OCTOBER 26, 2017 // 9
A HALLOWEEN NIGHT RIDE
Hear spooky tales, eat candy
aboard a haunted trolley
By KATHERINE LACAZE
FOR THE DAILY ASTORIAN
T
he setting: the Astoria Riverfront
Trolley. The time: 6:30 p.m. Hallow-
een.
Dressed in cobwebs and inhabited by
ghosts, bats and skeletons, the trolley will
take off near 17th Street — loaded with
passengers and a conductor and driver in
costume — and travel along the Astoria
Riverwalk. Those who dare can join the
thrilling one-hour night ride and hear
spooky tales while indulging on candy.
“We just have a blast with it,” said Paul
Winiarz, a member of the trolley operations
board.
Originally, the complimentary Hallow-
een Night Run was part of a larger tradition
that included a Halloween bash at the Asto-
ria Armory and a night of spooky movies,
activities and food for families at Rogue
Ales Public House. The trolley ride took
place between festivities.
When the Rogue discontinued the event,
however, the trolley ride was already “such
a ritual, we decided we would carry on,”
Winiarz said.
‘Time to get theatrical’
One of the trolley operators, who had a
knack for telling ghost stories, introduced
storytelling into the Halloween Night
Run. For the past two years, North Coast
children’s author Melissa Eskue Ousley —
who uses locations in and around Clatsop
County as the backdrop for some of her
work — took on the job of entertaining
passengers as they traveled from 17th
Street, near the Columbia River Maritime
Museum, to 39th Street, then to the River-
walk Inn and back.
This year, the storytelling baton passes
to Ilwaco, Washington, resident William
Ham, a community theater actor, radio host
at KMUN and Coast Weekend contributor,
who anticipates using his experience to
deliver a unique performance.
“Halloween is always a great time to
get theatrical and to do something off the
beaten path,” he said.
Entertaining the audience, pulling them
into the spirit of the event, is what moti-
vates him.
“It’s nice to bring an audience along
with whatever story you’re trying to tell,
PHOTO BY JOSHUA BESSEX
Costumed riders of all ages fill the Astoria Riverfront Trolley during the Halloween Night Run in 2015.
whether it’s a play or a reading or some-
thing along these lines,” he said. “It’s
gratifying when you get an audience in the
palm of your hand.”
The unpredictability of a live perfor-
mance aboard a haunted trolley may require
a certain spontaneity. Ham sees this as part
of the fun — and a way to bond with the
crowd. A child-packed audience and the
special setting also make the Halloween
Night Run a rare opportunity for him.
“That’s probably part of the reason I’m
psyched about doing this, because it is a
little bit different,” he said. “And kids, of
course, are sometimes the best audience
when you’re telling stories or performing.
They are so open to things. You get them
on your side, and they’ll follow you any-
where.”
The crew decorates the trolley about
a week before Halloween, so people who
don’t take the Halloween ride can still see
it decked out during a regular weekend
ride.
A community courtesy
The Astoria Riverfront Trolley, a
self-sustaining nonprofit, tries to offer
free rides on Halloween — and, typically,
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s
as well — as a treat to local residents.
Those are occasions when locals often have
family and guests visiting from elsewhere,
and they can experience Astoria in a way
only accessible via the trolley.
“It’s our way to give back to the com-
munity,” Winiarz said.
The trolley, built in 1913 and fondly
known as “Old 300,” is operated by about
40 certified conductors and motormen who
are all volunteers. During the summer, it
runs six hours a day, seven days per week,
at $1 per ride. In the fall, the trolley usually
operates on weekends, weather permitting.
This year, Winiarz said, except for a
few special events, the trolley will shut
down for winter after Halloween for engine
maintenance. Runs should resume in late
February or early March. CW
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Operators combine their official uniforms
with costumes to take the Astoria Riverfront
Trolley out for its annual Halloween Night
Run, a complimentary offering for the public.