Take some notable Oakdale residents, a spooky setting, combine it with a living history lesson and what have you got? The ‘Once Upon A Tomb - Tales From Beyond’ fundraiser, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Oakdale Citizens Cemetery.

Being put on through the Friends of Oakdale Heritage, this evening cemetery walk will serve as a fundraiser for the East J Street cemetery and six residents buried there will be brought to life by local actors.

This week, we highlight three of the six taking on the personas of those long-ago Oakdale residents: Kelly Skultety, Derick Sturke and Rudy Skultety.

Kelly Skultety

Portraying Grace Wright in the Oct. 5 event, Kelly Skultety said she got involved when she saw the flyer that was put out previously, seeking people to audition for parts in the unique production.

“I’m very dramatic,” she said, chuckling. “I retired in May and I thought, ‘I have the time to do that’.”

So, she auditioned and came away with a part; she is the only female in the cast of six.

“Grace Wright was a woman who was to be married later in life,” Kelly explained of her character, noting that they don’t want to give away too many secrets, keeping things under wraps until the night of the show.

She and her husband Rudy – also a cast member – moved to Oakdale about four years ago to be closer to their daughter and grandchildren. Once Kelly retired from a special education post in Stockton, she jumped into the community project here, supporting the cemetery.

“I have never done or gone to an event like this before,” she added. “It has been fun learning about the past.”

Derick Sturke

A veteran of several performing groups, ranging from the Modesto Performing Arts to barbershop quartets to taking part in the Tales of the Roundhouse at the Railtown Historic Park in Jamestown, Derick Sturke said getting involved in Once Upon A Tomb just seemed like a natural thing for him to do. He will portray “Judge” William A. Griffin.

“In 1894 he was serving as the Oakdale Postmaster and in 1899, he was the editor of The Oakdale Leader,” Sturke said in sharing a little background on his colorful character.

Also a member of the Oakdale Lions Club, Sturke pointed out that he has been involved in several projects at the Oakdale Citizens Cemetery with the club and saw this as an opportunity to help in a unique way.

“I have a sweet spot in my heart for the cemetery; I want to help out where I can,” he said.

And as far as what Sturke wants to bring to the Oct. 5 event?

“The most fun will be telling the story; I want them (attendees) to truly believe that I’m Judge Griffin,” he explained. “I want to make that character come alive.”

Rudy Skultety

Though he was not originally expecting to get involved in this fundraising cemetery walk, Rudy Skultety nonetheless found himself with a part to play.

“My wife was interested in doing it,” he noted of wife Kelly, and he accompanied her to the auditions.

Once there, he discovered they needed one more male actor and, all of a sudden, he was signed up to portray Henry Langworthy.

“I am actually, believe it or not, a shy guy,” Skultety admitted.

He said he has enjoyed learning more about Henry Langworthy and is pleased that the event will focus on history.

“In essence, he wanted a town,” Skultety said, adding that the town of Langworth was originally located between Burneyville and Knights Ferry.

He is still fine-tuning his performance, with just a couple of weeks left before the event.

“I want to do a good job,” Skultety continued. “It’s helping the cemetery and it’s history, learning about the past and the people.”

Presale tickets are on sale now for $25 per person. Walking tours of the cemetery will start at dusk and there are five sessions planned for the Saturday, Oct. 5 event: 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., with each tour visiting all six gravesites, assisted by a tour guide.

Next week, look for profiles of the three remaining performers and their characters: Jacob Boss as Joseph Kornmayer, Pastor Henry Raven as Mitchell “Shorty” Stanton and Ray Leverett as Sheriff George Morrison.

For more information or to purchase tickets, go to the website, oakdalecitizenscemetery.org.