Fall has arrived and before you know it, Halloween will be here and ghouls and goblins will be roaming the streets. To celebrate the ghostly season, the Conrad-Caldwell House once again will host the “Gathering of the Spirits” festival in the heart of Old Louisville, the nation’s most haunted neighborhood.
“This Victorian-inspired masquerade ball has become the highlight of the city’s social calendar,” says Earlene Zimlich, Executive Director of the Visitors Center in Historic Old Louisville. “And it’s not just locals who are enjoying it, either. We’ve also got guests coming from far and away to absorb our great architecture and haunted mansions.”
Although the festival includes popular spooky events such as the Fifth Annual Victorian Ghost Walk, the revelry will culminate at the 2008 Spirit Ball on October 25th, the Saturday before Halloween. “The Spirit Ball,” explains Gary Kleier, chair of the event, “is a gala costume affair where guests can dance the night away in 19th-century elegance in one of the city’s most opulent mansions.”
In addition to music, dancing, prizes and a silent auction to benefit the Conrad-Caldwell House, partygoers will enjoy gourmet cuisine and expertly mixed cocktails amidst the Victorian splendor of lovely gas-lit St. James Court.
“This is the perfect way to keep old customs alive,” says Deb Riall, director of the stately residence built for Theophilus Conrad in 1895, “and there’s no better place to enjoy a night of colorful masquerades and spirited dancing than in the Conrad-Caldwell House.”
Author David Dominé will host the gala event that attracts history buffs and ghost story aficionados to the streets of the neighborhood made famous in his bestsellers Ghosts of Old Louisville and Phantoms of Old Louisville. Many of the characters described in his books make
spirited
appearances at the ball, where revelers are urged to don attire appropriate to the Victorian era.
Tickets for Spirit Ball cost $99.00 per person and include live music, gourmet fare and open bar with expertly prepared drinks. VIP passes include special access to the Spirit Lounge and cost $149.00 per person. Package deals with local B&Bs are also available. Festivities start at 7:00 p.m. and end at midnight. Space is limited, so make reservations now! Order tickets online at www.thespiritball.com
For more information contact, call (502) 637-2922.
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