STATEHOUSE NEWS

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The Ohio Statehouse kicked off its ticket sales for the 2012 Haunted Statehouse Tours. The special Halloween tours will take place on Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13; and Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 20. Tickets for the Haunted Statehouse Tours are $12 per adult and $6 per child under the age of 12. This is a ticketed event. Tickets must be pre-ordered.

Tours will depart every half hour between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tour times are: 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tickets are limited to 40 individuals per tour time each night. This event has sold out during the previous seven years.

Tickets can be purchased three ways:
-Online at www.statehouseshop.com (click "Seasonal");
-By visiting the Statehouse Museum Shop on the ground floor of the Ohio
Statehouse;
-Or purchasing over the phone by calling 614/728-9234.

Haunted Statehouse Tour participants will have a “haunted and historical experience.” Statehouse staff members and volunteers will combine history and legend in this special family-friendly haunted Statehouse tour. Conductors will lead visitors through the dimly lit limestone corridors of the Ohio Statehouse by oil lantern light. Visitors will pass the ghost of President Lincoln in an unfinished dance with Kate Chase (former Ohio Governor Salmon P. Chase’s daughter), hear and see a weeping lady in gray and get a glimpse of a green and ghostly President felled by an assassin’s bullet. This historical tour is spooky but appropriate for all members of the family. The tour is most suitable for individuals over the age of 12.

Special activities will be available to participate in before each tour. The Statehouse Museum shop will be open throughout the evening and will offer candy apples, Halloween candy and caramel corn, cookies and soda for purchase. In addition, special Halloween merchandise will be offered for purchase. More information is available at www.statehouseshop.com.

Visitors to the Ohio Statehouse are invited to park in the facility's underground parking garage. This convenient and affordable parking offers direct sheltered access to the Ohio Statehouse for this event. Parking rates are available at www.ohiostatehouse.org.

For more information about the Haunted Statehouse Tours, including a short promotional video, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org or contact 614/728-9234.

High resolution press images are available at:
http://www.ohiostatehouse.org/Multimedia/MediaLibrary/Collection.aspx?start=1&collectionId=108513.

To view this press release and others, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

The Ohio Statehouse is more than a monument to our past; it's where history happens! The Ohio Statehouse is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed holidays. The Ohio Statehouse Museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends from noon to 4 p.m.; closed holidays. Admission is free. Free guided tours are offered weekdays on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and weekends from noon to 3 p.m. Tours depart from the Map Room easily accessible from the Third Street entrance. Groups of 10 or more are requested to call in advance to ensure a guide is available. Contact 888/OHIO-123 for more information or to schedule a group tour. For more information about the Ohio Statehouse visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

The Ohio Statehouse is handicapped accessible and senior friendly. The Capitol Square complex was restored to allow for greater access by individuals living with disabilities. Ohio Statehouse public programs and events are held in accessible and barrier free areas of the building so that everyone can participate. Ohio Statehouse visitors needing disability-related accommodations in order to fully participate in an event may contact the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board at statehouse@csrab.state.oh.us or 614/752-9777 to communicate special needs. Please allow three weeks for arrangements to be completed.

The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) is responsible for maintaining the historic character of the Statehouse and Capitol Square while providing for the health, safety and convenience of those who work in or visit the complex. The Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center coordinates tours of Capitol Square and provides information about the buildings, their history and Ohio's government.

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Calendar Listing:
Haunted Statehouse Tours
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
October 12, 13, 19 & 20 at 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Ohio Statehouse Third St. Information Desk, Broad & High Streets; downtown Columbus
$12 - Adults
$6 – Children under 12

Meet figures from the past as you follow conductors with lanterns through the darkened hallways and chambers of the Statehouse. This historical tour is spooky but appropriate for all members of the family. Purchase tickets on line at www.statehouseshop.com and click "Seasonal." Contact the Statehouse Museum Shop at 614/728-9234 for more information or to purchase over the phone.