See Sand Lake’s history come alive!

In this year’s performance of Amazing Graves—our local cemetery tour—you’ll meet past residents of Sand Lake like Lucinda Horton, a schoolteacher who lived in the mid-1800s. You’ll also hear from Sarah Tompkins, who, despite being born into slavery, will reveal what life was like for a free black farmowning family in 1860.

Local actors will portray Lucinda, Sarah and other dearly departed town residents—an immigrant, soldiers from the Revolutionary War and First World War, an early town founder, a manager of the glass factory and a state senator, and the founders of Sand Lake’s fire department.

Tours begin at 10 a.m. on Oct. 4 at Sand Lake Union Cemetery and run every half hour until the last tour starting at 3 p.m. The tour involves about a half mile of walking on sometimes very uneven ground. If you are unable to access the cemetery, you are invited to the indoor performance at SLCA on Oct. 5.

This event is a fundraiser for SLCA and the Sand Lake Union Cemetery. We thank the Sand Lake Historical Society and Sand Lake Town Historian Bob Moore for their research assistance.

Tickets are $15 for adults ($25 for two), $10 for children ages 5 to 17, and free for children under 5.

Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Sand Lake Union Cemetery)
Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. (SLCA)

An eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves a champion! At least the losers get a juice box.

Oct. 17, 18, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 19 and 26 at 2:30 p.m.

Spend this Halloween night getting spooked by ghost stories!

Whispering Bones is an evening of comic, creepy and thought-provoking tales from the beyond. Each year, writer and producer Kelvin Keraga gathers new stories—from famous and lesser-known masters of the craft as well as from yet-undiscovered authors. 

This year’s talented actors and storytellers include David Skeele, Siri Allison and Lale Davidson. Dr. Betterov-Underhill (a.k.a. Kelvin) will also be on hand to promote his fine line of Dead People Products, including his Crème De Menthe Embalming Fluid. “The taste that stays with you forever—and for quite a while after that.”

This show has spooky, funny and disturbing stories, but no real gore. Suitable for middle schoolers and older.

Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m.

Recently widowed, Peg tends to the 40 acres of native prairie that rise behind her rural Wisconsin home. Her solitary days are interrupted only by visits from Ryan, a family friend with a checkered past. When her late husband’s footlocker is ransacked in her barn, she places a call to the local authorities—unwittingly setting off a series of events that will forever change their lives. 

As Peg and Ryan fight to regain each other’s trust, they learn how to help one another in a new and meaningful way—and also how to forge a sense of hope in a time when it feels like everyone’s way of life is in danger of disappearing.

Presented by Harbinger Theatre. Directed by Brian Sheldon.

Nov. 14, 15, 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 16 and 23 at 2:30 p.m.

POSTPONED UNTIL 2026.

A Raisin in the Sun debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem “Harlem” (also known as “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family’s experiences in south Chicago as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances with an insurance payout following the death of the father. The play deals with matters of housing discrimination, racism and assimilation and is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential theatrical works of all time.