Ghosts

Tonight I went on a tour of campus, but not the sort of tour that you’ll go on with student ambassadors from the admissions office. Instead, this tour was a ghost tour of McDaniel, and I really enjoyed it.

When I heard that Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theater Honor Society on campus, was putting on ghost tours last night and tonight, I knew I had to go, especially since I enjoyed the ghost tour I took of Westminster last month (which I wrote about here). Though urban legends and folklore exist on campus, I’d never really heard any of these stories and wanted to learn about them.

Tonight was a perfect night for a ghost tour too. It was pleasantly warm outside, which isn’t so spooky, but the fogginess of the night contributed to an ideal atmosphere. Our tour was led by two theater students who were very familiar with the stories and even claim to have experienced paranormal activities themselves. Theater majors supposedly encounter ghosts a lot, since the theater boasts three ghosts. They think their ghosts are pretty friendly though, especially one named Harvey, who watches out for crew members when they do lighting and likes to watch rehearsals.

A lot of the stories that have been passed down over the years seem a little outlandish, and I’m a little skeptical about them. I think I’m going to have to do a little research to see how these legends originated. Still, I found the stories to be really interesting, and going on the tour was a great way to spend part of my evening.

And don’t worry–chances are, you’ll never encounter a ghost on campus. Unless you look for them…

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Last Friday Night…

…was nothing like the Katy Perry song of that name, but I truly had a blast!

Westminster’s annual Fallfest took place last weekend and though it started last Thursday evening, things really kicked off last Friday night with Westminster’s annual Midnight Madness. As a freshman last year, I managed to miss hearing about Midnight Madness, but when it entered my radar this year, I knew I had to go! From 6 p.m. to midnight, local Westminster shops and restaurants are open, offering great deals and samples. Parts of Main Street are blocked off and are filled with a variety of musicians.

I visited a few stores and the Westminster Public Library, which was also open late for the occasion. This library seems like a cozy place, and I learned that McDaniel students are welcome to check out books and other materials here using their student ID cards. (You can also reserve materials to be sent to McDaniel’s own Hoover Library if you don’t want to make the walk.)

I would have loved to have gone to a lot more stores, but my friends had reserved spots on a free ghost tour so we had to get to that by 11:00. Luckily, it was sponsored by Birdie’s Cafe, a local coffee shop on Main Street, so I was able to get a tasty peppermint mocha beforehand. (It was delicious!) I had never been to Birdie’s before, and I would love to go back. (If only it weren’t such a long walk from campus!)

The ghost tour was awesome. The guide was pretty funny, and she was a great storyteller. The tour was less about trying to see ghosts and experience paranormal activity and more about hearing some of the area’s more bizarre and macabre history, which was really interesting and fun.

I have to be honest though: my favorite part of the tour was visiting inside a place called Cockey House, a place now occupied by some sort of historical society. They were serving some absolutely delicious chicken noodle soup in honor of Midnight Madness. (I wish I could have taken the whole crock pot with me!) And outside of Cockey House, I got to meet a corgi!!! She was super sweet and reminded me of my own corgi at home!

I got to see a lot of historic Westminster that I hadn’t seen before, and I’d love to explore it some more in daylight with some friends. There are a lot of intricacies and beauty to be seen on the local buildings and landmarks.

Last Friday night was among the best I’ve had at McDaniel, and next fall, I definitely want to go to Midnight Madness again!

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