Haunted Bridge Street will showcase Winnemucca’s fascinating history

Downtown will be bustling with the essence of Winnemucca’s past on Oct. 29  from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the Haunted Bridge Street tour. 

The free event will feature more than 20 actors portraying rich elements of Winnemucca’s history and interacting with patrons along four blocks of downtown. 

“Interact with spirits of the past on Bridge Street as they emerge to share their haunting tales,” says the event flier.

Other events happening downtown will roll right into the Haunted Bridge street event, getting more people out and about to enjoy the downtown area. 

“Our goal is to get families downtown and expose them to the history,” said Winnemucca Historic Resource Commission Chair and Executive Director of the Humboldt Museum, Dana Toth. 

Rather than a haunted house or horror scene, the event will “elude to the spirits of the past” and include some comedic stories as well, according to Toth, making it especially family-friendly. 

“Not everyone wants to come to a museum or read a plaque. Not everyone wants to read a book to learn about history,” explained Toth.

Different from last year’s event, the public is invited to interact with the actors and ask questions, and there will be no guides and no limit on how many people can attend, so the community can get familiar with the history at their own pace. Entrance to the event can also be done at any point, but participants are encouraged to stop by the main booth to get a map or buy a t-shirt. 

“This is a fun way to bring the history to life and highlight what is sitting right under our noses,” said Toth. 

According to Toth, there will be QR codes to scan to hear stories, all of which have been updated this year, thanks to Nomadic Broadcasting. Different actors and their scenes will be marked by green balloons. 

Images will also be projected on the side of buildings to give the event a “light show” effect. Toth explained that the Winnemucca Convention and Visitors Authority donated a high-quality projector to the Humboldt Museum to be used for the event.  

There will be 14 vendors at the event, selling food, drinks, crafts and other goods, according to Toth. Palm readings, a seance ritual, and classic cars from the Coyote Cruisers Club will also be a part of the event. 

 According to Toth, the Historic Resources Committee’s goals are to “preserve and interpret” cultural stories and histories, which can bring great benefit to the community. Understanding the vivid history on Winnemucca gets people involved and gets them interested. 

“When you understand what you’re working with you care more about it,” said Toth.