Addison Apparitions to feature walking tour of village
ADDISON – Addison Apparitions will be staged Sunday from 1 to 4:30 p.m., rain or shine, in Addison, Somerset County. “This is a walking tour of the history of the village of Addison,” said Joan Whetsell, a founder of the project.
“Heritage tourism has a lot of room to grow in this area,” she said, referring to Americans who now spend vacations and their tourism dollars researching their ancestries.
Whetsell hopes that many area communities will follow Addison’s lead.
“Every town, whether it’s big or small has stories that should be told,” she said. “And we need to involve our youth.”
Whetsell practices what she preaches.
“The Junior Historians will be involved again this year. They play a big part in Addison Apparitions,” she said.
This year there will be 22 characters, in full costume, brought to life by the Seldom Scene Players, Triple A Actors and other local citizenry.
Visitors may meet Samantha Jane Nicklow, the local hat maker, who changed her last name to Nicola to spite her husband.
They may also greet Moses Ross, a Revolutionary War soldier who participated in the Whiskey Rebellion. His wife, Elizabeth Virginia Le Marie, was named after the ship, “Virginia” on which she was born. Her family came to America, fleeing the French Revolution.
“Henry Ford and his entourage will also make an appearance with his Model T,” Whetsell said. “There will be gypsies and National Road travelers, as well.”
In its second year, the program is growing.
There will be food for sale, made by the United Methodist women.
There will also be a “boot sale.” Boot, an English term referring to a car trunk, means anything that can be transported or sold from the trunk of a car or the bed of a truck, and features antiques, collectibles, handcrafted items, natural things like pumpkins, straw and maybe even some flowers. Flea market items will also be for sale.
“There will be quite a variety of things,” Whetsell said.
Food service and the boot sale begin at noon.
Tours begin at 1 p.m. Parking may be found at the United Methodist and Lutheran churches. Handicap parking is behind the Methodist Church – the church with the red doors.
“All tours will begin at the top of the hour,” Whetsell said, “but the museum is open and there are a lot of other things to do while you wait.”
There is a cost for adults and children ages 6 to 12.