Ghost, legends to haunt halls of Connellsville library

It's October and time for Halloween ghost stories.

From 2 to 3 p.m. Oct. 10, storyteller Alan Irvine will present a program of ghost stories and legends in the Carnegie Free Library, 299 S. Pittsburgh Street, Connellsville.

“Kids can come for free, everyone is free,” said Christine Gemas, program coordinator at the library.

Irvine's program is geared toward elementary- and middle-school children.

“The stories are medium scary with plenty for teens and adults,” Gemas said.

Irvine has been presenting programs offering folk tales and legends in the Pittsburgh area since 1984.

According to his website, he is an outreach performer for the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. He appears at venues throughout the the eastern United States and Canada.

In addition to performing, Irvine teaches workshops and classes on storytelling. He also leads walking tours of Pittsburgh. Irvine presents his programs in elementary, middle and high schools, as well as colleges and universities.

For those who have heard Irvine's presentation before, he noted on a flyer sent to the library that the stories he plans to present in the library will be different.

Gemas and librarian Eileen Beveridge said they were not sure whether Irvine has ever presented a program at the Connellsville library.

“When I talked to him (Irvine), he didn't seem to talk like he was here before,” Gemas said. “When we got his flyer, I was told ‘It looks like a good idea for you to do.' ”

Gemas said she is interested to see whether a lot of people attend the program.

“If we have a big crowd, I would like to have him back again,” she said.

“We're excited that he is going to tell additional ghost stories and legends,” Beveridge said. “He is targeting the elementary and middle school students, and we like that.”

Karl Polacek is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at kpolacek@tribweb.com or 724-626-3538.