{"id":91475,"date":"2025-10-28T10:52:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T15:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=91475"},"modified":"2025-10-28T10:52:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T15:52:45","slug":"haunted-hays-city-historic-tours-thrill-visitors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=91475","title":{"rendered":"Haunted Hays City Historic Tours thrill visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By RYLEE BURD<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hays Community Theatre welcomed crowds of history and ghost enthusiasts this past weekend with its Haunted Hays City Historic Tours, giving visitors a mix of local legend, spooky storytelling, and immersive fun. While the immersive Rocky Horror Picture Show was canceled this year, the haunted tours delivered plenty of thrills for attendees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pamela Grizzell, who writes and produces the Haunted Tours each year, shared insight into the experience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe tours are designed to combine spooky entertainment with historical storytelling,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want guests to enjoy a little scare but also walk away with a sense of Hays\u2019 history and its local legends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A highlight of the tours was Wendy Richmeier\u2019s portrayal of The Blue Light Lady, a character who has captivated audiences for years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe is the only ghost on the tour,\u201d Grizzell said. \u201cWe don\u2019t introduce her as Elizabeth Polly, but she\u2019s become a legend in Hays. There\u2019s a lot of speculation about whether she joined her husband while stationed at the fort. Her story first circulated in the mid-70s, and while some believe it might have been a ruse by a Fort Hays professor, 99% of Hays residents are believers \u2014 Wendy included.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visitors explored multiple stops throughout Hays, each blending historical fact with local legends. Grizzell noted that the selection of stories and characters is carefully planned.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe choose stories that are engaging and tied to the community, giving people a memorable experience that\u2019s both entertaining and educational,\u201d she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Behind the scenes, volunteers played a crucial role in bringing the event to life. From guiding guests to assisting actors, the community\u2019s involvement made the tours possible. Grizzell said that new elements were added this year to keep the experience fresh for returning guests, though she kept the details under wraps to preserve the mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Attendees enjoyed the combination of storytelling, history, and immersive performances.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt was such a unique experience,\u201d FHSU student Emma Clarke said. \u201cEveryone was laughing, taking pictures, and really enjoying the stories \u2014 and it was all for a great cause.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though the Rocky Horror Picture Show did not take place this year, the success of the Haunted Tours highlighted the community\u2019s support for Hays Community Theatre and its mission.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe hope visitors left with more than just a good scare,\u201d Grizzell said. \u201cWe want them to connect with the stories and the history of Hays. This event is really about bringing the community together and keeping our local heritage alive.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By RYLEE BURD Tiger Media Network Hays Community Theatre welcomed crowds of history and ghost enthusiasts this past weekend with its Haunted Hays City Historic&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":91476,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":false,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3397,11],"tags":[16453,13444,16440],"class_list":["post-91475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-area-news","category-news","tag-haunted-hays-city-historic-tours","tag-hays-community-theatre","tag-rylee-burd"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/spiderweb-6916188_1280.jpg?fit=1280%2C852&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=91475"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91479,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91475\/revisions\/91479"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/91476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=91475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=91475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=91475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}