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ӣ������ Manchester invites the public to an engaging presentation that explores how history, media, and public policy shape our understanding of tragedy and myth.

Ghosts Among Us: Local Government Involvement in Dark Tourism

When tragedy strikes, a community’s pain can quickly become its unwanted spotlight.

Tragedy draws attention—and visitors. From Salem’s witch-trial history to Boston Marathon bombing sites, “dark tourism” leaves communities navigating healing and tourism at the same time. Join Dr. Beth Wielde Heidelberg, professor of urban and regional studies at Minnesota State University, Mankato, as she examines how local governments confront the surge of “dark tourism”—in their budgets, long-range plans, and policies—as they struggle to protect their communities while managing the spotlight they never asked for.

Date & Time: Monday, April 13 | 5-6 p.m.
Location: ӣ������ Manchester, 88 Commercial St., Room 201 (Multipurpose Room)

This event is free and open to the public.
Directions and Parking Info

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Dr. Beth A. Wielde Heidelberg is a professor of urban and regional studies, specializing in architectural preservation policy at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She received her master's degree in urban planning from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and her doctorate in public administration from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She has studied the impact of dark tourism on local government policy and urban planning for over ten years. Her research focuses on the impact of dark tourism on communities, and the difficult issues local governments must manage when their most famous local event and biggest tourist draw is based on tragedy, death, disaster, or frightening folklore.

The Saul O Sidore Memorial Lecture Series was established in memory of Saul O Sidore of Manchester, New Hampshire, to offer programs that raise critical and sometimes controversial issues facing our society. The lectures are free and open to the public as part of the Saul O Sidore Memorial Lecture Series, which has been fostering critical conversations on pressing societal issues since 1965.

Past Events 

The Salem Witchcraft Trials and ‘Moldy Bread’: A Case Study in Fake News
Media, Myth, and the Salem Witch Trials
Date & Time: Wednesday, October 15 | 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Location: ӣ������ Manchester, 88 Commercial St., Room 201 (Multipurpose Room)

Back in 1976, a wild theory claimed that the Salem witch trials were sparked by hallucinogenic fungus in rye bread. Experts quickly debunked it—but the media ran with it, and the myth stuck. Join us as we dig into how a catchy (but false) idea went viral and became a textbook example of early “fake news.”

Registration is closed for this event.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Margo Burns is the 10^th-generation great-granddaughter of Rebecca Nurse, who was hanged in Salem in 1692 on the charge of witchcraft. They are the project manager and an associate editor of Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt, published in 2009 by Cambridge University Press. Burns recently retired from St. Paul’s School as the director of The Language Center.