<p>Astoria resident Paul Winiarz, left, who moved to the area last summer, portrays Sheriff Jack Williams at last year's Talking Tombstones event, which attracted 150 people to Greenwood Cemetery. Williams and his deputy were killed in 1898 in Seaside while on duty and were buried together.</p>

Like the 1966 pop song says, theyre coming to take you away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haa! You can relax, though, theyre only coming to share some fascinating bits of local history. We mean Talking Tombstones here, from 1 p.m. to dusk on Sunday, Oct. 27 at Ocean View Cemetery in Warrenton. Its living history, replete with saints, rogues and various types in between. Whats more, its all free thats not to say donations wont be welcome, though.

At this years 10th annual event, Talking Tombstones X: Dont Take Them for Granite, dont expect history served up the way it was in school. At Talking Tombstones, real life stories are told by graveside presenters. Working from scripts theyve written (and often helped research) and clad in period dress (usually clothes salvaged from thrift shops and attics), these volunteers help bring past lives to life again, working hard to imbue their subjects with authenticity and flair.

The program is brought to you by the good people at Clatsop County Historical Society and long-time event sponsor Astoria Granite Works. Hundreds of folks come every year, spending five to 10 minutes with each re-enactor in groups of up to 20 people. The entire circuit takes anywhere from an hour to 90 minutes to complete. Sometimes characters will talk about their own lives or theyll tell someone elses story but always give a first-hand account and remain in character.

In terms of which figures from local history youll learn about this time around, CCHS Executive Director Mac Burns reveals, I like to joke with our archivist, Liisa Penner, Find me a prostitute, a murder victim and a grieving mother, and well go from there. Actually, quite a lot of thought goes into which stories get told. Shocking aspects of life in the past may be highlighted. Watching a deceased mothers grief over the loss of her child brings home to observers the horrific mortality rate for infants and children in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Burns came up with the idea for Talking Tombstones history made fun and accessible after seeing something similar at a pioneer cemetery in Caldwell, Kan., more than a decade ago. One of the reasons I like this event so much is that cemeteries were once family places, fun places. Families would go and visit a deceased relative and spend the day, often taking a picnic. Cemeteries were almost like parks, and weve lost that, he laments.

David Reid and Ann Stiles are two of this years scheduled re-enactors Reid is on the CCHS Board and an eight-year Talking Tombstones veteran, whereas Stiles, also a CCHS member, was new to the event when she signed on last year. At the time I thought, this is a stretch, this is not me, she laughs. Still, she played Christine Gimre (married to Sven Gimre who started Gimre Shoes in Astoria) with apparent gusto. Stiles 17-year-old daughter, Emily, appeared with her as one of several Gimre daughters. Pairing re-enactors this way was a first for the program, and it went swimmingly.

For costumes, the present-day mother/daughter team shopped second-hand clothing outlets, coming away with a shapeless black dress reminiscent of styles from 1914. Stiles wore that, adding a full-length, rather stylish black coat and small hat. Emily, who was portraying an 8-year-old child, chose a long, white skirt and a short, bolero style jacket. She wore her long blonde hair down with a huge bow at the back. The weather was a costume consideration, so long underwear and sturdy boots were part of the deal. Good thing too because it rained that day; and still the history lovers came to watch, lots of them.

This former air traffic controller turned re-enactor did extra research at the library. I liked digging for facts and making up a script, Stiles admits. The Gimres story is a sad one, so much so that a few on-lookers actually wept during her presentation. This year, Stiles will be Clara Munson, who was once mayor in Warrenton and the first woman mayor west of the Rocky Mountains.

Reid readily admits to an active interest in this areas past. Re-enacting, then, has been right up his alley. You try and evoke something about the time and (your subjects) profession, he explains. Its not a chore. Its fun. Reids all-time favorite role came last year. I was asked to do something about a particular type of tombstone made out of bronze that looked like stone. So Mac asked me to play a tombstone salesman. I got to create this guy part Billy Mays (from the infomercials) and part Music Man. It was great; you have so much license.

When it comes to putting together his costume, Reid tries to simply give a sense of the period. Hell check out a few thrifts and usually finds something. Youre never going to be able to find something from 1910, but maybe wear a bowtie instead of necktie, he suggests. Or go with a checkered suit jacket for somebody on the flamboyant side. Sometimes a hat helps too.

It can get tricky when a re-enactor is portraying someone, such as Dr. Kinney, who passed away more recently in the 1980s. Some of the individuals who came to Talking Tombstones that year had known the man. Theres an extra level of respect due that person, maintains Reid. People come up to talk with you afterward, sometimes asking questions theyd have asked Kinney himself, as if I have every detail of the good doctors life at my disposal, e.g., Did you used to live next door to my great aunt?

Summing up this popular autumnal fete, Reid says, (With Talking Tombstones), theres a level of creepiness involved, walking around a cemetery at this time of year, but its not a house of horrors. Its not meant to scare kids or anything. Its sneaky education and mostly about having fun.