Tickets are on sale now for the Saturday, Oct. 4 Oakdale Citizens Cemetery fundraiser, Once Upon A Tomb, being hosted at the East J Street cemetery.

Four of this year’s seven performers taking on the roles of notable Oakdale residents of the past are returning from last year. All the characters are new, but four local actors are back to take on new parts.

Ray Leverett is filling the role of Thomas Roberts this year. Roberts was a resident of Knights Ferry and owned the covered bridge at one point, charging tolls for people to cross it, as it spanned the Stanislaus River.

Derick Sturke is portraying AJ (Jack) Patterson, and he will share a bit about how Oakdale came to be; specifically in connection with the railroad. Learn how this ‘railroad man’ helped shape the town.

For Rudy Skultety, this year’s event will see him portraying Frances Marion (FM) Cottle, who not only was a huge part of starting Oakdale, but also was instrumental in bringing the Oakdale Citizens Cemetery into being.

Finally, Jacob Boss returns and this year will be taking on the role of Jackson Burns. Described as an “ordinary, simple man with a loving family,” it was a mistake that Burns made one day that changed his life forever.

There are seven different time slots available for the walking tours on Oct. 4, starting with the first tour leaving at 6 p.m.

Additional time slots are 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m., 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Tour guides will lead the groups to the various gravesites scattered around the cemetery, where each actor will share their story.

All proceeds of the event go directly to the Oakdale Citizens Cemetery for a variety of needs.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at Eventbrite; put Once Upon A Tomb in the search area. There is a small processing fee charged as well.

Next week, we take a look at the trio of actresses joining the cast this year, local teen Jozie Velasco, Colleen Hawks-Pierce and Marg Jackson.