It’s difficult to decline the thrill of a good scare during Halloween season, but if you combine that with a delectable three-course meal of your choice from The Social Lounge and the proposition becomes downright irresistible. You get to pick a starter, entree and dessert of your choice, and when you’ve finished your meal, sit back and listen to historical ghost stories told by Malcolm Johnstone, executive director of the West Chester Business Improvement District.
In the past, Malcolm has led Halloween ghost tours and recounted stories that had a historical basis, but this is his first year performing similar ghoulish tales at The Social Lounge. As a performer, Malcolm compares his storytelling to his time as a classical guitarist. “When that rhythm is evident, I feel like I’ve hit my groove. When a musician does a solo performance, you just hit a groove, when it just feels like you’re making connections, you really can’t go wrong.”
“Malcolm’s presentation is haunted and professional,” Donny Moore, one of the owners of The Social Lounge, stated. “He really piqued our interest when we learned about our Lounge’s history.”
“It’s the connection to history, that’s the most important part,” Malcolm expressed. “The lore of a community that dates all the way back to 1715, and that community brought with them their stories of ghosts, witches and devils.” Malcolm said that he feels the historic connection in his ghost stories can cause even the worst doubters to question their skepticism.
In fact, The Social Lounge is the perfect venue for telling these tales; it was once a funeral parlor with its own unique ghost story. Sometime in the 18th century, the citizens of West Chester were falling ill from what they believed to be water contamination from the mass burials in town. So they enlisted the undertakers of what is now The Social Lounge to move the bodies to cemeteries around the Borough. One night, undertakers found an unmarked grave with an unknown casket. When the undertakers opened it, they were so horrified by what they saw, they reburied the casket in an undisclosed location.
Of course, that’s just the setup for the story, but to hear the rest, you’ll have to make it out to the event! The last Ghost Tales Dinner of the Halloween season is tonight at 6:30pm. Check out The Social online.