CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The Stampers Ghost, Tall Betsy, a downtown crowded with costumed people and a truckload of candy all are part of Halloween week here.
If there’s a ghost at Stampers Furniture, it will be one of many evoked by the Cleveland Storytellers Guild as people gather Tuesday through Thursday for the third annual Mystery and Folklore Tour.
From 6:30-8:30 p.m., the tours begin every 13 minutes at Bank of Cleveland. Each tour takes about 40 minutes. Tickets are $10, $5 for students, and proceeds benefit The Caring Place.
The bank also will be displaying pumpkins painted by Bradley County elementary school children.
The towering presence of Tall Betsy — the folklorish re-creation of a real person who accosted people on the streets of Cleveland in the 19th century — will be at the Museum Center at Five Points on Halloween Sunday, the same evening MainStreet Cleveland’s 23rd annual block party takes place.
It is the museum’s fifth annual Tall Betsy Storytelling Night and Pumpkin Carving Contest. The free festival runs from 4:30 to 9 p.m.
Family friendly stories will be told by the Cleveland Storytelling Guild, and Deborah Holland will portray Tall Betsy between 5-7 p.m.
“The turnout is always tremendous,” said Sharon Marr, executive director of Downtown Cleveland. “The average attendance is around 20,000, and the larger venue will allow for smoother flow of attendees.”
The block party venue this year includes Church, Ocoee, Broad, First and Second streets.
Downtown streets are for pedestrians only that night. The Church Street area in front of the Police Services Center temporarily will become “Treat Street.” That’s where children will line up to get a treat from Mars Chocolate North America.
“The block party has become a great downtown tradition,” said Doug Caywood, MainStreet Cleveland board president. “Our volunteers make it happen.”
Vendors complete the block party atmosphere, Caywood said, with all kinds of food and games.
“After 23 years, it’s almost like clockwork,” Marr told MainStreet members recently, “but it is always amazing to see this come together and then how clean the streets are a few hours later when it’s over.”
Entertainment this year on the main stage at the courthouse plaza includes the local Ridge Farm Band and the Motown sounds of Higher Ground, a Nashville group. Vocal Motion, Bradley Central High School’s show choir, kicks off the entertainment.
The children’s costume contest is at 5 p.m. on the Fun Stage at the Post Office Annex.