Blue Heron has a scenic railroad that comes in daily to deliver passengers who want to look around at the historic coal mining community. However, one of their annual events is the Ghost Train, which is at night, and showcases storytellers at several spots presenting spooky tales. The event needed lots of staff to make sure people didn't wander off into the night!
I drove up there with Jake, another ranger at Bandy Creek. We were in a government car - a Prius. Jake and I are the two tallest people at Bandy Creek. The makers of the Prius apparently never heard of tall people. It was a little tight, but a very smooth ride. And we only got lost twice and had to call for directions before finding it - I've only been to Blue Heron twice, and someone else was driving each time. I thought Jake would know the way because he's from around here, but he hadn't been there since a middle school field trip! Luckily we got there in plenty of time.
A bunch of us walked around the grounds setting out luminaries - gallon milk jugs with electric tea lights in them. Then we went back to the depot and went over the schedule for the evening - there would be five groups, and each group would start at a different storytelling spot and then rotate. We ate supper while we waited for the train to come in. It started raining - hard! And kept raining! We lucked out, and the rain stopped just as the train arrived. It was quite dark by this time, especially with the clouds still covering the sky. The milk jugs we placed earlier had turned into beacons in the night, marking our path.
I was set to lead a group, and had a volunteer to help make sure no one got left behind. Our first stop was the farthest one from the depot. Each station was allowed fifteen minutes - including the walk. I was supposed to keep track of the time and signal to the storyteller when the time was almost up, but I missed the beginning of the story so didn't have any way to estimate the time. Others started checking in on the radio that they were done, and I signaled, but the storyteller took several minutes more. I could see the next group coming, but I knew it was a long walk and our next stop was the concession stand just next door, so I waited as long as I could - but I finally had to interrupt and say that we needed to leave so we wouldn't be blocked in by the group that was about to arrive.
After that first session they started making an announcement on the radio that it was time to move on. Apparently that same storyteller went over the allotted time every time, so I didn't feel so bad about interrupting her.
There were some good stories. It's partly the manner of the storyteller - there was one woman who was very much in character as someone sharing the gossip about that neighbor lady who killed her husband and how he came back for her... We could hear screams coming from that station, but when we finally got there it was actually part of the story that she was acting out!
Finally everyone had been to all the station; they had a few minutes to check out the gift shop and the restroom, and then the train whistle blew "All Aboard!" (That is incredibly loud when you're standing just a few yards away...)
Once the train left, it didn't take long to finish up for the night. Several people had been collecting the luminaries as the crowds left each area. We got the go-ahead to leave. This time Jake drove, and it was a little nervewracking because the valley had filled with fog. We could only see a short distance ahead of us - and the road didn't have stripes at the edge, so he had to go slow to navigate all the curves. We took the road that was supposed to lead us back to the highway, but because we were going so slow it was hard to tell how far we still had to go, and we weren't quite sure of where we were... We were literally about to turn around and go back to see if we had missed a turn, when we finally saw the lights on the highway. It was an easy drive from there - and a late night. I got home at around 11:30 p.m.
If you're ever in Kentucky the weekend after Labor Day, check out the Ghost Train!
http://www.nps.gov/biso/planyourvisit/bhghosttrain.htm
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