Haunts of Owensboro offers spooks for 16th year

Sep. 30—With just one month until Halloween, David Wolfe has begun to get into the holiday spirit with his Haunts of Owensboro Ghost Walk Tours making a return for its 16th year.

Tours take place each Friday and Saturday, starting at 7 p.m. in September before moving to 8 p.m. in October.

All tours will begin and end at Ghostly Productions, 203 W. Fourth St.

Wolfe still enjoys putting on the event as much as he did back in 2007.

"I love it," he said. "... It's something different for Owensboro."

Wolfe came up with the idea after visiting the southern parts of the country, including Savannah, Georgia, which Wolfe calls his "favorite place on earth." He also studied how ghost tours were conducted.

He became friends with Savannah tour guide Shannon Scott, who helped Wolfe with ideas, while Wolfe focused on researching and interviewing to put together his own ghost tour efficiently. He still continues to explore more events and history at the Kentucky Room at the Daviess County Public Library.

Wolfe also received guidance early on from Belinda Thomson, an acting professor at Brescia University who came with her class to give Wolfe some pointers before he opened the event up to the public.

Attractions on the tour, which lasts about 11/2 hours and make stops at a number of different buildings in the community, include the former Glenn Funeral Home on the southeast corner of Fourth and Allen streets, Sassafras (formerly Bill's Restaurant), the former Campbell Club and Theatre Workshop of Owensboro's Trinity Centre.

Wolfe makes it a point to "pepper" the crowd with the history about every stop before diving into the ghost stories associated with the location.

"...One of the stories we talk about is on Fourth and Frederica (streets), it used to be a cemetery," he said, "and some of the bodies still lay there according to people, and possibly they did not get up all of the bodies."

He even said attendees have the opportunity to ghost hunt while on the tour.

"It's hands-on and very engaging," Wolfe said.

Wolfe said attendance has been "50/50" in terms of seeing people from the area and those traveling in from out of town, while the growth of attendance has been unpredictable.

"It's like any business — it's a roller coaster," he said. "...When COVID first hit, Owensboro was shut down basically. I was the only one that was allowed to stay open, because I was able to stay 6 feet apart from everybody. I was booming — probably one of my best years."

Wolfe said he attempts to change up the event every year due to having a number of returnees and will be asking attendees if they have attended before in order to determine the optimal tour route.

Tickets are $15 for attendees 12 and over and $10 for children under 12.

Wolfe said tours will run through the first or second weekend of November.

All tickets must be purchased in advance and can be bought by contacting Wolfe at 270-313-5596, with payment options through PayPal and Zelle.

For more information and updates, visit facebook.com/Haunts-Of-Owensboro-Ghost-Walk-Tours-200175036695030.