Candlelight Tours 2020
Candlelight tickets will be sold ONLINE this year and will begin Thursday, September 17th, at 6:00 am for all 2020 Candlelight Tours. Tickets will be available for purchase on the events page of this web site, and on the Eventbrite web site beginning Thursday, September 17th, at 6:00 am. Check back here or on Facebook for updates.
https://www.eventbrite.com/d/va–lynchburg/candlelight-tours/
Call or visit the Cemetery Center for additional information:
(434) 847-1465
Candlelight Tours COVID and Other Safety Protocols at Old City Cemetery
All Audience, Staff and Volunteers to wear masks and maintain social distancing. This will be in all publicity materials and this will be posted on OCC web site.
Guests will be REQUIRED to sign waivers when they purchase tickets that they will “hold harmless” OCC if they become sick with COVID on the Tours. If a guest has not signed a waiver ahead of time (waiver link sent at the time of purchase), they will be able to arrive early and fill one out at the box office. If a guest does not sign a waiver, they will not be allowed to go on the tour.
Parking
Parking directors to ensure visitors park along the roadside & maintain clear road for vehicles to drive through the Cemetery.
Box Office (on-site each evening, along the driveway that goes to the back of Comfort House, as guests arrive):
OCC Staff and CT Production Assistants – will put tape as “X”’s in 6’ increments to mark social distancing between family groups in waiting area outside Box Office at rear of Comfort House.
–All OCC Staff, Box Office staff & volunteers to wear masks and gloves.
— OCC to provide disposable masks & gloves, as needed, in Box Office and elsewhere.
–All audience to wear masks in the Box Office area and on the Tours.
–Production Manager & Staff to place COVID Safety Tips Signage around Comfort House Terrace area
–OCC to place hand sanitizer at regular stations behind Comfort House.
–Inside the Box Office: max. of 2 people.
–City Public Works to clean the 2 Exterior Comfort House Restrooms (at the rear of the Comfort House) and Cemetery Center exterior restrooms on the mornings after each tour which would be these mornings: Saturday, Oct. 10, Monday, Oct. 12, Friday, Oct. 16, Saturday, Oct. 17, Monday, Oct. 19, Friday, Oct. 23, Saturday, Oct. 24, Monday, Oct. 16.
On the Tours
–Rear guides will have emergency phone numbers and emergency plan and will be monitoring the group throughout the tour.
–Guests will be welcomed and the “rules” of the tours (wear masks, maintain social distancing, etc.) will be explained to them as well as the route for the tour, length of tour, and end of tour at Station House.
–Emergency Plan— All staff and volunteers will be familiar with the emergency plan and have the numbers of those to call in case of an emergency.
–Administrative Manager to be sure First Aid kits & fire extinguishers are placed in: Golf Cart, Gator & Box Office.
–Each actor and tour guide will have a microphone and speaker so that actor/guide can remain 12’ away from audience. Since they are outside and 12’ feet away, the actors/guides will not wear masks when they are speaking. Actors will have wireless headset microphones, with stationary speakers facing audience. Tour guides will have wired lapel microphones with portable shoulder-bag speakers. Each actor will have responsibility for his/her microphone and will keep it with his/her costume every evening and not share with anyone.
Seating around each Actor/Gravesite:
–Chairs will be placed in pairs 6-feet apart (11 pairs of 2 and 1 group of 3)
–Have 25 chairs at each performance station
–Tech staff place Hand-Sanitizer Station at each spot (guests may use hand-sanitizer any time)
–Tech staff to pick up hand-sanitizer and replace the next day for each night of tours.
Outdoor Refreshments at End of Tour:
–Tour guide will lead each group to the Train Station House at the end of each tour.
–Administrative Manager is in charge of the refreshment station. Staff & volunteers will wear masks & gloves.
–Admin. Mgr. will mark X’s on ground to encourage social distancing.
–Pre-packaged Cemetery cookies will be served outdoors in front of Station House, plus hot cider previously poured into lidded cups. Small bottles water also available.
–For COVID safety and due to our small buildings’ size, OCC will not offer an indoor museum option on the night of each tour this year. Instead, we will encourage the audience to go to our web site to view information on all Candlelight Tour characters and to visit the Cemetery Center during regular day-time hours to see the exhibit on the Tours.
Green Room (for actors, costumer designer, CT staff):
- The Green Room (OCC library/meeting room) has adequate space for actors and Tech staff to prepare for the tours, store their costumes, etc. while maintaining social distance of 6 ft. apart. (max. 25 people, and Tours staff have only 18 people in total).
- All Actors & Staff to wear masks in the Green Room.
- OCC will provide each actor will be given his own Garment Bag & shoe/hat bin for his own Costumes. Actors will be advised not to touch each other’s costumes & props.
- Hand sanitizer will be available in the Green Room.
- CT Tech staff will do disinfecting at the end of each tour day for all lanterns.
- Costume department will sanitize the costumes each night and wash the layers closest to the skin.
- CT Production Manager or Assistants will do daily cleaning (with Lysol or Clorox) of Green Room tabletops, counters, doorknobs, handles, bathrooms, toilet seats, and any high-touch areas.
NO RAIN DATES – In case of heavy rain, the tours would be canceled for the evening.
Those who had purchased tickets to attend would be offered free access to the CT Online Video available Oct. 25, 2020 (cost $10 per view), and OCC would request that ticket buyers donate the remaining $14/person cost of their tickets to OCC.
What Are Candlelight Tours?
- Tours given at night by lantern and candlelight
- Professional actors in period costume
- True stories from local history
- All new stories every year—no-repeat scripts
- Tours conclude with refreshments and special exhibits of historical documents used to write scripts
- All proceeds benefit the historic preservation of Old City Cemetery (a non-profit organization)
Tour Dates & TIMES
Friday, October 9
Saturday, October 10
———
Thursday, October 15
Friday, October 16
Saturday, October 17
———
Thursday, October 22
Friday, October 23
Saturday, October 24
There are 6 tours each Thursday night, 20 minutes apart:
6:10 pm
6:30 pm
6:50 pm
7:10 pm
7:30 pm
7:50 pm
With an additional tour on Friday & Saturday nights at
8:10 pm
Ticket Prices
$24 per person (age 18+)
$12 per youth (ages 8 to 17)
Plus an EventBrite convenience fee of $3.09 per ticket.
Sorry, there is no discount for senior citizens.
https://www.eventbrite.com/d/va–lynchburg/candlelight-tours/
