Spooks revisit west Carson City haunts

Some 2,000 people spent their Saturday afternoon waltzing through Carson City's spookier side during "Grave Concerns" presented by the Kit Carson Trail Ghost Walk.

In its 14th year, the walk winds its way from Mountain and West Robinson streets to Third and Curry streets in separate tours that each visit five of the westside's oldest and most interesting homes.

At each stop, volunteers with the Convention and Visitors Bureau, dressed in period costumes, offer a snippet of information on the home.

Chriss Bauer of Carson City gladly took on the persona of long-dead John Minervo Moss and regaled walkers in front of the Bliss Bungalow with a story about "Jack's Gold."

His face painted white for a ghostly effect, Bauer began his mini-play with a harmonica solo before launching into the story of man who made a living stealing gold, which he buried in Kings Canyon. Jack eventually was sent to prison for his proclivity toward crime, before earning a pardon for foiling a prison escape and then being gunned down.

When the residents of Carson City heard of Jacks' fate, they made a mad dash for the canyon to search for the stolen treasure. It was never found.

"If you want to, you can go out in the evening and look for Jack's gold, it's up there in Kings Canyon," Bauer said.

After walkers went into the home for a tour with docents Kathy Lynch and Roxann Rumbles, Bauer, still breathless and smiling from his performance, said, "I do 13 of these in a day."

Lucky 13 it was not, according to Candy Duncan, executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Bauer and the rest of the actors and tour guides ended up doing 22 tours or performances for groups of 20 to 30 people.

At $15 a ticket, the event was a success.