Superstitions about graveyards abound. Don’t whistle when you pass one. Never point at the funeral procession. And never take anything from a cemetery; the dead may follow you to get it back.

Know before you go: Leaving the Living History Cemetery Tour with a smile and newfound knowledge about Southwest Louisiana historic figures who are no longer here (infamous and famous) and the joy of enjoying talented local characters who are, is perfectly acceptable, safe and strongly encouraged.

The Arts Council of SWLA is bringing back the Living History Cemetery Tour Friday, Nov. 5, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

For this event, actors will dress in period attire and embody the lives of the gone but not forgotten at four local cemeteries: Bilbo Cemetery, Lakeshore Drive; Sallier Cemetery, Dr. Michael DeBakey Dr.; Combre Memorial Park, Opelousas St.; and Corporation Cemetery on Church St.

Guests will be guided through the tour to hear the stories of these historic figures’ lives and their impact on today’s Lake Charles. Larger-than-life personas such as trailblazer Judge Norma Holloway Johnson, Lake Charles Little Theatre founder Rosa Hart, murderess Toni Jo Henry and French aristocrat Michel Pithon and others, will tell their life stories and famed feats from their “own” viewpoints.

Deven Corbello, Arts and Humanities Council Executive Director said he’ll be playing the role of baseball National Hall of Famer Theodore Amar “Ted” Lyons.

“I have read that he had an easy-going, welcoming nature and liked to talk baseball,” Corbello said. “I’m still studying the history that’s available, brushing up on stats.”

Corbello is most looking forward to seeing Randy Partin play Michel Pithon.

“In the past, he’s played the role of Jacob Ryan,” Corbello said. “He always does an outstanding job.”

“Wandering Spirits” will visit each cemetery and are figures whose gravesites are unknown.

 Guests will have the freedom to drive from cemetery to cemetery at their own pace. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and free for children 12 and under (must be accompanied by a ticket holding adult), and can be purchased at www.cemeterytourlc.com . The event is sponsored by the Calcasieu Historic Preservation Society, CSE Federal Credit Union, Thrive Magazine, and supported by a SWLA Convention & Visitors Bureau Tourism Marketing Grant from the Lake Charles/SWLA Convention & Visitors Bureau. Proceeds benefit the Arts Council of SWLA, which provides needed programs and events to support the arts in the region.

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For more information, email CemeteryTourLC@gmail.com or call the Arts Council of SWLA at (337) 439-2787.