Expect the Unexpected at Keeler Tavern Museum’s Lantern Light Tours

Energy and creativity are filling the air at Keeler Tavern Museum as a troop of actors prepares for two nights of Lantern Light Tours on Halloween weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, October 29 and 30, from 6 – 8 PM, visitors will be able to look in on those who passed through the Tavern's doors on Ridgefield's very own Main Street for hundreds of years. Online registration for this limited-capacity event is available at keelertavernmuseum.org. Tickets are $20 for adults. Children under age 18 are free with an accompanying adult.

Though Lantern Light Tours have been favorites for years, this event promises to be very different. According to Suzanne Scoville, the creative force behind this year’s production, the goal is to give visitors a fresh experience by bringing immersive, improvisational theater inside the walls of Keeler Tavern Museum. “Lantern Light Tours are perfect for the weekend of All Hallows' Eve when - as legend has it - the veil lifts between the worlds of the living and the dead. What happened that we did not know about? Were there secret meetings about the Whiskey Rebellion? Who was that Civil War fugitive with a price on his head? Just how did Julia Gilbert entertain? Who knows, but over 300 years, many significant things surely took place within these walls. That’s why visitors should expect the unexpected!”

Continues Ms. Scoville, “For fifty years, the Keeler Tavern Museum has kept history alive and the buildings on KTM’s campus have stood witness to American history for three centuries. This production of Lantern Light Tours is an opportunity to imagine the lives of those who dined, laughed, argued and lived on this treasured property. You might even see ghosts returning to complete unfinished business!”

“We are looking forward with great anticipation to this new rendition of Lantern Light Tours,” says KTM Executive Director Hildi Grob. “It promises to be a fabulous experience - unlike anything seen here before - and we’re hoping for a sell-out event. You can feel the vibe as we strive to make history exciting and present Keeler Tavern Museum in a fresh light. As we say – expect the unexpected!”

Historically Evocative Vignettes

To present historically evocative vignettes, Ms. Scoville has enlisted friends from professional theater and mixed them with local talent for a large, varied cast. She has also created numerous candlelit sets evoking the décor, dress and atmosphere of different time periods. Guided by gypsies, visitors will meander through these vignettes exploring the campus on a 45-minute tour that moves from the Tavern to the Garden House to the Sunken Garden and ends in the Carriage Barn, the setting of this year’s family-friendly Speakeasy. At each location, visitors will experience the spirits of Ridgefield’s past. The Speakeasy will offer light refreshments for adults and fun Halloween treats for kids.

A Ridgefield resident and KTM docent, Ms. Scoville is an accomplished director, actress and musician. She has an extensive career in theater, including an appearance with Placido Domingo in I Vespri Siciliani at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. She also has been a teacher and educator; as head of the drama and theater program at Fairfield University Prep, she taught, directed and mentored hundreds of students, a number of whom are now successful actors, directors and producers on stage and screen.

Built in 1713, Keeler Tavern is among the oldest gathering places in Connecticut. It has been the site of many significant events, from the Battle of Ridgefield under the command of General Benedict Arnold to the elegant evenings hosted by Cass Gilbert, renowned architect of such landmark buildings as the U.S. Supreme Court and the Woolworth skyscraper in New York City.

Lantern Light Tours is generously underwritten by Strategic Funding Source, of New York City, a non-bank lender to Main Street small businesses. James Duffy, the owner of GC Infotech, a network and technology company from Stamford, has provided an educational grant to offer free admission for children under 18. Additional support was provided by Tom Spreitzer, President of Diversified Brokerage, an insurance and benefits consultant from New York, who will also play the role of an Edwardian coachman. The Speakeasy is underwritten by Litchfield Distillers, a premium Connecticut micro-distiller, and Hilary and Frank Micalizzi.

Lantern Light Tours runs for two nights on Saturday and Sunday, October 29 and 30, 6 – 8 PM. Online registration for this limited-capacity event is available at keelertavernmuseum.org. Tickets are $20 for adults. Children under age 18 are free with an accompanying adult. This is a timed event with tours departing every 10 minutes. Time slots will be assigned on a first-come basis. Parking is at 152 Main Street or across the street at the First Congregational Church located at West Lane and Main Street.

Keeler Tavern Museum is located at 132 Main Street in Ridgefield, CT. For details, visit keelertavernmuseum.org or call 203-438-5485.