SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - The Old City Cemetery Lantern Tour is the “hot ticket” for October. A local morbid tale told around Halloween is fun, and the docents enjoy spinning terrifying yarns about the cemetery’s residents. They also know these were real people who lived and breathed entire lives. 

SalliAnne Maliguine was just re-elected the Old City Cemetery Committee board president. Her favorite lantern tour story involves a love triangle. The jealous lover of Mr. Kawahara’s wife snuck into their house and hid under the bed while they were out. At around 2 a.m., the lover leaped out and murdered the wife. Mr. Kawahara retaliated and killed the lover. He pleaded self-defense at trial and won. But Maliguine wonders, was the lover really under the bed that long?

Listeners eat up stories like these on a dark night in a historical cemetery. But there is plenty of work for Maliguine and her volunteer board for the rest of the year. Tours can run four times a month, plus events. For instance, the Beer Babes and Brawls event is supported by Ruhstaller Brewery. Guests enjoy beer and wine over bawdy stories about the local saloons. They also do movies in the cemetery. Maliguine said, “We showed ‘Night of the Living Dead’ and ‘Steamboat Bill,’ a black and white movie shot in Sacramento.”

An MOU (memorandum of understanding) signed in 2022 has been the foundation for a clear relationship with the city. Volunteers raise money for projects like fixing and replacing headstones. Maliguine said, “Our goal is for everyone who resides here to have an address. Every plot will get a marker, which will also help during research.”

A docent can be a board member or not. They can update a story or create their own. If they are enthusiastic about a specific subject, such as the gold rush, or plagues, there’s a cemetery resident they’ll want to talk about. It takes a little research, memorization and speaking.  

Long-time Docent Eric Vraznar finds cemetery relationships fascinating. He said, “I learned many residents who didn’t like each other are buried beside each other. There’s a lot of tea spilling during these tours. You didn't make the court records unless you got arrested or went to court.” 

As a writer, Vraznar knows how to research stories. He finds the cause of death, checks old newspapers, and reviews state library manuscripts. He said, “The Sacramento Room in the library on I Street is a great research place.” 

Vraznar can also read between the lines. He said, “One of the first articles described a crazy woman whose ‘behavior was so well-known and unsavory there was no need to go into it.’ I thought, how can you not say her quirks? We know everyone’s quirks today. It indicated there was a great story to tell.” 

Docent Rachelle Weed believes in teaching today’s youth about past trailblazers. 

One of her favorite residents is Luella Johnson. Weed said, “She was Sacramento’s first woman city council member elected in 1912, and the first female elected to such a position in the U.S. I always feel like everyone should know who she is." 

Diversity is already part of Sacramento’s history. SalliAnne Maliguine explained, “In 1849, there was no segregation in the cemetery. No one was turned away. All they had to do was pay for their headstone.” 

New board member Dan Dolliver wants to tell those diverse stories. 

The cemetery has a sizable Afghan population from the 1800s he’s researching. Currently, he provides a symbolism tour and shares his favorite society. He said, “The Knights of Pythias was a secret order of government employees.” He laughed, “As a former state worker, I have an affinity for that group!”

As a board member, Dolliver is considering getting McClatchy High School and Sac City College drama students involved in the tours to help enliven the stories and support a new generation of history buffs. 

Docent Eric Thomsen was surprised by his personal connection to a cemetery resident. He found a gravesite for a man named Allowing (pronounced all-wing), who was a retired boxer and local restauranteur. Thomsen found out that Allowing fought Thomsen’s grandfather, Caesar Attell, in 1906 at a Los Angeles match. Ceasar Attell’s brothers were Abe Attell, a featherweight champion, and Monte Attell, who held the world bantamweight title in 1909. 

A capital tour guide and soft-spoken introvert during the off-hours, Thomsen comes alive when he tells a story. Like SalliAnne Maliguine, and the other docents, he loves the old cemetery and feels connected to the residents. 

Thomsen explained, “A famous epitaph states, ‘Where standing, I was once. Where I am, you will be.’ These people had lives similar to mine. If I were living during their time, I’d never get a chance to meet the more famous residents. But today, I can stand at their graves and tell their stories.”