Video Transcript: Capturing the Spirit of Oakland 2020 Information

This is a transcript of a video by Historic Oakland Foundation Co-Executive Director Richard Harker sharing information about the 2020 Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours. You can view the video here.

As you know, we’re getting ready for the member sale and the regular sale of our Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tour tickets, and we wanted to let you know a few things that you should be aware of before buying tickets this year.

This year’s tours are going to be fantastic, and we have a wonderful lineup of residents who are going to be telling their stories for you as you explore Oakland over twelve nights in October. The COVID-19 pandemic has definitely challenged us throughout this year as we know it has for many other people, and so we are making sure that we have the right measures in place to make this year’s tours as successful and as safe as possible.

When you come to Oakland, we’re going to be asking everybody to wear a mask, we’re going to be cashless, and we’re also selling fewer tickets over more nights so that we can have a reduced number of people and greater spacing. These are just some of the things you’ll see when you come in October for the Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours.

But while we’re optimistic, we’re also realistic, and we know that there’s a chance that this year’s tours may not be permitted by the City of Atlanta. We’re going to be asking you to select one of two options at checkout in addition to purchasing your tickets. One will be to defer your ticket to 2021. The other will be to make your ticket a donation to Historic Oakland Foundation.

We can’t do this without your support. This year has really challenged us. We’ve not been able to hold our events and our tours, the Visitors Center has been shuttered, and we haven’t been able to generate the revenue that allows us to keep doing what we’re doing. The Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours are Historic Oakland Foundation’s largest revenue generator throughout the year that allows us to enact our mission to preserve, restore, enhance, and share historic Oakland Cemetery in partnership with the City of Atlanta.

But what does that actually mean? Each year we restore acres of historic Oakland Cemetery. We fix the headstones, the retaining walls, the walkways, and the pathways. Then, after we’ve done that work, we landscape it and garden it. We make Oakland Cemetery for all of the public to enjoy. And so our Halloween tours not only generate a lot of revenue that sustains the Foundation throughout the year, but allows us to shine a light on the many fascinating, complex, and complicated stories of Oakland Cemetery.

Like everything this year, we’re working on contingency plans for this year’s Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Halloween tours. We’re working on a filmed Capturing the Spirit experience that will bring the event into your living room, and if you choose to defer your ticket to 2021 or make your ticket a donation, you will receive access to this filmed experience as part of that.

Your support of us throughout this year has meant so much. We’re here to care for Oakland, and we couldn’t do that without your help. We’re so grateful for all of your support, and we look forward to seeing you sooner, rather than later.