeze (the breath of the departed?) that sometimes picks up late in the day.

Tickets to the tour go on sale on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 8:30 a.m., just inside the entrance to Sunnyside Cemetery. The tour begins at noon and takes approximately two hours to complete; the last presentation is given at 2:30 p.m.

 HISTORICAL CEMETERY TOUR PRESENTED BY HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF LONG BEACH •  MUNICIPAL CEMETERY • 1151 E WILLOW (CORNER WILLOW & ORANGE) • SUNNYSIDE CEMETERY • 1095 E WILLOW • LONG BEACH 90806 • 562.424.2220 • HISTORICALSOCIETYLB.ORG • OCT 30 • NOON-2:30PM • $20; HSLB MEMBERS $12; STUDENTS AGES 12-18 $5; CHILDREN 11 AND UNDER FREE