By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Talking Tombstones continues its residency at Eastside Cemetery at 500 South Cleveland in Hutchinson this weekend.
"Five of them are buried in Eastside," said Kris Anshutz with Stage 9. "We're still going to do it in the round. It will still not be a walking tour. We have considered many times whether to go back to that, but there are so many more people who can attend now, because it's not a walking tour."
Below is a list of the people being commemorated and the performers for the event.
The first deceased character is Barney Shamberg, who moved to Hutchinson, opened a Mercantile and spearheaded a campaign to open a Jewish Center here.
Father Ted Blakeley will portray Barney’s life from Germany to Hutchinson.
W.C. Boyd is next. He was gruesomely murdered, but who was the culprit. Joe Woody will relate the sordid tale full of twists and turns.
Returning to tell her woeful tale is Mattie Blanchard, whose five children were bludgeoned to death and left to die in a house fire. P.J. Ford will explain the heinous crime.
Two well-known sisters will also make an appearance. Isabel and Phyllis Obee were pioneering women at the beginning of the 1900s and both excelled in law and politics. Diane Roth will depict Phyllis, a teacher and politician. Deanne Martin will become Isabel, who became a renowned Garden City lawyer.
Ellen Fairchild, played by Rachel Hein ,was a child of pioneers. She will relate the stories of frontier life, traveling and living in Kansas and Oklahoma and meeting some famous people.
James O’Loughlin returns with a somber firefighter’s tale. Tony Carpenter plays James, a hardworking man with little luck who died early in life from a fatal accident.
Auriol Lee, actor, director, and pilot joins us because she made an offhand remark to a friend about where to be buried. Deb Teufel will paint a vivid portrait of this famously talented woman.
John Shamberg, portrayed by Matt Christian, will be the finale for this year. John was Barney Shamberg’s son and became an eminent Kansas Lawyer, always battling injustice for famous and ordinary people.
The process when you attend is straightforward.
"They need to come on Ford Street, where the mausoleum is," Anshutz said. "There will be a tent where they can buy tickets. Tickets this year are a lot less expensive than years past. It's $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students. They find that tent, they pay, they bring their lawn chairs. They can even bring a picnic supper if they want to and bring a blanket and sit in front and watch."
There will be two performances Saturday at 5 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m.
CLICK HERE to download the Hutch Post mobile app.
CLICK HERE to sign up for the daily Hutch Post email news update.