🌙✨ Twilight Tales on the Trail Draws 200 for Night of Legends and Lore ✨🌙
Oh, what a night! The first-ever Twilight Tales on the Trail brought more than 200 guests to Valdese Lakeside Park on Thursday, October 30, for an evening of legends, lore, and storytelling under the autumn sky.
The free event was hosted in partnership by Friends of the Valdese Rec, Burke River Trail Association, Town of Valdese Parks & Recreation Department, Old Colony Players, and the Old Colony Players’ Guild—and every aspect of the evening was made possible entirely by volunteers.
Guests gathered at the Pavilion on the Green to sip hot chocolate, fill their own candy treat bags, and enjoy cupcakes before the storytelling began. The evening opened with a dramatic reading of The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, performed for the full crowd at the pavilion. From there, attendees divided into four groups and set out along the lantern-lit greenway to hear additional stories at trail stations led by Sam Morgan, Dylan Webb, Beth Heile, and Brooke Bell.
Sam Morgan, acting director, created or adapted the stories for the event and worked with volunteer storytellers—Braiden Bell, Dalton Ryder, Lee Grey, Becky Carswell, and Holli Armstrong. Together, the troupe brought to life a mix of chilling classics, eerie folklore, and local legends, including The Girl in the Basement (set at the Old Rock School) and Frankie’s Walk: A Ghost Story in Her Own Words. The trail walk concluded with roasted marshmallows and warm conversation by the fire.
“Directing Twilight Tales on the Trail was such a rewarding experience,” said Sam Morgan. “Transforming local legends into living stories along the trail challenged us to think about pacing, atmosphere, and audience connection in a completely new way.”
The idea for Twilight Tales on the Trail had been brewing for more than two years. Friends of the Valdese Rec had long envisioned a “haunted trail,” but hadn’t found the right format. With the completion of the new Pavilion on the Green and the Old Colony Players’ fall production of Edgar Allan Poe stories, Heile reached out to Dylan Webb to explore a collaboration. Webb introduced Sam Morgan from the Old Colony Players’ Guild, and together the team developed the concept of storytelling stops along the trail.
“This event was something truly special for our community,” added Beth Heile, president of Friends of the Valdese Rec. “We wanted to offer an outdoor evening that young people and adults could both enjoy—a night of stories and imagination, not jump scares.”
Partnerships—and volunteer spirit—made the evening a success. Friends of the Valdese Rec designed and promoted the event, providing free flashlights to the first 50 attendees and backpacks to the next 50. Burke River Trail Association supplied the candy, cupcakes, and marshmallows. The Old Colony Players’ Guild crafted new stories, adapted local legends, and came in full costume. The Rotary Club of Valdese shared decorations and glow sticks from its Costume Bash the weekend before, and the Town of Valdese Parks & Recreation Department provided the venue and firewood.
With such strong attendance and enthusiastic feedback, organizers hope to make Twilight Tales on the Trail an annual fall tradition in Valdese.
The Story Tellers – organized by Sam Morgan
A few pictures of the evening….
Volunteers Marti, Laura, Val, Linda, Ginny, Beth, Eric, Tom, and many more—helped decorate, light the trails, serve refreshments, and keep the flow of the evening on track.
